What would you like to achieve with your writing business? Yes, it is a business. First and foremost, you must think of yourself as a professional before accomplishing anything else. So beyond that, what would you like to achieve with your writing?
Many coaches encourage their followers to create a vision board. Do you have a vision board for your business? If so, what do you have on it? Maybe you aren’t the type to have a vision board. Perhaps you would rather create a dream book. Whatever you choose to make, the concept is the same.
Here are some basic steps to create your vision board or dream book:
Step one decide what you want. I know this seems easy, but this is the first step many people overlook. Do not put money on your vision board. Sure, you may want more money, but you need to be very specific about how much money you want. Nobody cares about a suitcase full of printed paper. If they delivered a million dollars to you today, you wouldn’t be excited about the paper or the ink. No, you would be excited about what you would do with that money. I suggest you put those things on your vision board instead of pictures of cash.
Ask yourself a few questions. Where would you go if you had all the money in the world? How would you dress? What would you drive? Would you hire a driver? Would you take commercial airlines, or would you own your own jet?
What kind of car would you like to have? I want you to be very specific. What is the make, the model, and the color? The more specific you can be about your goals, the better you are. Picture what’s your life would be if someone handed you that suitcase full of a million dollars. Don’t be pessimistic and wonder how much taxes you would have to pay on an imaginary million dollars. I know a few people that would focus on the taxes instead of the gift. Don’t be that person! Even if you had to pay half of it to the I.R.S. it’s still more than you had before you were given the gift.
I know in my case, I have a virtual assistant on my vision board. I need a virtual assistant who can help me with some busywork. I also have a picture of the Grand Canyon and another picture of kayaks. I want to take my family kayaking down the Colorado River.n
Think of the things you would do and the things you would like to have. Think of the people you would like to help. How much money would you donate to charity if you had all of the money in the world? Get a picture of that charity’s logo and put it on your vision board.
So what’s the difference between a vision board and a dream book? Well, that’s simple. A vision board is made up like a bulletin board with pictures of your goals. Some people would rather take a notebook and cut out all of the things they desire and paste them into the notebook and make a dream book out of it as a scrapbook of sorts. Either way, the concept is the same. The more you think about, dwell on, and work towards your goals, the more apt you are to achieve them.
How does this help an author? Decide what you want to accomplish with your business and put those things on your board. I have the New York Times bestseller logo on my vision board. Am I there yet? No, I will be. I don’t know how long it will take, but I will be there. I see it every time I walk through my kitchen and see my vision board. I see it every time I sit down at my desk because I have another vision board across the top of my desk. Every time I fire up my computer, I also see it because it is the home screen. I will accomplish it because I’m working towards it, and I won’t give up until I do.
Is there a specific publishing house that you would like to work with, but there’s no way at this point that you think you can get there? Copy of their logo and put it on your vision board. Would you like to go on a speaking tour throughout the US? Find a picture of someone speaking on stage, paste your face on their face, and put it on your vision board.
I have one last tip about creating your vision board. Make sure everything you put on your board is in a positive light. Don’t put anything negative on your vision board. I know it sounds strange and what difference could it make, but I’ll tell you it makes all the difference in the world. Don’t put get out of debt. Instead, put financial freedom. It means the same thing, but it has a less negative connotation.
Can a local writer build a big enough audience to attract Hollywood? I did.
Can you publish independently and build a large platform that attracts the attention of a traditional publishing house? I did.
Can an indie author make six figures a year? Yes!
This go-to guide will show you how I built a business so large that a publishing house came to me and offered to buy reprint rights to three of my books. I got the chance to tell them “no” for one of the books. I made too much money.
Have you ever been able to send a rejection letter to a publishing house? It’s a lot of fun. Trust me.
How To Build A Bestselling Author Platform
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