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Articles from Dawn Shuler | Selfgrowth.com
- 6 Keys to Reinventing Yourself - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWe're in the process of reinvention - all the time - because we're evolving and changing - all the time. One of my favorite quotations is "I am not the same person I was yesterday." And then the quotation I came up with several years ago after going through some intense life changes was "The ...
Views: 1028(1 vote) - 9 Laws of a Project - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerIf you're an entrepreneur or small business owner, you probably have a project. Or two. Or three. Or fifty-eight. I'm not talking about your daily to-do's or the actual work you do with clients and customers. I'm talking about the bigger projects that move you and your business ...
Views: 741(1 vote) - How to Run Your Business Like a Big Girl (or Boy) - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2015 from Dawn ShulerIn order to successfully run your business, you have to focus on more than just the thing you do (coaching, consulting, assisting, bookkeeping, CPAing, etc.). Some people find those other things are not the fun stuff. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's time to run your business like a big ...
Views: 611(1 vote) - Planning - How Can This Help Your Business? - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerEvery six months, I plan the next six months. Recently, I was reminded of why this is so important (besides the fact that it's smart business). Lots of upcoming traveling combined with workshops, and I needed to see how everything related to each other. When am I going to be out of town? When am ...
Views: 589(1 vote) - "I Don't Know What to Write!" 5 Steps to Find Your Hidden Content - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2015 from Dawn ShulerProbably one of the biggest complaints I hear from my clients and other entrepreneurs is that they don't know what to write when it comes to creating content for their businesses. They know they NEED to be writing (blog posts, articles, press releases, social media updates, even video ...
Views: 894 - 10 Specific Ways to Jazz Up Your Writing - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerThe clearer (and more specific) you are about your message and the results you want to achieve, the easier it is for you to write. Then the words flow, because they're flowing from the heart. Once those words are flowing nicely and easily (because you're connecting with your passion), then you ...
Views: 920 - 11 Lessons Art Taught Me About Writing - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerIf you had ever asked me if I was creative, my answer would have somehow revolved around my writing. While both my grandmothers painted, I didn't feel my artistic bents leaned that way in the least. But art has been sneaking in for years... through mandalas and collages and vision boards and ...
Views: 581 - 16 Rules of Soulful Writing - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWriting is sacred, or at least, the power of words is sacred. We need to respect the word, the writing, and the process. While I believe there are no real rules to writing, here are 16 rules I use in my own writing life as well as with my clients and students. Feel free to break any as ...
Views: 1248 - 3 Simple Steps for Entrepreneurial Success - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2015 from Dawn ShulerOne characteristic that seems to be universal for entrepreneurs is that we have ideas. Not just an idea here or there, but a TON of ideas. Ideas every day. Multiple ideas in a day. You probably understand that you can’t act upon and bring to fruition every single idea. You have to be ...
Views: 892 - 4 Steps for a Successful Anything - by Submitted on May 31, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI recently had some issues with a business who was providing a service for me. I couldn't get my messages through: no one responded to my emails or my voice mails. What I found out later was that a former employee had done some damage as she left the company, and the staff was dealing with ...
Views: 972 - 5 Common Pitfalls That Keep You From Getting Started Writing - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerIt's time to sit down and write your article, and you can't seem to write a thing. You stare at your paper or screen, twirl your pen, tap the keys, get up and get a glass of water, sit back down, get up and go to the bathroom, sit back down, check Facebook/Twitter/Google+, twirl your pen some ...
Views: 563 - 5 Reasons to Break Writing Rules - by Submitted on Jun 20, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAs a lifelong writer, former English teacher, and writing coach and communication consultant for the last ten years, most people think that I write perfectly, no mistakes in grammar, structure, punctuation... it's all perfect. Nope! I don't write perfectly at all. Actually, I don't know that ...
Views: 877 - 5 Simple Ways to Make Progress With Your Marketing - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerRunning an online business requires a ton of marketing... even some things you might not consider marketing. Article writing, blogging, social media updates, sales page copy, campaign emails, video scripts, networking elevator speeches, bios... It can be overwhelming when you think about it. ...
Views: 512 - 5 Ways to Protect Your Creative Energy - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerA couple of weeks ago, I led a local, in-person meeting of a women-in-business support group. This was the fourth time we'd met, and all the meetings before had been full of amazing connection and even transformation for some of us. I always came home energized and filled up. This time, ...
Views: 972 - 5 Writing Rituals to Get You Writing - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWhen it's time to write, especially writing from one's soul, one doesn't just turn on a dime. At least, I don't. If I'm going to write from my soul, connect with my peeps, and write powerful, compelling material, I have to write consciously, not unconsciously. First, what do I mean by ...
Views: 588 - 7 Rules for Conscious Writing - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerYou have a lot to write, and, of course, you want your words to come directly from your soul, connect with your audience (whether that be a reader or potential customer), and have a strong impact. To that end, the more conscious we are of our process, the easier, better, stronger it ...
Views: 650 - 9 Pieces You Need for a Successful Business - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAccording to an article in Forbes in 2013, there were almost 28 million small businesses in the United States, and over 22 million of those were self-employed with no additional payroll or employees. Over 50% of the working population (that’s about 120 million people) works in a small business. ...
Views: 956 - All Stories Tell a Journey - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWhether you're writing fiction or nonfiction (even business writing), all writing tells a journey. There's a starting point and an ending point. Your job as writer and author is to get your reader from Point A to Point B. The most popular format for a journey story is Joseph Campbell's Hero's ...
Views: 584 - All You Need Is a Little Nothing - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2015 from Dawn ShulerA few weeks ago, when I was feeling quite overwhelmed, I took a break and sat in my living room and looked out the big picture window with its view of the valleys and mountains. I had been DOing so much that I felt I was losing a bit of the soul and the why of that doing. So I sat in my ...
Views: 780 - Are You at a Threshold Moment? - by Submitted on Oct 18, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWe all have those times where we can just chug along in our businesses and lives…. la la la la. We’re good. We’re happy. It’s status quo at its best. And then that all changes. We want more. We’re ready. Status quo is not good enough. So, then we have a decision to make. I call this a ...
Views: 1065 - Are You Being Confusing in Your Writing? Six Steps to Make Your Writing Clearer - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerThe most important aspect of connecting with your audience through words is being clear... Because if you're not clear, your readers certainly won't be. I was at a high-school band concert, and there was a box with "Cleaning Supplies" written on one side and "Lost and Found" written on ...
Views: 559 - Audience - Again and Again and Again - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerThe most important consideration when writing anything, whether an article, sales page, press release, etc., is who your audience is. What you write, including your message, your style, the language you use, the concepts you mention or explain, is all determined by who your audience is. Writing ...
Views: 825 - Be Brazen - Be Bold - Be You - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerYou have a product or service that solves a problem and that people need, and you want to share that. But then it comes down to communicating with your target market... that's where you get stuck. You have to write blog posts, ezine articles, sales pages, campaign emails, affiliate ...
Views: 736 - Beware the Writing Wasteland - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI was recently reading a science fiction story from the 1960s, and parts of the story just draaaaaaaaaaag. There's this old writing saying that if your character is going to open the door, then you, the writer, need to be able to see the doorknob. It doesn't mean that the readers need to see the ...
Views: 856 - Chakras and Writing - by Submitted on Apr 04, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI've been studying the chakra system for years, and recently I just knew that was a way to incorporate the philosophy, the interconnectedness of the system, and the system itself into writing. Recently, I had one of the biggest business epiphanies of my life where I could see how writing and ...
Views: 1135 - Claim Your Message - 5 Exercises to Create Your Compelling, Powerful Message - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2015 from Dawn ShulerYour message – your brand, if you will – is crucial to your business. This message encapsulates who you are, what you do, and who you do it for… along with housing your uniqueness. Everything follows from that core statement. This message is woven through your elevator speech, your website copy, ...
Views: 864 - Connect the Dots for Your Readers - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerIn conversations or in words, we usually know what it is we're trying to say. We have the concept in our heads. We can see it. Then, the trick is to translate that concept (which is not word-based) into words. Just like in a conversation with your spouse, you don't mention every single ...
Views: 580 - Consistent and Persistent AKA You Need to Be Writing - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2015 from Dawn ShulerA common marketing statistic bandied about is that it takes 7-10 touches to get people's attention. Hence, why on radio stations, you'll hear the same commercials over and over - because advertisers know they can't just play the commercial once and expect people to buy their widget. I've also ...
Views: 432 - Cooking Up a Few Words - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAs a writer, I see metaphors everywhere, and one of the lenses through which I view the world is that of writing and words. So, it's not a surprise that when I'm cooking a meal, my mind goes inevitably to writing... and tries to make connections. (One definition of writing could be "finding ...
Views: 635 - Create Beacons to Keep You on Track- And in Alignment with Your Purpose - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI was working with a client in a book writing program, and she was having a hard time figuring out what she wanted to write about. However, one theme that kept popping up for her was that she was passionate about people's stories being told. "There are all these stories out there, and they just ...
Views: 755 - Creating Sacred Space - Both Inside and Out - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2015 from Dawn ShulerMuch of what I do for my clients is to create sacred space. When I'm leading a workshop, I'm creating sacred space for my clients and students to write and create. When I coach, the coaching session is a sacred space where my clients feel safe to share, to stretch, to take risks, and to uncover ...
Views: 865 - Creating Sacred Space for Optimal Creation - by Submitted on May 31, 2015 from Dawn ShulerA crucial component of writing from your soul is having the sacred space in which to do it. You can't just whip up something powerful, compelling, and from the heart in the five minutes between the conference call with Client A and the weekly meeting with your VA. When you're in sacred space, ...
Views: 1188 - Creating Your Sacred Writing Bubble - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn Shuler"Writing time? Sure! I have a ton of stuff to write! Blog posts, Tuesday's ezine article, promotional copy for my upcoming program.... I could just write and write and write... But I'll get to it after these client calls. Oh, and preparing for my workshop. And let's not forget checking email and ...
Views: 1249 - Do You Need to Freshen Things Up? - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI have a cool memorabilia board, and I switch it out every now and then. Through February, it still had Christmas cards and the like hung on it. As it came to my consciousness that it was time to change it out, it occurred to me that I was freshening up the energy. There's a difference ...
Views: 1198 - Don't Rely on Yourself to Get Things Done - Create External Motivators - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2015 from Dawn Shuler"An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force." You know how it works... if it's up to you get something done - and no one is relying on it - you procrastinate, procrastinate, ...
Views: 805 - Elements of an E-zine - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerConsistency is the key to a well designed e-zine. Aside from the format (look and feel) of the e-zine, the layout and order of your e-zine must be consistent. When you pick up a book to read, you expect the book to run in a certain order: the title page, copyright information page, possibly a ...
Views: 1118 - Finding Subscribers - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerYou have just designed and published your first e-zine. You are so proud of it. It looks great and it has wonderful content. You know the information you have to share is of great value to many readers out there in cyber space. There is only one problem. You have all of one (1) subscriber, you! ...
Views: 877 - Get Out of Your Head - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI find as I'm working with people on their writing projects that they have trouble with all the ideas tumbling around in their heads. "I have this idea up there, but it just doesn't go anywhere!" they say, frustrated. "Have you started jotting down ideas, planning the structure, the story ...
Views: 902 - Go Deep. Let Go. Then Write. - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWhen I created my Writing From Your Soul process several years ago, what came to mind was a spiral. Not just as a symbol for what we're doing when we try to connect with ourselves and the our community (go deeper, deeper, deeper, and deeper still), but the process itself fits within that ...
Views: 926 - How Do You Know When You're Writing From Your Soul? - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI talk all the time about writing from your soul and how important it is to really connect your message to your audience. I've talked about how to do it, how to set yourself up for success, and what gets in the way. But how do you know if you're actually writing from your soul? That you're ...
Views: 603 - How Do You Write From Your Soul? - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWe've all read the piece of writing, whether it's a sales page or an email, that lies flat, that seems as if an intelligent monkey in a room with a typewriter could have randomly come up with that particular combination of words - words that make sense, but no soul to the writing. It's that ...
Views: 884 - How to Convey Your Message With Power and Passion - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerOver my entire adult life, I've run into a lot of people who really struggle with writing. And some of these people are amazing at what they do, but they can't write. But, more importantly, they didn't THINK they could write. As a result, I started to take what I could see their problems were ...
Views: 1354 - How to Get Motivated - When You're Not - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerIt happens... you set aside time to write and create. Or a client cancels at the last minute. Or that rare thing of a block of time drops into your lap. You're even all set with what you're going to work on. And you stare at the computer. You frown at your list. You shuffle papers on ...
Views: 799 - How to Get People to Open Your Emails - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2015 from Dawn ShulerThe Internet is a wonderful thing. It allows us to connect with people all over the world, get great information and resources, and do business. And in so many venues: social media, email, online communities... But our inboxes fill up with email after email after email. Typically, we open ...
Views: 565 - How to Organize Your Ideas, Even If You're Right-Brained - by Submitted on Aug 30, 2015 from Dawn ShulerOne of the biggest problems I see with entrepreneurs is what to do with all the ideas they have swirling around in their brains. We entrepreneurs love ideas and possibilities! But if we spin mentally with those ideas and never engage with them, we can get frustrated and overwhelmed. The trick ...
Views: 844 - I Don't Want to Write, and You Can't Make Me - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerThe statistic that writing coaches, book marketing coaches, and write-a-book-in-a-weekend programs love to shout to the world is that 80% of people say they want to write a book. What do you think the key word is in that statistic? "Want." They want to write a book. The number of people ...
Views: 638 - Is It Time to Come Out of Your Shell? - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2015 from Dawn ShulerEntrepreneurs and business owners often go through cycles. We can be all spitfire and balls o’ energy, and then we go into downtime, replenish, and retreat mode. We can’t be at high productivity and creativity all the time; we need the rest part of the creativity cycle. At the same time, we ...
Views: 831 - Lessons Learned From a Creative Writing Retreat - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWe may not be able to sit down and write anywhere. Some people can. Yay them! For me, though, my environment is ultra important. The energy of people around me affects me. The location. The natural environment. Maybe that sounds like I'm a diva and everything must be perfect if I'm going to ...
Views: 632 - Let Creativity In - 6 Easy Steps - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2015 from Dawn Shuler"I have an article to write, so I'll just start writing." A few moments go by. "Hmmmm. Why aren't the words coming to me easily? Ah, it must be because I struggle to write." A few more moments go by. "This is hard." "I'm not very good at it." You stare at the screen. "I give ...
Views: 1001 - Making Writing Easy - The Continual Process - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI've committed to writing more and more, and what that looks like (ideally) is more blog posts, more ezine articles, and books. That means writing. A lot of writing. And THAT means actually writing. The other day, I ended my work day at 3:00pm with the intention to write. Oh my ...
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