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Articles from Dawn Shuler | Selfgrowth.com
- The Ladder of Abstraction: 5 Techniques to Strengthen Your Writing - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWhatever we're writing, fiction or nonfiction, blogging or articles, sales letters or emails, we often find ourselves needing to convey an abstract concept. For example, in a marketing email, you are supposed to tap into your audience's pain. Whatever your audience's pain point, it's probably ...
Views: 2042 - What Story Do Your Numbers Tell You? - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2016 from Dawn ShulerEvery year I’ve done somewhat of a review of my business for the last year. Usually, it’s revolved around revenue, including my most profitable service or program revenue streams and my highest grossing clients. I also plan what programs I’m going to offer in the next 6-12 months, and plan my ...
Views: 1649 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Ready, Fire, Aim - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI’ve had several coaching calls lately where my sweet little clients want everything to be perfect before they hit the “Go” button. They want “it” to be perfect. They want everything figured out. They want assurance that it’s all going to go to plan. Yeah….. that whole planning thing…. see, ...
Views: 1103 - Your Book is a Business - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerYou're passionate about your message. Whether it's about frogs, women business owners, or creating financial stability, you have this burning desire to get your message out and help people (or frog lovers). The best way to do that is to write a book, right? Reach more people (and frog lovers) ...
Views: 1103 - 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 - What to Do When Things Don't Seem to Be Going Well - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWe all have those times when we are in the zone, when it’s all going well. We score the big client. We fill our programs. We get amazing feedback from an article we wrote that tells us we’re on the right path. The kids are good, the team won, the tea shop has your favorite tea in, and all the ...
Views: 1060 - Strong Writing Part I - Powerful Beginnings - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2015 from Dawn ShulerGrab 'em at the beginning and don't let 'em go. Powerful beginnings - whether we're talking about short stories or sales pages - are crucial to capturing your reader's attention. If you don't grab her right away, she has no reason to keep reading. And you've lost her. Conversely, if you've ...
Views: 1033 - 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) - Sometimes You Have to Coach Yourself - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI'm a writer. I'm a writing and creativity coach. I see patterns. I'm good at the big picture and those itsy bitsy details that make up the big picture. And I'm not perfect. As much as I'm a good writer and good business woman, I don't do it all effortlessly. Like any good thing, it ...
Views: 1011 - 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 - The Secret Behind Why We Don't Go After Our Dreams - by Submitted on May 09, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAs a business owner who works with other business owners, I see a lot of dreams. Sometimes these dreams take the form of little goals... I want to offer a new coaching program. Sometimes they take the form of medium goals... I want to facilitate a writing retreat. And then sometimes they take ...
Views: 989 - 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 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 - The Difference Between Wants, Needs, and Immediate Needs - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2016 from Dawn ShulerAs a business owner, your job is to meet the need of your target market. The problem comes into play when you have to deal with what your target market wants. And what your market wants and what they need may not be the same. To be a smart business owner, what you want to do is to ...
Views: 961 - 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 - Strong Writing- Powerful Endings - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2015 from Dawn ShulerYou need a great beginning in order to grab your readers' attention, but if you don't end just as powerfully, your reader could walk away with a bad taste in her mouth, your content forgotten. You can take a so-so piece of writing and make it powerful with a good conclusion. If you start with ...
Views: 952 - You ARE What You Write - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAt some point in your career as an employee or a business owner, you're required to write something. Whether it be the endless stream of e-mails that come into and out of your computer, the proposal, or the occasional, old-fashioned letter, your words need to convey the meaning you intend. You ...
Views: 951 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Tips On Writing Well - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWriting an E-zine is more than just a pretty packaging for words. Those words are the meat of your E-zine and your message. You have to think about content and your audience and writing it well and getting your readers' attention and keeping your readers' attention and.... The list goes on and ...
Views: 902 - Stuck IS Part of the Process - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerWhen was the last time you sat at your desk, having to write up a report on your department's progress? A memo explaining corporate policy? An article? A difficult e-mail? What do you do when you have to write something, and you're stuck? Sometimes you just brainstorm. For me, today, ...
Views: 898 - What If... Your Writing - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAs a writer, you might find yourself stuck - at the beginning (can't even get started), in the middle (where the heck do I go now), or at the end (is this really a good ending) of whatever you're writing. You might find as you're writing and creating content that everything seems as if it's ...
Views: 898 - "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 - Top 10 Ways to Be More Present in Your Life - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAs a small business owner, mother, and wife, I'm a busy gal. And as a creative entrepreneur, I have enough ideas to keep me going 24/7 for years to come. And I like to paint, draw, quilt, cross-stitch, write, run, hike... Unfortunately in some ways, though, I seem to be wired to work, work, ...
Views: 894 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Top Ten Writing Challenges - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerCommunication. When you talk with people on the phone, there's tone, pitch, speed, and volume to convey meaning. When you talk with people face to face, add in body language, eye contact, and gestures. Just your words, though, account for only 7% of the meaning you're trying to convey. That ...
Views: 861 - The 6 Most Common Website Problems - by Submitted on Aug 02, 2015 from Dawn ShulerIf you work virtually or market your business online at all, your website is a crucial part of your business. It’s one of the first things online people will see about you. Even offline people might go “check you out” after they’ve met you in person. Recently, most of my coaching calls and ...
Views: 859 - 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 - Top 10 Things Entrepreneurs Are Grateful for - by Submitted on Nov 30, 2015 from Dawn ShulerOwning your own business is a gift and sometimes a challenge. Well, maybe more often a challenge than not. There are plenty of things that you have to work around, take into account, plan for, and adapt to. And… there are many things for which entrepreneurs have to be grateful. Here are a ...
Views: 853 - Write It Badly - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2015 from Dawn ShulerA Real Writer sits down at his beautiful desk, and magic flies from his fingers. Beautiful words appear on the page or the screen, with very little effort from him. And then WE sit down to write, hoping for the same magic to flow - to somehow make instant sense of the concept in our brains ...
Views: 845 - 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 - When Our To-Do Lists Threaten to Strangle Us - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2015 from Dawn ShulerI run a business. I'm writing a collection of short stories. I'm working on a product for writers. I'm a mother of two amazing teenage daughters. I have deeply connected relationships with my friends and chosen family. I teach. I coach. I create and design new programs. I work with clients to ...
Views: 844 - One Goal - Hundreds of Steps. How to Manage, Get Through, and Complete a Huge Goal - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2015 from Dawn ShulerMark and I work from home, and since we're in a smallish, three-bedroom house, we share an office. However, after two-and-a-half years of sharing the office (which personally works just fine), we're finding that the physical arrangement of the furniture no longer serves us. We have two big ...
Views: 837 - Writing is a Process - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2015 from Dawn ShulerAs I work with people at different stages of the writing process, I find that they're often surprised that there IS a writing process. Most often, we imagine how a "real" writer works. He sits down at his lovely, mahogany desk and gets out his pad of paper or his antiquated typewriter. He flexes ...
Views: 833 - 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 - The Importance of Having Fun - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2016 from Dawn ShulerBusiness owners tend to be busy people. If your business is small, and even if you have a team (smart you!), you’re probably still pretty darn busy. There’s always more to do. Another networking meeting to attend. Another prospective client to call. Another program to design. Another ...
Views: 827 - 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 ...
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