Blog - Melissa Dinwiddie | Create the Impossible™ | Innovation Keynote Speaker & Consultant

January 22, 2012

Playing Big: An Interview with Tara Mohr

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Tara Mohr this morning, and I think you’ll enjoy our conversation. (20 minutes, 17 seconds.)

Some background:

A woman reserves the right to change her mind, and on Thursday, I changed mine.

After swearing I would not sign up for any new online courses, I handed over my credit card and registered for Tara Mohr’s Playing Big. (I was already proud to be an affiliate partner for the program, but now I’m a paid member, too!)

Have you ever noticed how making a commitment to something changes the energy around it? In a matter of seconds I went from “Ack! I don’t have time! I’m not ready! I don’t have the money! I’m fine without this!” to a sense of serene groundedness. An inner knowing that this is absolutely right for me, right now.

Combined with a fizzy excitement at the big, exciting move I’m making!

Watch the video above for my conversation with Tara about what it means to play big.

Hint: if you’re thinking playing big is just for celebrities, politicians, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, that’s not the kind of playing big we’re talking about. As Tara put it, she could have just as well titled her program Liberating Your Inner Creative Voice. Because in the end, it all comes down to the same thing.

If you want to hear more from Tara about the Playing Big program itself, click here to listen to an information call Tara hosted on Thursday (you’ll hear me asking the very first question, which is what helped me come to my final decision to sign up.) And click here to read all about Playing Big (and if you’re ready to take the plunge, join me in the course! As a thank you for buying through my link I’ll give you a 6-month membership in my Creative Ignition Club and ClutterBusters group. :))

Enjoy the video, and I’ll just leave you with…

A message from the Universe

Someone (I think it might have been Tara, originally..?) tweeted recently:

Dear Brilliant Woman:
I made you brilliant so you could heal the world. Please start playing bigger.
Love,
The Universe

Amen.

Let me know your reactions!

Where have you installed your own “glass ceilings”? What if you played as big as you truly could? What kind of impact could you make?

xo, Melissa <3
PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

The following is borrowed in whole from Jonathan Fields, because I think it’s brilliant and hilarious:

[FTC Disclosure – You should always assume that pretty much every link on this blog is an affiliate link and that if you click it, find something you like and buy it, I’m gonna make some serious money. Now, understand this, I’m not talking chump change, I’m talking huge windfall in commissions, bling up the wazoo and all sorts of other free stuff. I may even be given a mansion and a yacht, though honestly I’d settle most of the time for some organic dark chocolate and clean socks. Oh, and if I mention a book or some other product, just assume I got a review copy of it gratis and that me getting it has completely biased everything I say. Because, books are like a drug to me, put one in my hand and you own my ass. Ethics be damned! K, you’ve been warned. Huggies and butterflies. ]

I’m still waiting for my mansion and yacht. And bling, too, btw.

January 18, 2012

Playing Big Instead of Dancing in the Shadows

If you like to write, you should know about the cool thing my friend LaVonne has going on over at her blog, one.blue.berry.

LaVonne loves stories — she loves to write them (which she does exquisitely well — check out her juicy memoir about how she married a gorgeous Greek for his green card!), she loves to read them, and she loves to share them.

To that end, she recently started a delightful little project — sign up for her story prompts, and twice a week a one-word prompt will land in your inbox. Reply back with your (true) story — either in an email, or if you prefer you can leave a voice message on her phone system — and you may find yourself published over at one.blue.berry.

I’ve been getting LaVonne’s prompts for a couple of weeks now, and they always spark a memory and an idea, but until yesterday I never managed to carve the time to actually write it down.

This latest prompt, though, grabbed me by the throat.

“Tell me a story about: A Decision,” the email said, and it was as if I were possessed. I had to write it. I couldn’t not write it.

Maybe 20 minutes later I sent LaVonne 408 words about my decision, at age 19, to drop out of college and audition for the dance division at the Juilliard School in New York.

That’s all I’ll say about it here — if you want to read it, LaVonne tells me it will go live on one.blue.berry sometime next week. (I know, I’m mean. So sue me.)

Writing the story got me thinking about more than just that decision, though. This post is the result.

A Paradox: Playing Big and Playing Small at the Same Time

My decision to buck expectations, fly off to New York by myself and audition for Juilliard contains an enormous paradox: on the one hand, what a big, bold move for shy, 19-year-old me! My heart swells with pride for that younger self who did something that scared her so much.

Following my dreams, moving to New York to dance, was what one might call “playing big.”

On the other hand, I remember being struck by how the other dancers at Juilliard didn’t hold back in class. They danced full out. They went for it.

It may surprise you, but this had not been my experience back home. A lot of the time, in dance class, and no doubt in other parts of my life, I stuck to playing small. I danced “in the shadows.” It felt safer that way.

Holding Back

When I first “discovered” dance at age 16, I was thrilled at the attention it brought me. Years of being picked last for sports teams had filled me with a belief that I was a klutz, and yet after my first “real” dance class the teacher kept asking me which competitor’s studio I danced at. He didn’t believe me that my only previous dance experience had been through my high school gym “dance” classes, which were notorious for being, shall we say, light on technique.

Apparently I had some facility at this thing. Who knew?

For the next few years I dove into this new passion, dreaming big dreams of a career as a professional dancer/choreographer, while at the same time not quite believing it was possible.

My life revolved around dance and high school — there was nothing else. I was in dance classes for hours every afternoon and evening, with additional classes in the mornings during vacations. I applied myself furiously.

And yet I also held back.

I remember being so afraid of making a fool of myself, so afraid of failing, that unless I felt 100% confident in what I was doing, I practically refused to dance full out. That’s not the most efficient route to mastery, but this self-conscious display of hiding almost seemed the thing to do, in a studio where so many of the serious dancers were insecure teens like myself.

So while I dreamed of playing big, in my real life I played a lot smaller than my full size. (While at the same time I starved and vomited myself well below my literal full size, but that’s a topic for another time.)

The Power of Models

When I saw my classmates at Juilliard really going for it, holding nothing back, it was a revelation. It suddenly occurred to me that yes, if you want to make a splash, if you want to do this thing (whatever it might be), hiding and playing small is not going to cut it. No dance company it its right mind would hire a dancer who didn’t give it her all — I mean, duh!

Somehow, though, I needed to see my classmates owning the space outside of the shadows in order to give myself permission to be big. To take up space. To go for it.

I can’t blame that younger self for trying to stay safe. Some people can bust through glass ceilings all on their own. The rest of us need models to show us what’s possible.

There’s a reason activists raise a ruckus about film and TV portrayals of people in power being predominantly white and male. If you don’t see any examples of other people like you, it’s hard to imagine that they might exist, and more importantly, that you might fill similar shoes.

I’ve shared many times on this blog that it wasn’t until Chris Guillebeau appeared on my radar that it even occurred to me that I could really create a sustainable living doing what I really, really wanted. (Not that he’s the only model out there, by any means, but he was the first that I became consciously aware of.)

Stepping Out of the Shadows

One beautiful model of playing big is writer, coach and personal growth teacher, Tara Mohr — a personal hero and inspiration of mine.

I actually first encountered Tara years ago when she and her then fiance ordered a ketubah from me for their wedding. Since then she’s taken the internet by storm, blogging regularly for The Huffington Post, and appearing in national publications, and on national radio and TV.

Check out how clearly Tara articulates herself while in the hot-seat on The Today Show:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Clearly, Tara doesn’t let fear of failure — or criticism — hold her back from her big dreams and visions. She’s dancing full-out with the world, right in the spotlight, and the world is better for it.

She’s a model for all of us.

Says Tara:

Most brilliant women don’t see their own brilliance and are “playing small” and they know it: not speaking up, doubting themselves, seeing themselves as “not yet ready” to launch the big idea, the organization, to put themselves at the table.

One of Tara’s missions in life is to help women leaders learn “how to quiet self-doubt, clarify purpose, and become comfortable with taking bold action in the workplace and in the world.”

Amen.

Playing Big

About a year ago Tara unveiled her flagship 6 -month course for women who are ready to bust through their own personal glass ceilings, Playing Big (I’m very proud to be an affiliate partner, and yes, that’s an affiliate link). Now the course is back, and Oh. My. GOD. Do I want to take it!

Want! Want! Want!

Had I not just signed up for both Pace Smith & Kelly Kingman’s The Way of the Peaceful Entrepreneur (also an affiliate link, though registration is no longer open) and Jennifer Louden and Michele Christensen’s Teach Now (that is not an affiliate link, but I wish it were [hint, hint, Jen and Michele!]), I would so sign up for Playing Big!

As it is, I’ll attend Tara’s free seminar on January 19 (there’s still space, as I type this), and hem and haw, and if I’m wise with my limited time and money I’ll take a deep breath and promise myself I’ll take it next time.

Sigh…

Meanwhile, I’ll look to all of the above powerhouses as models as I continue to dance myself out of the shadows and play bigger, and bigger, and bigger.

I hope you’ll join me. The world needs us.

(And if you sign up for Playing Big, will you tell me all about it, pretty please?)

Where have you gotten stuck dancing in the shadows? How are you continuing to play small, and what would playing big really look like in your life? Who are your role models for playing big?

xo, Melissa <3
PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

Dancer photo by Shoofly @ deviantART.com (Sweet Carolina Design & Photo at Flickr)

January 15, 2012

Why the **** Did I Buy That?? Marketing, Brand Archetypes and Ulterior Motives

Why? by Ksayer1 at Flickr

We now interrupt this blog about living an awesome creative life to bring you an object lesson in marketing. (Yes, marketing. It’s fun — trust me.) In fact, it’s a sociological study of what makes a person (in this case, me) choose to buy, or not.

Why? Because marketing is part of living an awesome creative life as an internet entrepreneur. (Or any kind of entrepreneur, actually.)

Think of it as the business side of creativity. Or the creative side of business. Or something. It’s actually pretty fascinating when you start getting curious about it. (Trust me.) Even if you’re not personally interested in running your own business.

(Or just come back next time — after all, if this isn’t your thing, another blog post [on an entirely different subject, no doubt] will be coming out in a few days.)

Oh, and be advised, if you proceed, that affiliate links abound below. They won’t bite you, but if you click on one and end up making a purchase, I’ll earn a commission. Just thought I should warn you.

Onward…

El made a comment on my last post that really got me thinking over the past few days about what makes people buy.

Specifically, in this case, what made me buy… and not buy… when two very similar products came out within a couple of months of each other.

A Tale of Two Publishing Guides

When I got an email from Chris Guillebeau back in mid-December that his new Unconventional Guide to Publishing (aff [that means “affiliate link,” in case you were wondering]) was coming out on January 10th, I knew I wanted it, and unless it was just crazy expensive, I knew I was going to buy it.

Before I even saw the details about it.

This in itself wouldn’t be so notable, except that just a few weeks before Chris’ announcement, Danielle LaPorte of White Hot Truth launched a very similar offering — Your Big Beautiful Book Plan, co-created with Linda Siversten — and though I had looked at the sales page, and I had thought seriously about getting out my credit card…

…I ultimately nixed it.

As El pointed out, the two packages look very alike from the outside — they both have lots of insider tips, real-life examples of winning book proposals, interviews with industry veterans, and fairly comparable pricing: the price point of Chris’ top-tier “Hemingway” package clocks in at $129, just $21 less than the $150 that LaPorte and Siversten are asking for Your Big Beautiful Book Plan.

And yet I have to say it was pretty easy for me to say no to one, and a total no-brainer for me to say yes to the other.

Why the difference?

Marketing 101

Besides being strangely fascinating (to me, at least), the answer is also an object lesson for any entrepreneur, because it has everything to do with one of the maxims that appears in every basic marketing class or book:

People buy from people (or businesses) they know, like and trust.

I know both Danielle’s and Chris’ work (though, granted, not Linda’s). I know from past purchases that they both produce excellent products, and hold themselves to very high standards, so I trust that they have each made another excellent, high value product. I’ve even met each of them in person (though to be fair, Danielle only briefly), I like them both, and I strongly resonate with the big vision message they each bring to the world.

Know, like and trust are all covered, then. So what else would explain my purchasing decisions?

Beyond Know, Like and Trust

Ultimately, just knowing, liking and trusting wasn’t enough — I bought the product from the business that I felt more strongly connected to.

You can get a snapshot of my connection by my reactions to the news of the product launches:

When I saw Danielle’s announcement about Your Big Beautiful Book Plan, my first thought was, “Hmmm, I definitely have a goal of writing a book, so this would be useful… but I’m not ready to write a book right now, so there’s really no reason for me to shell out $150 at the moment. I can always get it later.”

On the other hand, when I got that email from Chris saying that his Unconventional Guide to Publishing was coming out in a few weeks, my first thought was “OMG, I have to buy that!”

Even though I was no more ready to write a book than I’d been a few weeks before.

Yep. Strong connection.

I suppose that “strong connection” could be said to fall under the “like” category, but there’s a distinction I think is important. For me, feeling strongly connected is more than just liking, and comes down to a couple of different things:

1) How much I resonate with their brand

2) How personally connected I feel (which falls under the “know” category, and is in turn strongly tied to how much I resonate with their brand)

Brand Archetypes

In Action Studio, a month-long intensive course I took with Sinclair over the summer, I learned about the idea of brand archetypes. Sinclair has her own proprietary take, but the concept of archetypes has actually been used by corporations for decades to help them define their brand personality. (A quick Google search on “brand archetypes” yields over 785,000 results.)

Kitty Kilian turned me on to The Storybranding Group, which has its own, very similar archetypal system (and a free inventory you can take to determine your personal archetypes). You can dig into their website (and all the other archetype systems out there in the Googleverse) for a more in-depth look at the whole concept, but as a quick shorthand, here’s a chart from the Storybranding Group system’s creator’s website of the archetypes of a dozen different individuals and organizations:

Archetype	Individual	Organization
Innocent	Dolly Parton	Disney
Everyperson	Jimmy Carter	Gap
Hero	Lone Ranger	Nike
Caregiver	Mother Teresa	Campbell’s Soup
Explorer	Amelia Earhart	Starbucks
Lover	Rudolph Valentino	Victoria’s Secret
Revolutionary	Che Guevara	Apple
Creator	Martha Stewart	Crayola
Magician	Martin Luther King	Calgon
Ruler	Alan Greenspan	Microsoft
Sage	Carl Jung	Discovery
Jester	Tina Fey	Ben & Jerry’s

Think about the feeling you get from Dolly Parton, say, versus Tina Fey. Or Apple versus Microsoft. Totally different personalities and associations, right?

Some on this list you probably resonate with a lot, others maybe not so much. When a brand (which could be a big company or a solopreneur, or anything in between) is in perfect alignment with you — when you totally dig what they’re about, why they do what they do and how they do it — you’re what the wise and brilliant Havi would call that brand’s “Right People.”

My decisions to buy (in Chris’ case) and not to buy (in Danielle’s and Linda’s case) revealed to me that I am very much Chris’ Right People, but I am Danielle and Linda’s not-quite-exactly-Right People.

The reason lies in their archetypes.

Ruler?/Sage?/Magician?

I don’t actually know what Danielle’s primary brand archetypes are, but the ones that seem most likely to me are archetypes that contain a certain amount of distance, such as Ruler, Sage and Magician. Her brand (or my perception of it — yours might be totally different) sets her apart from her audience, up on a hill, invulnerable. While that form of leadership is powerfully compelling for many, it doesn’t really resonate for me.

Although I’d love to emulate her business success, her reach, and her consequent power to positively impact the world, I don’t want to emulate her brand. I’m a heart-on-my-sleeve type, I can’t relate to her super-polished packaging.

Again, I LOVE her message and mission, but I honestly find her web presence, the super-professionally-produced (and can’t-take-your-eyes-off entertaining!) videos, a bit… intimidating. And since I’m so much about making people feel comfy, all that polish feels off-putting to me.

I’m an authenticity junkie. I don’t want to see your mask, no matter how beautiful; I want to see your humanity.

(I should note that when I met Danielle at the World Domination Summit last June, she was the essence of warmth. I introduced myself in the bathroom line and stuck my hand out for a shake, and she said “Oh, honey, hugs, please, I don’t do handshakes” and wrapped me in a genuine embrace. Her stage presentation also emanated a warmth I personally don’t perceive on her website. But again, your perception may be entirely different.)

None of this is to say that there’s anything wrong with Danielle’s brand. It’s perfect for her, and she clearly does not lack for customers. In a single day, her book, The Firestarter Sessions, hit #2 on Amazon — right behind Steve Jobs’ biography. The woman kicks ass (and I bought the book, btw.) She’s one of my heroes.

I’m just not quite her Right People, from a brand/customer perspective.

Explorer?/Hero?/Everyperson?

I also don’t know what Chris’ primary brand archetypes are, but apparently they’re archetypes that my own relate to with a lot less friction. I’d guess he’s got elements of Explorer, Hero and Everyperson.

These archetypes — and his entire way of being — resonate more fully with me.

He’s visibly human. He allows himself to show vulnerability. He shows his imperfection, doesn’t try to mask it. His style of leading is more, “Hey guys, let’s do this! Come join me!” than “I hold all the answers, so come partake of my great wisdom.”

His videos are so obviously “homemade,” so obviously not polished and professionally produced, and that’s part of what I like about them. He seems not like a High Priest With All The Answers, but … like me! And I like that.

I like it enough that I’ve sent a lot (a lot) of money his way. And I fully anticipate sending him a lot more.

I also follow and admire Danielle (and again, I’ve bought some of her stuff), but I follow more from a distance. Chris brings me along for the ride.

A Bit More Marketing 101

Even if I resonate with your brand, of course the product has to be a good fit, too. It has to answer a need or solve a problem of mine, otherwise I won’t buy it. Not all of Chris’ offerings are up my alley, so I’m not a True Fan in the pure sense of the word (ie, a fan who buys every single thing you produce, from this post on the concept of 1,000 True Fans).

Sometimes, though, even if the offering itself isn’t a perfect fit, my resonance with the brand may lead me to buy for other, more “meta” reasons.

Take Pace Smith and Kelly Kingman’s Way of the Peaceful Entrepreneur.

Just over a year ago, having discovered Pace and her partner Kyeli (not to be confused with Kelly) through Johnny B. Truant and Lee Stranahan‘s interview “course,” Question the Rules (aff [and another one!]), I bought Pace & Kelly’s previous joint venture project, a collection of excellent interviews with a dozen or successful e-course creators, called Engaging E-Courses (aff [omg, will they ever stop?]).

I loved it.

And though I can’t say I’ve been a devoted follower of either of their blogs, I pop into Pace and Kyeli’s (again, not to be confused with Kelly) Connection Revolution every so often, and always love what I find there. I love their message and mission (sound familiar?) and I also love their style of transmitting it — with humanity, humor, vulnerability, and total authenticity.

(Check out this video of Danielle LaPorte & Linda Siverten, and this video by Pace and Kyeli, to get a sense of the difference in styles I’m talking about here.)

Let’s face it: I just think they’re really cool.

And as with Chris Guillebeau, I want to emulate not just their success, but their manner of creating it.

Meta Meta Meta & Ulterior Motives

My archetypes (Lover/Creator/Hero – you tell me which one you think is primary), resonate with the archetypes I perceive in Pace (Hero?/Rebel?), so when she and Kelly (not to be confused with Kyeli) announced the Way of the Peaceful Entrepreneur (and yes, it’s still an affiliate link, in case you’re wondering), my ears perked up.

And even though I’m well beyond the just-starting-out (or thinking about it) level the course is aimed at, I decided to hand over my credit card.

Why? Two reasons:

I suspect there will be value to be gleaned in a review of business basics from Pace and Kelly’s unique perspective
I want to learn from them with my teacher hat on

As a teacher/leader/creative entrepreneur myself, every course I sign up for I take with at least two different hats: my student hat (in which I learn from the actual content presented), and my teacher hat (in which I learn from the way the content is presented: what do I want to borrow? what do I want to make sure I don’t do in my next class or offering?)

Plus here’s a secret I’ve learned from experience: taking courses is a great way to grow my own network. I get to develop or deepen my relationship with the instructors, and I’ve made some amazing, lasting connections with other participants in the interactive courses I’ve taken online.

The Real Ulterior Motive Part

One lesson that Jon Morrow brought home in his awesome Guest Blogging Apprenticeship (amazingly, this one is NOT an affiliate link — Jon, if you take affiliates, can I sign up?), is that one surefire shortcut to building a relationship with a blogger (though of course this applies to anyone, not just bloggers) is to buy it — take an interactive course from them (and interact); pay for coaching or consulting.

Believe me, I have a much stronger relationship with the members of my Creative Ignition Club, and Creative Ignition Circle, and one-on-one coachsulting clients, than with subscribers to my blog who haven’t actually worked with me. Duh, right?

Yep, Pace and Kelly, if you’re reading, full disclosure: part of why I’m signed up for the Way of the Peaceful Entrepreneur is ’cause I want to get to know you better! (And yikes, how scary and vulnerable does it feel to admit that? Like saying “Will you be my friend?” to the intriguing stranger kid on the playground. Can you say “I’m a dork”?)

The Upshot

All this is to say, if you run a business, or are thinking of doing so (this includes solopreneurs), your business has a personality, and the image you present will determine what kinds of people you attract, and who ultimately buys your stuff.

So make sure your mission, message, brand personality, graphics, copy and everything else you put out in the world is consistent and says what you want it to say, in order to self-de-select your not-Right People, and to attract your Right People.

Simple, right?

Um, yeah. Have fun spending the next few decades getting it right.

That’s exactly what I’m working on doing.

If you’re ready to start — or grow — your business in a humane, peaceful way, I’d love to have you as a classmate with me in Pace and Kelly’s course, the Way of the Peaceful Entrepreneur. Tuesday is the last day to get in — registration closes on January 17th.

Full disclosure (again, in case you didn’t see the multiple other times I mentioned this): if you click through that link (or any of the Way of the Peaceful Entrepreneur links [←like that one]) and buy, I’ll make a commission. Which would, of course, make me wildly appreciative.

So much so that I’d love to thank you with a 3-month membership in my Creative Ignition Club as a special bonus. Yep — take the Way of the Peaceful Entrepreneur with me (using one of my links to sign up, of course), and you get 3 months in the Creative Ignition Club.

However, if for whatever reason you want to take the course, but don’t want to send me a commission, or get exclusive access to the Club, just do a Google search, and I won’t ever know the difference. 😉

Do you have any examples of brands you love, and brands that don’t quite do it for you? What works for you about the former, and what doesn’t work for you about that latter?

xo, Melissa <3
PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

PPS — If you got all the way to the bottom of this verrrrrrry loooooong post, I’m guessing it means you liked it. If you haven’t already subscribed, just use that nifty form at the top right, and all my blog posts (usually 2x/week) will land in your very own inbox.

photo by Ksayer1 at Flickr

January 11, 2012

So You Wanna Write a Book? Here’s Your Secret Weapon

How to Publish Your Book

2012 is my year of Self-Compassion, Untangle(ing) and Practice. Within those three overarching themes, however, are lots of much more specific goals.

Busting clutter, for example.

Under the theme of Practice, and in keeping with the spirit of my 15 Minutes-a-Day Creative Challenge, 2012 is also shaping up to be my Year of Writing. And more specifically, my Year of Publishing.

Sure, I publish a couple of times a week right here on the blog, but publishing a book is a different animal.

So what am I doing to make this my Year of Publishing?

In addition to my blog-writing time, I put time in every day on writing for publication. I’m starting with an e-book (or ebook? or eBook? the debate rages), coming out via ASpindle later this year. When that’s done, I’m working my way through several real-life projects in Lee Stranahan‘s Digital Publishing Boot Camp. (Super-awesome course, btw — highly recommended!)

With Kindles and e-readers (e-readers? eReaders?) becoming all the rage, self-publishing is a whole new world, with gobs of potential that simply didn’t exist before. (The days of “Vanity Publishing” seem quaint now.) It will be very interesting to see how it evolves.

The big, E ticket goal for many, though, is still to get published, by an already-established, honest-to-goodness “Real Publisher.”

The 80% Dream

It turns out a LOT of people dream of writing a book — some surveys have shown that fully 80% of people have “write a book” on their list of life goals.

The world of publishing, though, has always been a big, opaque mystery. How does one even go about trying to get published? Do you need an agent? If so, how do you get one? How do you write a query letter? How do you craft a strong proposal? If you’re so lucky as to land a contract, how do you navigate the legalese?

The unknowns seem endless.

No wonder very few of that 80% actually ever follow through on their dreams of writing a book and getting published!

Chris Guillebeau to the Rescue!

If you’ve been here awhile, you may know that Chris Guillebeau was the unwitting catalyst for this blog. He’s been an inspiration to me in so many ways, starting with being a model of living the life you really, really want — doing what you love, making an impact, and making a damn good living at it.

He’s also created numerous amazing products that I’ve found incredibly helpful, and have used as models for my own offerings. (The Empire Building Kit, the Unconventional Guide to Art + Money, the Travel Hacking Cartel, to name just a few.)

Now, drawing on the experience of publishing his best-selling book, The Art of Non-Conformity (#8 on Amazon in its first week out), and his 2nd book (coming out in May), Chris has a new, comprehensive guide that anyone with “write a book” on their bucket list would be smart to get their hands on.

The Unconventional Guide to Publishing

Like most of Chris’ offerings, the Unconventional Guide to Publishing is a multi-media package, at the heart of which is a 45,000-word guide by Chris’ own literary agent, 20-year publishing industry veteran David Fugate.

Fugate and Chris have teamed up to offer a comprehensive solution to understanding the publishing industry, and I’m VERY excited about it!

In addition to the 45,000-word e-book (ebook? eBook?) are lots of supplemental interviews, recordings and transcripts, including:

Sample query letters and a sample agent + author contract
How to find an agent (and why you need one)
How to craft a strong proposal that will get editors excited
Questions to ask when considering an offer
The three clauses in every book contract you should pay close attention to (Warning: if you miss these, you’ll regret it later)
Everything about money—advances, royalties, foreign rights, auctions and more

There are three package options — “Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Austen” — and through Friday only you can get the top tier “Hemingway” option for a discount, plus more special rewards:

For 3 days only, early purchasers get:

A 25% discount on the $129 tier (discount price: $97) (This is the one I bought!)
An extended Q&A conference call with David Fugate, veteran literary agent and author of the guide
A personal review of the buyer’s community-building plan with Chris Guillebeau himself

It’s a pretty slick offer, but it’s only available until midnight PST on Friday, January 13, so I wanted to let you know about it asap! Click here to get your discount and rewards.

No I’m off to work on my e-book/ebook/eBook.

Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate partner with Chris, so if you click through and buy via one of my links, I’ll receive a commission. (Actually, for Chris’ stuff, I’ll only receive a commission if mine is the first link you click. So if you want to send that commission to someone else, go click on their link first!)

More full disclosure: I’m actually an affiliate partner with dozens of companies, most of which I never mention here. I only ever promote products and services here which I think are relevant to you, and which I can fully stand behind. (If you’re interested in other stuff I use, love and wholeheartedly recommend, click here.) In Chris’ case, even though I haven’t had a spare second to even skim through my copy of the Unconventional Guide to Publishing yet, sharing it here was a no-brainer.

Every single thing I’ve ever bought from Chris has been top-notch. I don’t even think anymore before purchasing from him — if it’s up my alley, I buy it. Period. I’ve never been disappointed with one of his Unconventional Guides. (If you buy the guide on the strength of my recommendation and are unhappy with it, you can complain to me about it — that’s how confident I am. Plus Chris offers a 100% Effectiveness Guarantee.)

Tell me, is writing a book on your bucket list? What steps are you taking to make it happen?

xo, Melissa <3
PS — Pssst! Know someone else who wants to write a book and could use a secret weapon? Pass it on!

January 8, 2012

Debriefs, Surprises and Soon-to-Be Busted

So let’s take stock of how my intentions are going so far, shall we? In keeping with the first of my 3 words for 2012, Self-Compassion, my big intention for January is to get better, and more, sleep.

Specifically, I’ve committed to getting to bed, lights out, by no later than 11pm every night this month — a shift of 3 full hours from my usual 2am bedtime.

I call it…

The Great Bedtime Experiment Debrief

It’s been a week since I started the Great Bedtime Experiment. How’m I doin’?

I’m pleased to report that I’ve succeeded in keeping my commitment, and it is dramatically helping my energy and quality of life, as expected.

What I didn’t expect is the “side effects.”

To wit: for the first couple of days, I was surprised to find my tension and stress level much higher throughout the day than normal. My usual M.O. has been to just keep working as late into the night as necessary, until I literally had to stop. Now, with a “hard endtime” to my days, I no longer have that “luxury,” and the perceived limits on my time added some extra felt-pressure — “gotta get X,Y & Z done, NOW!” — that I hadn’t felt before.

I swear my blood pressure rose several points for a couple of days there.

Thankfully, that began to stabilize as the week went on, as I kinda figured it would.

The ritual of shutting down started to become normal and my perspective on the shape of my day began to adapt and adjust.

I’m much more conscious of planning ahead, and though I’m still in major catch-up mode (inevitable, when you’ve been living in last-minute, push-til-the-wee-hours-whenever-necessary land for as long as I have), it’s shifting, and it feels great!

Surprises

One thing that’s really surprised me is that the Great Bedtime Experiment has revealed how seriously overextended I am.

Let’s be clear: I knew I was overextended, but somehow pushing late into the night had masked just how overextended. There’s no hiding when you face a hard-stop at the end of the day, and 7 items are still staring at you from your “must get done this week, preferably today” list, uncompleted.

I knew I had a tendency to overestimate just how much I could get done in a day — I just didn’t realize how much I overestimated.

So.

What to do? It’s a situation that cannot be sustained.

Reality Bites

I started by writing down every single thing I do on a regular basis that takes up my time. Then I looked at that list. Something has to give, but what? I honestly don’t want to give any of it up! I still haven’t come to any happy conclusions, beyond possibly posting less here on the blog…

I have, however, allowed myself to drop some planned projects from my “foreseeable future of 2012” list — such as my long-held dream of creating a Uke Diva site, with video tutorials on how to play my original songs on the ukulele.

…which I’d hoped to have up by the end of 2011

…which obviously didn’t happen…

Yes, I’m still very eager and excited to do this, and I’m not letting it go entirely, but I just have to be ruthless about my priorities, and with only space for 4-5 pots on my stove at any given time, this pot is just going to have to wait. I’ve got other bubbling pots to attend to right now, which are threatening to burn or boil over if I’m not careful!

So.

Meanwhile, my sweetie and I are in agreement that this new, earlier bedtime regime is working very well. We’re both much better-rested (though I still seem to be a lot sleepier than I’d like [what’s up with that?]). I’m no longer totally steamrollered when I get up, and come to think of it, I don’t feel on the edge of a migraine all the time.

Unfortunately the Great Bedtime Experiment hasn’t yet eliminated my tendency toward insomnia, but the month is yet young.

The Other 2 Words

Meanwhile, I’m also very pleased with my attempts to integrate my other 2 words for 2012, Practice and Untangle.

Mornings are highly creative times for me, and I love to spend the first hour (or more!) of my day sitting up in bed, writing in my journal. I do some “morning pages”-style brain-dumping, but my journal (good ol’ paper and pen) is where I strategize, brainstorm ideas, and more often than not, pen drafts of blog posts (like this one!), sales pages and emails.

It feels like Lazing Around Time, since I’m sitting in bed in my pajamas (as opposed to sitting in front of my computer in my pajamas), but in fact, I get some of my best, most important work done there!

It’s a practice I’d let slide, and although I’m not able to do it every day, it feels good to be incorporating my morning strategizing/writing time back into my days.

Two other rituals I’ve started (or, rather, re-started) are going well too:

1) My Write-Ride: Every day, usually in the morning, I hop on my exercise bike-cum-satellite work station and write. Yes, I sometimes pop over to email, Facebook, etc., but one of my big goals for 2012 is to publish, and I’m committed to working on something for publication every day, with a target of at least 700 words, or an hour on the bike. (Sometimes the Write-Ride is more of an Edit-Ride, which is why I decided not to be a total stickler about the number of new words produced.)

This commitment has helped me bust through a block that had kept me stuck for weeks on my e-book, and I’m finally at a point I thought I’d never reach: actually looking forward to my writing time each day!

On the down side…

2012 is shaping up to be much more focused on writing than on art-making, and I confess I’m sad about letting my art time slide, but I remind myself that whatever mode I’m creating in, it all counts as time in the Creative Sandbox. (Fellow Passion Pluralites, remember, you can do it all, just not all at once!)

I’m also taking steps to make teeny-tiny little art-making moments more likely to happen: like clearing off my drafting table, and stretching a sheet of watercolor paper to have at the ready for a spontaneous moment of smearing/dribbling/brushing paint/ink/gesso.

2) And last but not least…

I made a secret commitment to myself at the start of the week that I would try out doing something — one thing every day — to rid myself of clutter.

My thoughts are very organized, but my environment, not always so much.

Now that I know some tools that work well to keep me motivated, I thought I’d put them to work on a big goal that has been all-too-easy to put off for way too long.

Here are the drivers that I know work for me:

Time-limited commitments. “Every day forever” feels impossible, and makes my inner rebel want to run for the hills. “Every day or one month” feels like a fun game!
Public accountability. That public may be a single client, waiting on a project; or my ArtSpark subscribers, who expect art delivered in their inbox on a particular schedule; or it may take another form. As long as there’s an element of wanting to avoid letting people down, my ego is vain enough to kick me into gear so I don’t!
A tribe/gang/team facing similar challenges. There’s some overlap between this driver and public accountability, but a tribe, or community, or support group is more than just an accountability group. Our successes inspire each other, and counseling each other through the times when we get off track helps strengthen our own resolve.

These elements are part of what make my Creative Ignition Club and Creative Ignition Circle so powerful. (There’s still room in the next Circle, btw! Starting Tuesday, 6pm PST. Click here to snag your seat.)

Soooo… Knowing all that, I decided to try yet another experiment this month:

The ClutterBusters Pilot Program

I have to admit, I’m a bit giddy about this one. I’ve already cleaned out a desk drawer and purged & sorted my crammed-full bathroom mirrored cabinet, and tomorrow at the first ClutterBusters session I may start tackling my file cabinets.

It’s going to take a big change — and change is hard — but I am dedicated to creating the uncluttered home and studio of my dreams. And if you’ve got your own Closet of Doom, you can join me!

You can read all about it here. No charge for the first month, except the request that you offer your feedback whenever I send a survey.

And now, as this review-of-the-week-that-was has gotten long, I’m going to sign off and turn it over to you.

How was your first week of 2012? Have your intentions colored anything in your life so far? What’s going well? What are your challenges?
xo, Melissa <3
PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

A message from the Universe

A Paradox: Playing Big and Playing Small at the Same Time

Holding Back

The Power of Models

Stepping Out of the Shadows

Playing Big

A Tale of Two Publishing Guides

Marketing 101

Beyond Know, Like and Trust

Brand Archetypes

Ruler?/Sage?/Magician?

Explorer?/Hero?/Everyperson?

A Bit More Marketing 101

Meta Meta Meta & Ulterior Motives

The Real Ulterior Motive Part

The Upshot

So what am I doing to make this my Year of Publishing?

The 80% Dream

Chris Guillebeau to the Rescue!

The Unconventional Guide to Publishing

The Great Bedtime Experiment Debrief

Surprises

Reality Bites

The Other 2 Words

The ClutterBusters Pilot Program

Would You Like Some Cookies?