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Building My Empire – EBK 1 Year Later | Weekly Review #53

Go Where the Journey Takes You fine art calligraphy print ©Melissa Dinwiddie 2011So how’m I doing in my quest to re-invent my life, follow my evolving Blisses and create the life I really, really want?

—

The email started like this:

Hi Melissa,
One year ago, we began a journey together. You signed up for the Empire Building Kit and joined the longest email follow-up sequence in history.

By doing so, you self-identified as a dreamer and a doer. Now as we come to the close of the formal series, I’m wondering… How has the journey been thus far? Compared to one year ago, how is your business now?

It landed in my inbox yesterday, exactly one year – 365 days to the day – after I bought Chris Guillebeau’s Empire Building Kit (affiliate link), affectionately known as the EBK. The final email in Chris’s 365-day autoresponder series.

One year.

A month into the EBK I wrote a review, giving it 4 7/8 out of 5 stars (not a full 5 only because the emails didn’t all exactly match up to my expectations that every single dispatch would include a specific step to take). If anything I only think more highly of it now.

A year later, thanks to the EBK I sit at the helm of my multi-million dollar internet empire.

Kidding. Oh, so kidding.

But.

If I stop looking forward, at where I want to be, and take a moment to look back at what I have achieved in the past 365 days, the truth is it’s a lot. I’m proud and pleased. And yes, the EBK has been a significant element. Not the only one, by any means, but a resource I will definitely return to again and again. One with real-world practical tips and inspiration that actually translate (or will, when I’m at the appropriate stage to implement each particular one) into a better bottom line. And a “lifestyle business” doing what I love.

And that is nothing to sneeze at.

The EBK was one of my major inspirations (along with Question the Rules and Engaging E-Courses [affiliate links], to name but two) to create my own online course, the Thriving Artists Project. And “traveling” along with Chris for a year was a tremendous value in itself. He unknowingly inspired me to start this blog, and continues to be a huge inspiration. A personal hero.

I’m going to miss seeing him in my inbox every day.

Growth and change

But I’m in a different place now than I was when I bought the EBK, with a clearer vision and a straighter path. I’ve figured out a number of pretty important things in the past year:

  • One of the primary pillars of my happiness comes from expressing myself creatively, preferably on a daily basis
  • Another comes from helping others, especially helping others to express themselves creatively
  • Being multi-passionate is hard-wired into my being, and while I acknowledge the challenges this creates, I also embrace the wonderfulness it brings me
  • The more in alignment I get with my true gifts, the more easily everything flows
  • My path is different from anyone else’s, and just as valid, no matter how impatient I might be for it to move more quickly
  • Love doesn’t always happen by falling; sometimes it creeps up on you

How far I’ve come

A year ago I sobbed into the phone during a 1/2 hour consultation with the brilliant Sinclair (still one of my heroes). I felt lost, unclear, vaguely desperate. I wanted to have what she had: clarity, direction, a thriving business making a difference for other people by using her true gifts.

Today I coach and give consults myself, and am blessed with the most lovely, glowing testimonials from the wonderful, creative people I’m privileged to work with.

After years of making a living from my art, but almost never creating any new art (except at my heavenly annual retreat with my calligraphy guild), I’m now in the practice of playing in the Creative Sandbox for at least 15 minutes every day. I’m more prolific than I’ve ever been, and I’m getting my art out into the world where others can enjoy it, both here in my online art galleries, and in my not-quite Daily ArtFix newsletter.

I’ve built a growing following by sharing myself here at Living A Creative Life (I love you, my not-so-imaginary-any-more readers!), and I’ve expanded my network even further with my other blog, 365 Days of Genius, where I have the great pleasure of featuring the work of other writers. (And have discovered yet another gift: who knew I was a good editor? Turns out I really enjoy it! Interested in guest posting? I’d love to have you! Read this.)

Miles to go before I sleep

There’s still so much more I have yet to accomplish. We won’t dwell on the fact that my studio is only slightly less cluttered than it was 365 days ago. Or that I haven’t managed to cure myself of the tendency to stay up waaaaaaaaay too late and take on waaaaaaaay too much. Or that my mountain of debt is still mountainous.

Ah, well. It’s like traveling somewhere far away. There’s never enough time to see everything you want to, but then that gives you a reason to go back.

If we stick with that metaphor (which I grant you is a little awkward here, but bear with me), it’s a good thing I’m a member of Chris Guillebeau’s latest stroke of brilliance, the Travel Hacking Cartel (affiliate link), because I’m gonna have to buy a whole lotta return tickets to get where I want to go, so I can use all the frequent flyer miles I can get! (Okay, still an awkward metaphor. Oh, well.)

The moving target

12 years ago, in the middle of my divorce, my goal was just to make enough money to get by. I’ve since busted the glass ceiling that made me think that was all that was within my reach.

Turns out I’m an ambitious one after all.

The internet empire I sit at the helm of may not be a multi-million dollar one… yet. But you never know. I have no doubt that it will grow a helluva lot bigger than it is right now.

And in the meantime, I’m sure as hell enjoying the ride.

PS – I’ll be at Chris Guillebeau’s World Domination Summit in Portland the first weekend in June. Will you be there? If so, let’s meet up!

Travel Hacking Cartel: How to Be a Rockstar Traveler

Join the Travel Hacking CartelIn 2007 a friend offered me free ticket to anywhere I wanted to go in Europe.

I chose Italy.

Why? Well, of course, if you’ve been there, you know why. And I’d been there.

The summer I was 15, my family went on a 7+ week trip to 6+ countries, starting with Italy. Our plane landed in Rome, which to my sheltered suburban American eyes felt wild and foreign and uncomfortable (not to mention hot and sticky) — the more North we traveled, the more “at home” I felt.

Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, England — they all made me feel more at ease than Italy. It probably helped that I’d had 4 years of German at this point, and of course by the time we took the ferry to England (oy, was I sick that night!) it was just such a relief to hear my native tongue everywhere I could barely keep from crying.

But after we got home, of all the places we visited, Italy stayed most firmly in my mind.

The Renaissance art! The sound of the language! The food!

The more time passed, the more I longed to return. I even studied Italian in college, rather than the more logical Spanish (being a Californian), with the hope it would motivate me to go back… but I never did get back.

Even the year I spent getting my masters degree in England, which I intended to culminate in a solo excursion around the Continent, didn’t work out that way.

Italy waited. I waited.

Then finally, in 2007, when I didn’t really have as much time or money as I needed, I made it back to retrace the steps my family had taken decades earlier: Rome, Florence, Siena and Venice. More decades later than I’d like to admit.

The thing that got me there? That free ticket across “the pond.”

The Travel Hacking Cartel

Well, guess what, if you’re like me, and love to travel but need a little kick in the butt to get you to hop a plane, you’re in luck!

Why? Because today Chris Guillebeau launches his Travel Hacking Cartel!

Chris Guillebeau, world-traveler and author of The Art of Nonconformity book and blog, is such an expert “travel hacker” that he earns more than one million-mile Frequent Flyer miles every year.

Now he’s put that knowledge to work for me and you, with this new membership club. As Chris puts it:

The goal of the cartel is to democratize free and low-cost travel. We’ll do this by telling travelers exactly what they need to do to earn large amounts of Frequent Flyer Miles (without flying) and then how to redeem those miles for high-value trips.

Here, in Chris’s words, is how the THC helps its members:

  1. Regular “Deal Alerts” sent via email and SMS/text message (when a big opportunity comes up, our members will be the first to know)
  2. Tutorials and an extensive Knowledge Base to get people started (our research showed that most people have no idea what to do with miles and points… we’ll tell them)
  3. The Refer-a-Hacker Program that pays members 500 Frequent Flyer Miles for each referral (we’ve tried to make this process extremely easy – everyone has their own referral link directly in their account settings)
  4. The “World’s Greatest Guarantee” – if members follow our directions and spend at least 30 minutes a month travel hacking, they’ll earn enough miles for at least 1 plane ticket every quarter, or 4 plane tickets a year (we also provide info on how to redeem miles for great awards)

Plus, for just $1 you can check out the entire program for 14 days, for FREE.

In the interests of transparency, I should let you know that I am an affiliate in Chris’s THC program, which means that if you click through one of the links here I’ll earn a commission. That said, I’ve looked through the THC site and am so impressed that Miss Frugal here fully intends to continue my membership after my free trial period runs out.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m throwing ALL of my money right now at growing my business, paying bills, and paying down debt. Period.

But in this case I’m making an exception.

Yep, the THC is that good. (Plus the site design is incredibly beatiful and easy to use – when I have the budget to outsource my website designs, I am totally calling Reese!)

Check it out. I hope you and I will soon be racking up gobs and gobs of Frequent Flyer Miles and exploring the world!

I’ve always wanted to go to Paris. Maybe I’ll see you at the Louvre… or back in Italy.

Join the Travel Hacking Cartel

A Hero’s Welcome: The Art of Nonconformity Road Show

It’s not often that you get to meet one of your heroes in real life.

Even less often, I’d imagine, that said hero, upon meeting you for the first time in person, says, “You’re awesome.”

(I’m awesome? Can you say “disarmingly charming”?)

But Chris Guillebeau, author of The Art of Nonconformity (the book and the blog), is known for being unconventional in most things, so no big surprise that he’s also unconventional in his approach to hero-dom.

A Hero of the People

The very term “hero” conjures up images of someone apart from the rest of us. Chris, though, doesn’t set himself apart, but instead endeavors to make every single one of his followers and fans feel special.

I daresay he does an awesome job at this, which is one reason why he’s my hero.

The Unconventional Book Tour

At the time of this writing, Chris is still in the middle of his Unconventional Book Tour, visiting 63 cities in stops in all 50 US states plus all Canadian provinces on a self-funded tour to spread his message of unconventional living and changing the world.

A week or two before his San Francisco meetup last Wednesday (where I got to meet him), I opened a hand-addressed envelope to find a notecard with the following message on the outside:

You=Awesome

And a hand-written note on the inside:

Melissa –

So glad you’re coming to #WDS! (And thanks for being so amazing.)

CG

How could I not be totally inspired and impressed? The guy just has class.

Walking the Talk

If you’ve read much on this blog, you’ll know that Chris Guillebeau is a big reason why I’m finally on the path I’m on, following my evolving Bliss(es) instead of settling for what Tara Sophia Mohr calls a B+ life.

Truthfully, any number of amazing people could have served the function of setting me off on my Right Path, but Chris landed on my radar at a time when I was primed to leap off a cliff. He provided a model of how that leap might actually enable me to fly, rather than face-planting, and a model was exactly what I needed in that moment.

A model of doing what you love, and making a good living.

A model of doing what you love, and making a difference.

A model of not settling for B+, but really living full-out.

Ten months later and I’m well on my way to doing all of the above, so of course I had to make it to the Unconventional Book Tour / Art of Nonconformity Road Show!

“He looks about 12!”

I invited my friend Fawn, who knew nothing of Chris Guillebeau or the Art of Nonconformity (except what she might have heard from me).

Her tweet from the event:

At the Rockit Room with @a_creative_life for a reading by someone who’s apparently a major blogger. He looks about 12! It’s v cute.

“Apparently a major blogger!” Ha! In my (admittedly narrow) view, that’s kind of like saying the Beatles are apparently a popular rock band.

An Adult Fan-Girl

Knowing there’d be a crowd, I insisted we get there early, and was able to snag front-row seats upstairs in the bar where the meetup was held. A quick glance around the room revealed some A-list bloggers (whom Fawn also knew nothing about) making me feel like a fan-girl extraordinaire.

Ah, what ten months in the blogosphere will do to a girl…

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits did the honors of introducing Chris, and except for the fact that we were all in jeans in a dark bar rather than black tie in a fancy Hollywood theater, I might as well have been a bit player in the audience of the Academy Awards.

Heroes! Heroes galore!

Then Chris took the mike and gave his “ADD-Friendly” 15-minute talk about the Art of Nonconformity, in which he addressed several of us in the audience by name, called a few other people up to speak, and referenced the importance of connecting with the amazing people in the room probably more times than he referenced his own work in bringing us together.

Did I mention he’s my hero?

And he’s right, too: the people that I met that night played as much a role in the specialness of the evening as meeting Chris did. I met three very cool women, Michelle, Sophia and Shanna, bloggers all, each of whom was excited to write a guest post for my site-in-progress, 365 Days of Genius.

Hot damn!

The Introvert Effect

During his presentation Chris talked a bit about being an introvert, and how these kinds of gatherings have stretched him.

Yeah, I get that. Though many people have done their damnedest to argue with me on this point, the truth is I’m an introvert as well.

(Yes, it’s possible to be a “people person,” and a performer, and also be an introvert! If you don’t believe me, you just don’t know the true meaning of the word.)

So, at the end of Chris’s talk and my mini-schmooze, when I turned to face the specter of the very long line of folks waiting for Chris to autograph their books, my Inner Introvert told me in no uncertain terms that she was done for the night.

I felt kind of badly to miss out. I knew I could have dived into the crowd and met a whole slew of other amazing people, not to mention getting Chris’s signature in my copy of the book.

But the prospect of trying to penetrate the crowd was just beyond me at that moment. It’s something I’ve learned how to do, and even do effectively, but it drains the hell out of me when I’m fresh, and I was fully cooked.

So Fawn and I meandered off for a cup of tea at her place (while ogling shoe porn on her laptop) before I hit the road down the Peninsula to my own comfy bed.

A Summit of World Dominators

I confess, part of the reason I was able to concede to my Inner Introvert’s needs over my Fan-Girl’s desires was that I knew I’d get more opportunities to rub shoulders with Chris and a passel of fascinating, unconventional people in the not-too-distant future.

Six months from now, in fact, when about 400 of us will converge on Portland, Oregon for the World Domination Summit.

I’ll pack my copy of The Art of Nonconformity in my suitcase, and maybe I’ll get an autograph then.

Or not. As Chris so wisely pointed out, it’s the interactions that matter most. The other stuff is just frosting.

Yeah. Heroes.

7 reasons why my hero is a car thief: Chris Guillebeau & The Art of Nonconformity

cover image for The Art of NonconformityI admit it: my hero is a car thief.

Well, okay, a former car thief, but still.

Who is my hero? Chris Guillebeau, whose Unconventional Book Tour for his new book, The Art of Nonconformity, starts today.

Okay, the car thief part is a bit inflated, though Chris did indeed steal a car at age 15, a tidbit I learned in a Question the Rules (affiliate link) interview. What he’s done in the intervening years, though, is a lot more interesting than this sensationalist factoid.

And truth be told, I have a lot of heroes, both the long-dead kind (Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I, Sojourner Truth, to name a few) and the contemporary kind (Gloria Steinem and Jill Robinson spring to mind).

But Chris occupies a special place in my pantheon of heroes for a few simple reasons:

1) Timing

(Mundane, but true, and the only reason that has nothing to do with Chris. Timing may not be everything, but it’s a big thing.)

When I first discovered Chris and his blog, The Art of Nonconformity, my life was at a turning point. I’d tolerated “pretty good, but not what I really, really want” for years, but a series of personal crises had gotten me to a place of desperation. I was finally ready to make a change, but I had no idea how.

Right at that moment, this guy appeared on my radar who was actually living what he really, really wanted. Not settling for what the world told him he could get, but dreaming big, and really going after his dreams.

And making a living at it, to boot!

Chris showed that maybe what I really, really wanted was possible after all. I was primed to listen and learn.

2) He’s a beacon for the rest of us

Chris isn’t just living the life he wants; he’s also leading the way for all of us who want to live the lives we want. His writing, his impressive line of Unconventional Guides (affiliate link) – all are crafted to help people with big dreams to make them reality.

Chris first shows you that it can be done, and then helps you do it.

3) He makes his own rules

From stealing a car (okay, probably not something to try at home), to dropping out of high school yet still graduating with two bachelor’s degrees in two years, to volunteering in Africa for four years, to creating several profitable online businesses, to setting a goal of visiting every country on the planet by the time he turns 35 (at the time of this writing, he’s at 149/192), to creating a massive following and thriving business through generosity, to self-funding a 63-city book tour, Chris has never done things by the book.

4) He goes after big goals

Did I mention his goal of visiting every country in the world by his 35th birthday? And writing a book? Then there’s the World Domination Summit he’s in the middle of organizing, to bring like-minded nonconformists together in one place for a few days.

Oh, and I think changing the world counts as a pretty big goal.

5) He models generosity

It’s all very well to create the life you really, really want and step on people along the way. Or to make a fortune from exploiting people. Chris is just the opposite.

Not only is he generous with his time (he gave me a fantastic Thriving Artists Project interview), his energy (did I mention 4 years of volunteer work in Africa?), and his information (unlike some people I know, Chris is not tight-fisted here), but he’s generous with his money as well.

The Unconventional Guides affiliate program (yep, that’s an affiliate link), which has paid me back and then some for all of the courses I’ve purchased from him, has a 51% commission – the most generous I’ve seen.

But that’s not all: Chris is donating 20% of all royalties from the sale of The Art of Nonconformity to the AONC partner project with Charity: Water for at least 12 months following publication. And for each reader he meets who purchases the book during the Unconventional Book Tour or World Domination Summit events, he will donate an additional 80% of his royalties, for a total of 100%.

Is this guy cool, or what?

6) He’s a model of running a profitable business ethically, and with customer service that cannot be beat

So this one is kind of embarrassing (for me, not for Chris).

Months back, I wrote a review of the $100 Business Forum, an online course that Chris ran with Pam Slim. The course was top-notch, but I found the Ning platform they were using frustrating. I was writing my review late at night, when I was tired and cranky, and, well, I clicked “publish” when I would have been a lot better off sleeping on it and reading it again with the objectivity that a good night’s sleep can bring.

When you’re tired and cranky, sometimes you don’t realize how much it infects everything you write…

The next morning I woke up to a personal email from Chris, and a complete refund for my course tuition.

Needless to say, I felt awful, and I immediately purged the gratuitous crankiness from the review.

(I also made a mental note to never publish a review when I’m tired and cranky.)

And Chris instantaneously became my Customer Service Hero, because I realized that with that $100, he had bought himself a customer for life. And isn’t that what all of us business people want?

7) He doesn’t let fear stop him

On page 59 of The Art of Nonconformity, Chris shares a few of his fears:

  • I’m only on chapter 3. Will I ever finish writing this book?
  • What if it sucks? What if I get bad reviews? (Or worse, what if no one pays attention?)
  • I’m afraid of the forces of mediocrity and lethargy. I’m afraid of becoming too comfortable or getting lazy.
  • When I travel, I’m afraid of trying to speak another language.
  • Sometimes I feel paralyzed. People say they want to travel with me, and I think, “Oh no–then they would figure out that it’s not always that exciting.”
  • I’m afraid that people will think I’m faking it.
  • I’m scared of getting older and missing out on something I should have already done. (In the words of John Mayer, “I’m only good at being young.”)

Did you see the one about being afraid of trying to speak another language? Yet Chris has been to 149 countries (and counting).

Rock on.

****

In short, Chris is my hero because he inspires me, and helps me believe that I can set big goals and achieve them too.

Would you like to be inspired? Do you want to set your own rules, live the life you want, and change the world? (And help out a great cause at the same time.) If you’ve ever thought, “There must be more to life than this,” The Art of Nonconformity is for you. It’s an easy read, but the kind of book you’ll want to go back to again and again.

In the words of Tyler Tervooren from Advanced Riskology, it’s How To Change The World for $10.08.

You can’t get better than that!

PS – I also recommend catching up with Chris in person on his Unconventional Book Tour. If you make it to the San Francisco stop, I’ll see you there!

The Number One Problem Most Artists Have, Plus the Unveiling of My Debt Elimination Project

Last week I had the pleasure of lunching with Ann Rea, successful painter, artist business coach and owner of ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.

Ann went from zero to profitable in one year of painting full time, and has been profiled by none other than Fortune Magazine. I interviewed her awhile back for my Thriving Artists Project, and I already knew she was one sharp cookie, but in person she’s even more impressive.

Ann takes no prisoners. She’s as creative about business and marketing as she is with her art. She thinks outside the box. She coaches other artists on how to make their own art careers financially successful, and of all the things we talked about over lunch, one thing really stood out:

The number one problem most artists have is not setting their goals high enough.

Think about it.

How do you achieve something remarkable? First, you pretty much have to imagine that it’s possible, and set a goal to achieve it.

If you don’t allow yourself to believe that something is even possible, how can you expect to make it happen?

Reality check: guilty as charged

Um, yeah. Confession time.

Case in point: I realized maybe a year or so ago that, without any conscious thought on my part, I had installed a glass ceiling over my earning power for my entire adult life.

In other words, I realized that somehow I was operating under the belief system that I was incapable of earning a lot of money.

I never actually articulated this thought to myself, but that didn’t make it any less powerful. The belief was still there: other people made a lot of money, not me. Making a lot of money just seemed … beyond me.

From a purely logical standpoint this belief is patently ridiculous. I’m intelligent, capable, multi-talented, good with people, driven — surely at least as much if not more than a good chunk of the global population. If other people could make a lot of money, there was no logical reason why I couldn’t, too.

But for whatever reason, the belief was there (no doubt installed very early in life [yay, something else to work on…]) As a result, I set my money-earning goals way, way too low.

How low? “All I want,” I remember thinking during my divorce, “is to make enough money to get by, and to have time to do the things I love to do.”

That’s right, just enough money to get by.

And guess what? I built a business around my art that made just enough money to get by.

In Silicon Valley, granted, which is nothing to sneeze at in the scheme of things, but just enough is not a high enough goal for me anymore — I want to pay off my debt. I want more security. I want the option of taking time off to travel more. I want to be able to buy things I want without agonizing over every purchase.

Call me un-zen, but I want more!

(As for time to do the things I love to do? Well, yes and no. It depends what day you catch me on. I’m still working on that one.)

Time for a reset: the Debt Elimination Project

Building a business around my art was no small accomplishment, and it’s something I’m still proud of. But now it’s time to change the picture, and allow myself to believe that I can make a lot of money. From my art, and other things I love to do.

It’s time to set my goals even higher.

Which brings me back to lunch the other day. Ann suggested that it’s always a good idea to tie a project to a concrete goal. When I mentioned that I have a big goal of paying off my enormous mountain of debt and being debt free again, Ann didn’t skip a beat.

“Then why don’t you make your Thriving Artists Project your Debt Elimination Project?”

[Shocked pause.]

But… but… but… my enormous mountain of debt is… well… enormous. Making enough money to pay off my personal debt from one project? — my first big information product? — surely that cannot be done.

My overactive brain went into overdrive, thinking of reasons why eliminating my personal debt with the Thriving Artists Project is impossible.

Enough with the excuses, already

Now, I’m too embarrassed to state an actual number, but when I stopped panicking long enough to think about it a little, I realized that the truth is, if I were to create something really successful, if I put into practice the marketing lessons I’ve been studying hard to learn, it’s not inconceivable that I could make enough money from a single project to pay off my debt.

But my list is tiny, and the idea that my first big project could be that successful is, well, hard to imagine. So I said, sure, great idea — maybe the second or third or fourth information product could be my Debt Elimination Project…

“Hell no!” retorted Ann. “I don’t want to wait around for the next project! It’s this one, or none at all!”

Clearly I could benefit from some regular coaching, because Ann made me realize I was doing it again: not setting my goals high enough.

And so I thought, why not?

Why not make the Thriving Artists’ Project my personal Debt Elimination Project?

Why not set a really big goal, and go for it?

What’s the worst that could happen? Sure, I could fail. (Indeed, I still need to work on allowing myself to believe it’s even possible!)

But here’s the thing: if I seriously make the effort to make the Thriving Artists Project earn enough to eliminate my personal debt, I’ll sure as hell be working hard on it! A helluva lot harder than if I didn’t tie the Thriving Artists Project to the Debt Elimination Project. I’ve got a concrete goal to reach, after all, and a big one at that.

Brilliant.

The official unveiling

So it is with a fair amount of trepidation that I unveil for you my Debt Elimination Project.

Bold indeed, especially since I’m still in the process of creating the Thriving Artists Project, and don’t even have a launch date yet.

What I do have, though, is interviews completed, scheduled with, or agreed to by a whole slew of fascinating, creative people, including:

… and the list is growing.

Plus more ammunition in my arsenal (or whatever)

Not that I’m big on military metaphors, but what I also have is some excellent mentorship, inspiration and motivation along the way, including:

– The Third Tribe, an online resource (regular audio seminars and a rockin’ user forum) for internet marketing strategies that work (without being obnoxious)

– Guest Blogging, Jon Morrow’s brand new apprenticeship course in, you guessed it, guest blogging!

– Dave Navarro (The Launch Coach)’s More Buyers Every Month Group Mentorship

– The Empire Building Kit, Chris Guillebeau’s course and longest-autoresponder-in-history, which delivers an email in my box every single day with inspiration and tools to grow my business. (Plus more courses from Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Guides line: The Unconventional Guide to Art + Money, The Unconventional Guide to Freelancing.)

– Question the Rules, Johnny B. Truant and Lee Stranahan‘s audio course, which I return to again and again for inspiration and reminders that there are lots of ways to be a successful entrepreneur (or in my case, ARTrepreneur).

[Note: many of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and then buy something, I’ll make a commission. I’m always grateful to the anonymous purchasers who buy through my affiliate links, but if you don’t want your purchase to earn me money, just do a Google search on the thing and click through that way.]

Yup. I’m basically in self-paced grad school for using the internet to reach my Debt Elimination Project goal. Watch and learn.

And the wrap-up

So there you have it: the number one problem most artists (including me) have is not setting their goals high enough. Solution? Set higher goals, and work to achieve them.

Here we go!

And as Ann said at lunch the other day, once I’ve eliminated my debt, I can make the next goal my Mortgage Elimination Project.

Um, yeah. One thing at a time…

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