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Annual Birthday Post: Lessons Learned from 26 Years of Living

1932339_544613094913_348076475_nToday is my 26th birthday.

Ha! Boy does that feel weird to say!

What did I do to celebrate? I chopped off a good six inches of my hair. New year equals a new ‘do.

This birthday marks four years since leaving college (and the quarter life crisis that followed). Three and a half years since I started this blog and discovered entrepreneurship. Two years since I started coaching. One year since a major re-branding (and in many ways the official “launch” of my coaching business). And finally, eight months since my last day at a regular job!

It is with immense gratitude that I write this post today. Without you all I would not be where I am. I may be the one preaching a message of hope for millennials, but you are the ones who take it into your daily lives and share it with others. You are the reason I do all of this.

And so without further ado the annual birthday roundup of lessons learned in the last year.

  1. Leaps of faith get easier with practice.
  2. Sometimes we need to stop reading the manual and just drive the fucking car. Stop thinking you need more education for your next endeavor and just start doing it.
  3. Being open and flexible will yield tremendous amounts of opportunity.
  4. The key to abundance is trust. Keep the faith even when shit hits the fan.
  5. There is an infinite amount of possibility in life. It’s up to you to tune into it.
  6. The only real goal I have in life is to just keep going.
  7. When you commit to your mission people may drop off, but chances are they weren’t meant to be there at this time anyway. Make room for the new ones coming your way.
  8. Launching the shit out of something has more to do with how you can be of service rather than how much money you can make.
  9. When things fall apart it’s because there’s something way better on the way.
  10. Sometimes it’s easier to forgive everyone at once rather than focusing on the one person who fucked you up.
  11. There is no such thing as certainty.
  12. If you don’t go after what you want you’re doing not just yourself a disservice, you are also being a disservice to everyone around you.
  13. Forget the idea of manifesting the man (or woman), the car, or the money. Instead focus on dwelling in your own greatness. Feel good and everything else will fall into place.
  14. Your body knows when it’s time to drop something for good.
  15. When you are ready for something, the people you need show up.
  16. Boundaries are good.
  17. It’s okay to let people help you.
  18. You always know way more than you think you do. Give yourself some credit!
  19. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, create it.
  20. The time you think something should happen may not be the right time at all. Be open to better options.
  21. At some point you’re going to have to learn how to say no.
  22. Go for what you want, have an open heart about it, and watch how people flock to help you.
  23. Good is good enough. Leave perfectionism at the door.
  24. Moments of stillness are golden. Make time for them.
  25. There is plenty of room for others to join the lifestyle business party. Don’t hide your gifts just because you think someone out there beat you to it.
  26. It’s okay to own how good you are at something.

It is my hope to continue with this mission of providing a positive place where millennials can seek refuge in a new world of work.

That’s why I’m psyched to introduce my latest project – the Millennial Mastermind Business Roundtable.

30vjd02I’ve heard from tons of clients and readers that they love going to local business networking events, but feel kind of out of the loop because they are the youngest person there by at least 10 years.

I’ve experienced this myself multiple times as well, which is why I decided to create a monthly event where millennial entrepreneurs of all kinds can network, brainstorm, mastermind, and get affordable business coaching from me.

It’s the only online mastermind group created for millennials by millennials.

The event is online so anyone anywhere can join in.

The next event is April 15th at 7 p.m. and is limited to 5 people. Click here for more information.

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5 Ways to Deal with Internet Haters

NeneHiHaters-350x196I’m thrilled to publish a guest post this week from the brilliant Brandy Morris! Brandy is one of my former blog coaching clients and the person who gave me the clarity to publish my book thanks to one of her Brainstorming Bonanza sessions. She’s touching on a HUGE topic this week for anyone looking into doing some big things online – how to deal with internet haters (AKA Trolls)! Anyone who has done anything online can tell you about a run-in with haters and Brandy has a brilliant way of dealing with them! Check it out below.

5 Ways to Deal with Internet Haters

Is it just me or has the comments section become one of the scariest places on the internet? People can be real assholes when hiding behind their Macbook.

That little truth can make checking, or anticipating, the comments on your own blog feel like passing through a cage of tigers that may or may not be hungry. Okay, maybe it’s not that dramatic but work with me here.

The fear of asshole comments might be preventing you from sharing your brilliant insight with the world right now. I want that shit to stop – your people are ready to hear from you! These five permission slips were written to help you move past the fears and recognize that you get to manage jerkface comments in any way you choose:

1. The permission to ignore.

If someone is purposefully trying to be a dick with their comments, why bother engaging? Giving them the attention they want is probably not going to help anything and it’s no small feat to stay classy when responding to far-from-classy retorts.

2. The permission to respond.

There’s a big difference between the “I live under a bridge and won’t let you pass until you answer this riddle” type folks and insightful, curious people who are actually engaging in the discussion in a way that happens to clash with your views. If you see an opportunity to create an even richer conversation, why not take it on? ***Pro-tip: if you’re feeling all fired up and emo, count to ten before you start typing.

3. The permission to moderate your comments.

Free speech blah blah. You’re the BOSS, yo! If you want to pick and choose what’s actually allowed to show on your blog, you’re allowed to do that. Feel the freedom to delete mean and pointless comments! You’re not only protecting yourself, but also your readers from aggressive so-and-so’s.

4. The permission to disable comments altogether.

If the thought of having to deal with any of the three previous options makes you want to hide in a blanket fort and disengage, just disable the comments section. This means you also won’t get to interact with the lovely people who really dig your message. Just make sure you’re okay with paying that price if you make this choice.

5. The permission to let that shit go.

Remember that opinions are just that. If your views are causing people to disagree with you it means that you’re actually saying something worth talking about! That said, I know it can sting. Take a bath, dance it out to “Happy”, call a friend and make her cheer you up, go outside, watch cat videos, read a book, or engage in any other fun distraction of your choosing. Your time is so much better spent on more productive things.

Other people’s ideas, insight, and opinions can be tough to handle but when you learn how to accept and share differing perspectives, the resulting outcomes can blow your mind! If the thought of sharing or receiving critical insight starts a butterfly dance battle in your belly, I’ve got just the thing for you. Your SuperGuide for Getting and Giving Dope Feedback  is the perfect easy reference guide to have in your back pocket when you find yourself fumbling with feedback.

Now go forth and be brilliant!

Bio: I’m Brandy Morris, Possibility Scout and Brilliance Instigator.  You can call me B.  I help service-providing solopreneurs manage their ideas, create fresh and brilliant ways to serve their people, and devise a plan of attack so solid they’re left without an excuse to drag their feet. www.brandymorris.com.

 

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Saving extra money: How I’m saving an extra $202 a month (and how you can too)

HOW I'M SAVING

There are two ways to build wealth: cut expenses or make more money. I’m constantly trying to find ways to do both.

The launch of Make Money Your Honey has been a decent new form of passive income. I’m also working with new coaching clients and writing clients.

In short, I’ve been making more money (In January alone I made $2k plus more than I did at a regular job) while working relatively less hours. Or, at the very least, I work when I feel like it. Make more money to build wealth? Check!

Step 2 would be to cut unnecessary expenses and see where you could be saving extra money. There are two reasons why I’m doing this. First, because it’s good to periodically take a look at where you can save money. Second, because I have a new major expense coming up in the form of health insurance.

I personally don’t mind paying for health insurance since I see it as a necessity. However, it’s still costing a pretty penny so I have to adjust my budget. Below you’ll find some tweaks I made to save money so healthcare wouldn’t seem like such a big hit. These are tweaks that just about anyone can make in order to actually keep the money they make.Using Digit for automatic savings.

Using Digit for Automatic Savings

Digit is a free service that looks for extra money in your checking account and then deposits small amounts of cash into a savings account. The idea is that Digit finds money that you wouldn’t miss and you otherwise don’t really need to pay bills. It’s a great way to get into the habit of saving and it’s painless.

From December of 2015 to February of 2016 Digit was saving me an average of $200 a month in what is basically extra money sitting in my checking account. Had it not been for Digit I might have not even noticed or I would have spend the money on something stupid.

Click here to learn more about how Digit works.

Using Acorns to round up and invest spare change.

Acorns is another great tool that I use to help me boost my savings. When you make purchases from your checking account, Acorns will round up to the nearest dollar and invest the difference into a Vanguard index fund. You can also get cash back deposited into your account by shopping with one of their partners. For example, Dollar Shave Club will deposit 10% of my membership fee back into my Acorns account.

You can also get cash back deposited into your account by shopping with one of their partners. For example, Dollar Shave Club will deposit 10% of my membership fee back into my Acorns account.

On average Acorns is saving me about $50 a month that is now being invested into the stock market without me having to lift a finger.

Click here to sign up for Acrons through my referral link and get $5.

Switched from post-paid cell phone to pre-paid plan.

Who actually uses their phone to make tons of phone calls anymore? Last time I checked most of my friends just send me Facebook messages should they need to get a hold of me. Furthermore, most of my business calls take place over Skype since my previous provider would get zero service in the house. So why was I paying so damn much for cell phone service?

You can get yourself a pre-paid phone and save yourself a good $50 or more a month. If you absolutely need to make lots of calls they have unlimited prepaid plans or you can get yourself a Skype subscription for $2.99/mo.

(P.S. T-Mobile has decently priced prepaid plans. They are also reimbursing cancellation fees when you break your contract with your current provider. By switching to T-Mobile I’m saving $57 and I’m still getting all of my cell phone needs met without a contract.)

2. Canceled my gym membership.

When I first started working out regularly a couple of years ago I needed to actually go to a gym. It was so close to my job that I could just walk or take a trolley. I was also spending money so I’d feel obligated to get healthy. Essentially, I would use my wallet to trick myself into going to the gym or attending a fitness class.

I’m proud to say that now I actually have the motivation to work out on my own. The internet also helps with free workouts. As a result the gym had to go, which means I’m saving another $85 a month.

Some of my favorite free online fitness videos include Blogilates, Do Yoga With Me, and Tone It Up.

3. Got rid of my business mailbox.

While I have been visiting UPS more often to ship copies of my book the reality is I don’t really use the mailbox. Besides, as far as the IRS is concerned I run a home based business (which is true), so why exactly do I need a business mailbox? I paid for this every six months, but when I broke down the number to a monthly amount it came out to around $60/mo. Yeah, bye.

In total, I was able to cut out $202 of expenses just from making a few simple adjustments. For more tips on how to create budgets that work for you make sure to check out Make Money Your Honey on Amazon.

 

 

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Use These 3 Tips to Land Better Writing Clients

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You are a writer and you know it. You’ve been at it for a while but you are tired of the $0.02 a word you’re finding a big news sites. You get leads  but they somehow don’t come through. You know you can make better money but something’s missing.

Last week I had a meeting with Miami on the Cheap CEO Teresa Mears (click here to like them on Facebook!). We talked about working together and how to grow the site. We also talked about the life of self-employment and how amazing it can be.

While waiting at the Brickell station for a bus I met a young woman who was an aspiring writer. She was studying psychology at Miami Dade College and all she wanted to do was help people with their personal development by means of her writing. My kind of person! So naturally I gave her some tips.

3 Steps to Getting Better Writing Gigs

Become an Expert

You don’t need fancy degrees or certifications in an area in order to be an expert. You also don’t need “X” amount of years of work experience. You just need to have an opinion and know what you’re talking about.

The two ingredients required to become an expert are passion and an opinion (Click to Tweet)

One of the easiest ways to become an expert online is to start a blog on a subject. This particular person wanted to start a self help blog to help people overcome their fears because she had overcome several of her own. Perfect place to start!

I have tons of friends and colleagues who’ve become personal finance or health experts just because they were passionate about it. No fancy titles needed! Many of my projects have come as a result of this blog, not necessarily because I have any certifications in any given area.

(Tip: Bluehost is fabulous for hosting and already comes with WordPress.)

Follow Up

There’s a lot of money in the follow-up, and this applies to any kind of business. Most people just follow up once and then completely drop it. What they don’t realize is that they just potentially left a lot of money on the table.

People have this idea that following up makes them pushy. The fact of the matter is that someone may not be ready to make a decision right away – especially if it involves money. That’s why most deals are made by following up.

Talk to People

We often times think that in the world of online sales we can make all our revenue on Facebook or Twitter. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you actually have to learn how to sell in person.

My last few projects have been a result of meeting someone in person. I met Miami on the Cheap in St. Louis because we were both attending FinCon. I also met a coaching client at my FinCon talk.

You don’t have to fly to another city or pay for a conference in order to make a sale. Heck, as of late I’ve had people recognize me at a local coffee shop or I’ve met them on the bus!

The point is that one of the best ways to make connections and land clients is to actually talk to them! How is anyone going to know what you offer if you don’t actually tell them?

It’s your turn…

What I’d love for you to do is share what techniques you use to land better writing clients. Have a sweet method that works every time? Let us know!

Leave a comment.

And if you know someone who struggles with making more money from their writing make sure to send this their way . They may find this tidbit enlightening.

I talk all about this and more in my forthcoming book Make Money Your Honey: A Spirited Entrepreneur’s Guide to Having  Love Affair with Work and Money.

Join the Book Launch List to stay updated! 

 

Affiliate links may be used and commission may have been received in this post. Please note that Amanda Abella has financial relationships with certain merchants mentioned. While all attempts are made to present correct information, it may not be appropriate for your specific circumstances and information may become outdated.
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