Have you ever read blog posts that were so powerful or motivating that they actually altered your thoughts, habits, and actions? You know, posts that gave you big AHA moments or pushed you to create goals and take big actions?
I have.
And in this post, I’d like to share those life-changing nuggets with you in hopes that they’ll motivate you in the same way they did me.
Check them out below and see if they resonate with you as well:
1. Soulquake: 5 Questions That’ll Stir You Up Inside – I just started my freelance writing business when I first read this post. And honestly, I was floundering. I didn’t have any income goals, I haven’t chosen a niche yet, and my ideal clients were pretty much anyone who wanted to hire me.
This blog post helped changed that. It shed light on questions that I needed to ask myself in order to get clear and specific on what I really wanted. The answers to those questions gave me focus. They pushed me to figure out the kind of life and business I wanted to build, and that, in turn, helped me find the people and resources I needed to meet my goals.
If you think you could use some clarity and focus in your business and life, I suggest you spend time asking yourself the 5 questions mentioned in this article. As trite as it may seem, you have to do some soul-searching every now and then to get back on track.
2. Why Most People Are Full Of Shit, And How To Not Be One Of Them – The world is of full flaky and unreliable people. And that’s good news for you and me. Why? Because it’s easier for us to stand out and make an impression. In this post, Peter Shankman shares some uber simple ways to do just that.
I’ve applied his tips time and time again, and they have enabled me to connect with people and be more memorable. They even helped me land a bunch of writing gigs.
[Hat tip to KeriLynn Engel. Her comment here reminded me of this post and helped inspire this article.]
3. 872 Subscribers in 24 Hours?! – I will always remember the day I read this post because it was the first time I came across Danny Iny—the online marketing genius who inspired and taught me to build an audience-based business. I was able to pull off the Be a Freelance Writer launch thanks to the lessons I learned from him, and I will always be grateful.
But back to the post. 872 Subscribers in 24 Hours?! contains some good nuggets about launching a product or website. But even more important is that it taught me the difference between “half-baked” and “fully-baked.”
It made me realize that if I want something to be a homerun, I shouldn’t settle for good or great. I should aim for spectacular.
I adopted the “fully baked” mindset since, and it’s led me to create successful projects for my clients and my business. I hope this post enables that mind shift for you as well.
4. How to Prevent A Business Dry Spell – I was experiencing the infamous “feast or famine” cycle when I found this video, and it helped me kick my business into gear. I highly recommend this to anyone who’s struggling with having a steady and reliable stream of gigs.
Marie’s video is super informative and quite entertaining as well. 😉
My favorite part:
Action is magic. When you start taking consistent action, you will create results. Now those results may or may not be related to the actions you take, but trust me: nine times out of ten, stuff just starts to happen seemingly out of the blue when you get your butt in gear consistently.
I’ve experienced this first hand. It works.
5. Write Epic Shit – Those three words became my mantra ever since I read this blog post. Whenever I’m writing something, I make it a point to ask myself: Is the content epic? Does it provide value? Does it really help, entertain, or inspire people? If not, then it’s back to the drawing board.
I suggest you do the same. And if you ever find yourself struggling writing epic shit, give this post a read and bookmark it whenever you feel complacency creeping up on your writing.
Over to you:
I’d love to read the blog posts that changed YOUR life. Share the URL in the comments and I’ll check them out.
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Thanks for the shout-out, Francesca!
Awesome list~ I’ve seen a few of these, but #1 (Soulquake: 5 Questions That’ll Stir You Up Inside) was new to me. I love her first question: “Say your ‘official’ job title out loud. Three times. Deep breath. How does it make you feel?” I tell myself I’m a writer all the time and it still feels amazing & unbelievable 😀
I’ve been inspired by so many blog posts over the years, it’s hard to remember specific ones that had a huge impact on me! Definitely one of my favorite bloggers is Jenn Mattern of AllIndieWriters.com. She gives such practical, down-to-earth advice and tools that are so helpful and easy to implement.
One article I read recently that I keep thinking back on, and that actually influenced my behavior, was an article in The Atlantic called “The Confidence Gap,” about how research shows that women tend to be less self-assured than men: http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/04/the-confidence-gap/359815/
Keeping that article in mind, I push myself to reach for things that I would have talked myself out of in the past, thinking I’m not qualified enough. Now I know that it’s probably just my lack of confidence that’s holding me back!
I LOVE Jen of AllIndieWriters (I published a couple of posts there myself) and I agree–she offers down-to-earth and actionable advice.
Also, thank you for sharing that Atlantic article. I read a post on TIME about the same issue (thought not as in depth as the Atlantic piece) and I think it’s really interesting how they point out science-backed insights into why men have more confidence than women. [Here’s the link in case you want to read it: http://time.com/70558/its-not-you-its-science-how-perfectionism-holds-women-back/ ]
I read Sheryl Sanberg’s book Lean In last year, and it was quite empowering. I’ll be adding Kay and Shipman’s book to my list–it looks like an excellent read!
Francesca, to be honest, I’ve read so many blogs while learning the ways of online writing, that none of them really gave me that AHA moment. I’ve signed up for paid tutorials only to opt out after a few months. I’ve attended more webinars that I can count only to find out I’d have to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to get the REAL information. I’ve signed up for marketing blogs (including Danny Iny’s) only to find my inbox so friggin’ inundated that I was spending more time reading and learning than writing. I finally had to just say no to so many of those ‘learning tools’ because I was getting nowhere. I was spinning my wheels, making no money, and the bills continue to hit my snail mailbox.
However, I feel this post may be a life-changing-kick-in-the-ass read that can make a difference in my career.
Thank you!
You are so completely right, Shauna. I’m still where you were though, in the ‘making no money’ zone. Although I know I’ll eventually get out of it. Hopefully.
Great inspiring post Francesca 🙂
Thanks, Rakiah. And here’s to you escaping the “making no money” zone. 🙂
“I was spending more time reading and learning than writing.” –Yep, I know what this feel like.
I think you made the right call by saying “no” to learning tools. There comes a point when we have to take a break from consuming new articles/courses and just focus on taking action.
Yes, these posts gave me some AHA moments, but I’ve picked up even more valuable lessons when I was implementing the stuff I got from the materials and by trying new things. 🙂
As always, thanks so much your comment!
I actually haven’t seen most of the posts that you linked to before, so I’m super-stoked that you shared them today.
Love, love, LOVE the “People are full of shit…” post. Because, well, they kinda can be. Am I right? 🙂 That post is soooo spot on.
But this post and video gets me every time:
http://storylineblog.com/2013/04/09/an-incredible-reminder-of-how-short-life-really-is/
Life’s so, so short. Time to quit worrying so much and make your dreams come true. Glad I’m finally approaching this mentality!
I also sometimes go back and read this post and the comments: http://imperfectwomen.com/imperfect-and-out-of-control-our-adoption-journey/
I wrote this about our adoption story. It was extremely therapeutic and made be realize how one’s story can impact complete strangers. My personal blog is now defunct as I’ve become so busy with business clients. Which is a good thing 🙂
Hi Steph!
Thank you so much for sharing those links!
I share Donald’s point-of-view regarding weddings and funerals. Both events remind me of just how short life is and the importance of making decisions (before it’s too late.)
The video is a great find as well. I’m well-aware that none of us are getting any younger, but watching it made that fact even more pronounced. (And yes, it can really give you that “life is too short” wake up call.)
And your adoption journey gave me goosebumps. You’ve shared a wonderful story about overcoming struggle and letting go of your notion of what motherhood should be. I’m so happy things worked out and I wish you and your family all the best. 🙂
I’ve read the post Write Epic Shit back in 2012. This was the time when I was refocusing my blog. I bought a bigass blackboard and wrote “Write Epic Shit”. It did significantly improve the kind of posts that I was writing.
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ABMB! 🙂 Love this mantra! I just wrote it on my whiteboard. Recently, I discovered that I like marketing. I get a high when I test out a new marketing strategy and get unexpected and surprising results.
And you’re right, the video is indeed entertaining.
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I’m also going to implement the Insta-Hero thing. Although I think I’ve been implementing it unconsciously for quite some time.
Thank you so much for sharing these posts, Francesca. It is indeed going to improve my freelancing business. I can’t wait to go back to this post and share the results. 🙂
You’re very welcome, Irene–thanks for the comment!
ABMB is also one of my mantras–it’s quite catchy, isn’t it?
BTW I love that you’re using a whiteboard. Now I’m kinda thinking of getting one. Aside from using it for my mantras, it could be a great brainstorming tool! And I could use it for my to-do lists as well. Haha. 🙂
I actually bought a bigger white board the other day!hehe Hope you got one as well! Thanks for publishing my guest post. Can’t wait to add it to my portfolio. And it’s so great to geed feedback from BAFW readers.
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