If you've been sitting around waiting to be "chosen," I've got great news for you! You choose yourself!

One of my biggest struggles as I got ready to leave my job was getting rid of the need for approval. It was disconcerting how deep this habit ran. I wanted someone else to point out that I was good enough. I needed approval from my boss, my family, my publisher, to let me know I was accepted.

We're trained to seek approval. For the first two decades of our lives, we turn in papers to teachers, who mark them up and tell us how to make them better. It's a hard habit to brake. 

This blog post was so fun to write because I know some of my beloved friends will think I've finally gone off the deep end! 

At the same time we all know that self talk is a natural facet of human psychology, and we work with the things we tell ourselves all the time. Creative people tend to talk to themselves. In fact, I'm at a loss to think of anybody close to me who I haven't overheard speaking out their thoughts at one point or another. 

My father used to say, "Sometimes it's the only intelligent conversation I get!"

Even this blog started out as a voice in my head. 

So yes, now that I've normalized it, I'm ready to dive off the deep end. I want to talk about energy concepts that are fundamental to developing your imagination. 

Now more than ever, your future is in your hands as a writer. It used to be that you would submit a book proposal, and then sit around, helplessly, waiting to be picked.

Not anymore! There's always an action you can take. 

Still and all, lately I've been working with authors on their book proposals and it's easy to get intimidated. There's always that feeling of "I'm not there yet." This is never going to happen. If Elizabeth Gilbert won't endorse, why even bother!

Where as the creative process was so much fun, taking it step by step, all of a sudden the proposal becomes serious business.

That's why I want to make this playful again! I want to create a Vision Board Book Proposal. No matter where you're at now, why not just create the book proposal of your dreams. 

That's a bold statement, but it's also a challenge...

Step into your full power as a writer, leave other people´s words behind and really claim your own voice. 

So many of us spend too much time in the role of admirer and hide from recognizing ourselves as the writers we are. If you love a quote, I'm willing to bet you have something to say about it too. If you take the time to craft it, it will be beautiful.

I’m always fascinated to learn more about the lives and writings of women in our Facebook community.  Barbara Snow is a prolific author of supernatural mystery, who immigrated to Cuenca, Ecuador four years ago. She was telling me of the vibrant, international artist’s community there, which made me daydream about more writing retreats all over the continent.

However, Barbara’s first books weren’t in the genre at which she now excels. In the 1990s she used poetry and memoir to bring herself through a period of deep healing. In this blog she reflects on how poetry and memoir accompanied her on this journey toward a new life and livelihood.

The first week out of work came as quite a surprise! I should have been thankful, but I WAS NOT THANKFUL. I was anxious, insecure and probably very annoying.

This is funny, because in my book The Meaning Method I wrote about this concept of radical gratitude. It means being grateful for the joy and pain in life. So, what I was experiencing must have been radical ingratitude. I had worked for years to be able to liberate myself from the 9-5, and then once I did it, I was baffled. Until I realized how hilarious it was.

Thus far, my life has given me more opportunities to experience radical gratitude, rather than radical ingratitude, so I just want to take this moment to reflect and laugh.

Inside all meaningful work is the seed of something great. But not everybody can see it at first! That’s where beta readers come in handy.

However, not all critiques are created equal. Remember, your work is NOT a popularity contest. Let's face it, not everybody likes every fiction genre, and not everybody needs every personal development book. You simply want to make sure your work resonates with the audience that's right for you. When you first start float your manuscript, it's important to find readers you trust and understand their perspective.

It's important to distinguish comments that will make your work better, from comments that will weaken your unique voice.

Are you excited to publish a book, but scared to show your work to anyone else? It's kind of a Catch 22. But a lot of people share this fear!

OK. Let’s talk about it . . .

Shoving a bunch of writers into a room is kind of like filling a bucket with shucked oysters. Everybody feels squishy and vulnerable, like they’re missing their protective shell. With good reason. Writing is passionate and great passion spurs great vulnerability. However, if one person can settle in and be authentic, the whole experience becomes better for everybody.

We all start out with one subscriber: our mom. And then we go from there.

On Facebook, this has been really fun because over the past week we’ve formed a focus group of sixty-some people called List Growth T & T.  That means List Growth Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we’ve been brainstorming, partnering, and taking action to grow our lists.

Several people have launched blogs, and experienced bloggers are finding opportunities for guest posts. Especially the intuitives! Join us if you’re interested.

For all you authors out there, growing your list means growing your audience, which means growing your readers and clients. That’s right, even books need a subscriber list these days. (Find out more in strategy #5). The best part is that this can be very inspiring and lucrative for writers, because it involves a lot of WRITING.

When you start writing you have BIG DREAMS. Then you freak yourself out.

Don’t.

Get those hopes up!

The sky is the limit with publishing right now, and the ball is in your court. Surprisingly, this is as true for traditional publishing as well as self-publishing.

One of the most powerful ways to connect with your readers is to "speak their language." However a lot of us find it's hard to strike a balance when it comes to swearing. Sure, it makes sense over cocktails, but in a book? I love this question, and it comes up a lot. 

The short answer is, there is no short answer. Whatever you decide it needs to be a conscious choice. Here are some questions that will help you consider.

Every once in a while I come across an article about how "too many" people are publishing these days, and there are "too many" books flooding the market, and not everybody should write a book etc. And it's funny to me because I wonder, what exactly is the problem here?

Is discouraging people from writing all that different from discouraging people reading? 

Is it safe to read, but it's not safe to write? (Actually I know a lot people who have that block.)

Exactly how many books are "too many"?

One thing I´m good at is following through. This became especially apparent to me in that I´m finishing my last week of classes as a school teacher. And when I say this, I mean my last week of classes EVER! That´s right, my coaching business has liberated me from my day job. It´s robust enough to go full time!

Whether it’s your book, a day job, or anything you’re taking through the final steps, as you get around to finishing, you´re working through the hardest part. You’ve felt this. What began as an ecstatic and inspired idea, now moves more slowly as you get to the end.

However, when you're honest and admit that finishing is a different animal then starting, there are simple strategies that can carry you through. Here are three quick tips to make sure you don't fall off the wagon, before you cross the finish line.

Your book could really make an impact and serve the world. Imagine that. Think about the readers you want to reach and the difference you want to make.

Now all you have to do is write it. That´s all.

Forgive the sarcasm, I only mean it playfully. Over and over, people come to me with a great deal of inspiration, but the plan, the structure, the execution… all of that gets a little blurry.

If you have an idea for a book that lights you up inside, trust me, you have everything you need to put it into the world. However, you need to convert it from a vague idea into a real vision with true clarity.

No matter how experienced you are at writing and creating, this still comes up: FEAR. One moment you're excited and inspired, and the next moment you freeze. Your project seems impossible, impractical, or worse, embarrassing! Thus, you fold it up into a paper airplane and launch it for the trash.

As your writing coach, I want to tell you, “Stop right there!”

The stuff that brings up intense fear is usually your gutsiest most glorious material. You just have to work with it a little.

If you make working through fear a habit, the rewards are unbelievable. Your biggest professional and creative breakthroughs will come from working through fear. That’s why I’ve created this 5 step worksheet to help you out. Here we go!

Have you ever been challenged by a glut of emotion that stopped you from writing your book? This could come in a variety of forms, anxiety, sadness, insecurity, or a bomb of self-criticism. And it seems that just on the other side of this emotional wall there is the dream of that book. You just have to get to the other side.

Here’s the thing that most people know intuitively, but not just anybody can explain: When you create something to be put out into the world, it heals you. As a writing coach, this is a pattern I see over and over again. People start to write the book they were meant to write, and then receive all these spiritual breakthroughs. That's where energy work makes all the difference!

Many writers are introverts. We cherish our time alone with our notebooks pondering things: a table alone at a cozy café, solitary hours overlooking a placid lake, time to ourselves with a book. That’s our comfort zone.

As a result, the simple act of getting out of our easy chair, socializing and discovering a couple of running buddies can lead to revolutionary progress.

Personally, I almost hate to be reminded of that. Where do I even find these amazing people? Does this mean I have to walk into a party and introduce myself? Do I have to start asking people to mentor me? Gross.

The first thing you need to do is memorize this mantra: Wherever I am is exactly where I need to be.

These days, a lot of people manifesting all over the place. The results are pretty amazing. Just last month I opened my mind, said a prayer, and wrote 8 things I was ready to receive. These were high hopes that I didn’t even consider probable (due to limiting beliefs) and within 24 hours, 5 of them were at my doorstep. In 2 weeks, all of them and more. Things like money, new relationships and recognition in my career.

Where the heck did that power come from? How did I not know my own talents in sorcery? Why have I wasted so much time underestimating myself?

These are questions we could all ask ourselves.

When I was a 6th grade teacher we read A Wrinkle in Time as a class, and it was so much fun! I was elated to hear it was coming out as a movie, and was in line at the theater the night it came to Bogotá! Fabulous, by the way.

In my 6th grade class, I loved how we could get into these crazy imaginative conversations where everything we call “reality” became a little more flexible. Especially time and space. I would lead them to Cartagena in a guided meditation and call it "tessering."

Now I’m a writing coach and I perform the same bending and wrinkling of reality, especially with time. The number one excuse to procrastinate writing a book is a lack of time. It’s the predominate reason that we pile on top of all the other reasons that we couldn’t possibly become a published author.

Success freaks me out. That's pretty much the definition of an Upper Limit Problem. I make some great progress, even hit a breakthrough, and then comes the whiplash. Oh God what have I done? This is not my comfort zone! Take it all back! The award, the money, the happiness! I'm not used to this!

It sounds funny, but I'm not the only one. Have you ever had a great writing day where you feel really inspired, and then 24 hours later you doubt everything? Is that an upper limit problem?

Yup. You got it.