Life at Gray Gables: Big Dreams

By: Kel Amstutz

The 3 S’s to Making STUFF Happen for YOUR Business & for YOU

Do YOU have BIG DREAMS for your business...but you hear yourself saying...

"How can I make this happen?"

You are not alone in this thinking. Everyone gets stuck sometimes, but the thing about making what you want to happen in your business is that you NEED to be strategic about it.

Here are 3 things that you have got to do when you are planning a new income goal or creating your money mindset:

#1 GET SPECIFIC

You should already be asking yourself questions about what your goals are.

Now, it's time to GET SPECIFIC with your goal(s).

Do not do anything else other than get specific, and I mean really specific.

Allow yourself to DREAM BIG and be 100% honest with what you want to make happen.

Don't just say 'I want to make a sale this month' or 'I want to have more money.'

Say, 'I want to make 5 sales this month', 'I want to make $5,000 from my business this month', 'I want to work 25 hours a week 5 days a week'.

This is how specific you need to be in order to get if you are going to make your BIG BUSINESS goals happen.

Why?

Well, you need that level of clarity to know what you are working towards, to help you figure out what steps to take next, AND the universe needs that clarity, it needs to know that it needs to send you 5 clients this month.

The second part of getting specific with your goals, is figuring out why it is important to you.

Your why is your driving factor and without it, you won't be able to gain the momentum or proper motivation in order to make this all happen.

Once you have specific goals determined and know your WHY,

you have got to now how you will stay focused on these goals.

#2 STAY FOCUSED

Being focused and staying focused on the end result that you are working towards is extremely important when it comes to making your income goals happen. Of course, it is important to take time for yourself, have fun, and feel abundant, but you have to create a practice for yourself that keeps you focused on increasing your income. There are going to be road blocks that will distract you with the newest fads or trends but you need to remain focused on your goals within your business.

Remind yourself:

What can bring you money now?
What it feels like to make money today?
What it feels like to reach your income goal?
What can you do next to get a sale?

KEEP YOUR FOCUS!

#3 SELF-EDUCATE YOURSELF

Sometimes, starting something new, something that perhaps we don't know anything about, we can get discouraged and overwhelmed.

Our mindset gets cloudy and we think "I can't make this happen" and fall into a state of inaction because you are unsure of things.

So, how do you combat this overwhelming feeling?

It's pretty simple, you educate yourself!

Write down your questions and start googling.
Don't ignore all the resources that are around you.

Make a list of what scares you, or what you feel you don't know and then start researching, start reading. When it comes to the game of entrepreneurship, you need to be willing to put in the work and make things happen.

So, what is your new income goal?

~Kel

“Oh, you write books?” said with sheer skepticism.

Yes. I might not be published...like for "realz" published (self published though), but I do LOVE to write. I mean, I am writing right now...aren't I? (I am not a robot)

But, with this [over] loaded question usually comes the time question,

Where do I steal time?

I mean, truth be told, my life is pretty busy.

Work
kids
hubby
life
housework
food
planning
Did I mention WORK?

Really, does the list ever stop? So, well, basically my life is like everyone else's except I ~~like~~ LOVE to write on top of all that. My love is so real that I get writers guilt (yea, it's a thing) if I go all day and don't say a word. I feel like I have lost my voice...or something?

So TRUE

But, just like that, with all those things that crowd my day, I can lose my time to write. (I joke that I should carry along a recorder because ideas POP into my head all day long) That is when I started thinking about the BIGGER picture.

I need to organize my time.

(eye roll!)

I am O.C.D. (true story) This is not a secret by any means. I love organization. Crave a place for everything. Am easily annoyed by that darn piece of lint on the floor (yes, it matches the floor) that only I seem to be able to see, quite clearly, I might add.

So, how do we get organized with our writing?

Here are some helpful steps to help us on our way:

1. Create a Retreat. I know that you must be saying, hmph...OK. But, this is key.

Writing is very personal.

You need to be at your most vulnerable to produce content that your soul bleeds out on the pages. You need to start this process by surrounding yourself with things that get you comfortable, make you happy, relaxed and inspired.

A great oil to help with this, is lavender, as it is very soothing and has a calming effect on your senses. (Wellness with Kel)

2. Organize your week. Buy a planner. Dedicate it to your writing only.

Make a weekly plan on a Sunday night, in peace and quiet. It is best to treat this task like homework in many ways.

Your week will get busy if you wait until the last minute, so take some time (perhaps while Hubby is watching the Sunday night football game)

and look at your week and think about what you want to accomplish for the week, what you want to accomplish for the day and where you want to begin for the following week.

I have a dedicated planner and a notebook that I make my schedule in for the week to help to keep me on point. I have it broke down by topic, title, date and posted to. It has helped me stay on task, be more creative and track what is working and what it not.

3. Get Dressed. Sounds pretty obvious, right... I mean, if you want to treat your writing professionally... than ditch the P.J.'s already. No more writing in the bed. No more watching T.V. while writing. (OK, Mom)

The thing is...if you are serious, I mean really serious, then it is time to take this serious.

Brush your teeth!
Shower!
Put on real clothes

and give your writing the respect that it deserves.

4. Keep your NOTES near you! You need to organize everything...notes too.

My tip for you all:

Get a binder
Buy some tabbed dividers
If you write out your notes, have a space for them
If you keep your notes electronic (i.e. Evernote) it is time to Hit Print.

The key is to have everything in one nice, organized, easy to manipulate place.

And, once you are organized it is important to keep them near your retreat area. I mean, obviously you want them handy (think blues clues people- write it in your Handy Dandy Notebook! ~your welcome Wendy!)

The goal is to be able to have a reference place.

So, now we are organized, but the writer's block has settled in and it is not looking like it will be letting go anytime soon. Maybe the time has come to change things up.

If you stay complacent for to long, things around you can grow stale, writing included.

1. Change your Viewpoint. Instead of telling yourself that you can't do something because you have writing to do..(drag) Try telling yourself that you don't do those things because you are a writer? Yes, it is kind of a trick on your mind, but will help your perception in the long run, when it comes to staying focused on the positive.

I love T.V.

I mean, do you even know HOW disappointed I was to find out that Big Brother was not on until after 11 p.m. last night? (I was pretty upset)

The biggest, and best decision I have made to date is turning the T. V. off at nine o'clock and focusing solely on my writing until I have said what is needed.

Some nights it is harder to do than others, but discipline helps me through this task.

2. Snack anyone? Did you know that when you eat a small and healthy snack throughout your day it actually boosts your brain power?

It helps you stay focused. Fuel this snack attack with water or tea, and if you are not a fan of a snack (say what?) then try chewing a piece of gum to trick your brain into thinking that you are eating. It might not give you the brain power, but it will help to keep you alert.

3. Work in Batches. I think that this is something that I had to learn, and something that I will continue to learn.

To sit down and write...and write...and write is not the best way to produce quality work because you are just writing, not reflecting.

If you want to take intervals, try setting an alarm on your oh, so, smart phone to scream "cut". Once you have finished your interval, take a five to ten minute breather.

Stretch.
Check your Facebook page.
Pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa.

Then when break time if over, set your timer and pick up where you left off. (I would suggest that you don't take the time to proof here because it can break your flow)

The goal is to complete as many batches as you can.

I batch write about four times a week. It is an excellent way for me to clear my head at the end of the week and to help me improve on my writing.

The added bonus is the surprise you will get when you have finished your last day to see your progression of words produced in these batch sessions!

Plus, I always tell my girls that Practice makes perfect, right!

Batch writing is like practicing my writing skills four times a week!

4. Create your Routine. You need to create consistency in your life to improve your skills as a writer.

Taking 10 minutes every day to write will always be better than taking one hour at the end of the week.

I get that the goal is to write that novel that you have been dreaming about.

It is a big dream after all.

Well, Big Dreams take lots of work. To achieve this goal you need to make it happen.

Dream Big, Work Small.

Create a routine and chip at your dream by writing a little each day. At the end of that week you spent those batches on, look over what you have done.

It will be amazing.

Each batch session will turn into one chapter, then two chapters, then more and more.

The progress you will make will be seen in these sessions and it will come together.

The Big Dream will be reality.