Tag: Leadership

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of signing up for 15 Tuesday Teaching’s from Hope*Writers, and last week, I shared the first half of the teachers.  I included what stuck out to me the most and what I plan on using to create action steps and execute here on the blog and in future endeavors.  Here is the rest of the teachers and what I was able to learn from them.

Erin Loechner was another author that I was not familiar with before I started to watch these teachings.  Emily noted that her blog was a great example of voice.  What I think most will find fascinating about Erin is her current schedule.  She gets up every morning at 2 am (she goes to bed at 6 pm) and writes.  This is what works best for her and her husband during this season with small children.  What I love about this is, it isn’t traditional.  She isn’t trying to force her family to fit into “normal,” and they created their standard.  Also, only 2-3% of what she writes actually gets published (on her blog or in her book).

Regular advice that you receive is to write what you know.  But once I started writing what I wanted to know, I started to uncover my voice.

Writing vs. publishing requires a different person.  Writing is filling, theraputic, quiet.  Publishing is emptying and promotional.

Another newbie to me, Jennifer Allwood, seems to be owning her Facebook platform.  She helped me understand how
important it is to understand who your ideal client is.  She advocates for having what she calls a business therapist.  And she is very vocal about realizing that you can’t and shouldn’t do it all and to not be afraid to hire help.  And that is in your business and your home. I enjoyed how she broke down her justification for hiring a housekeeper.  She paid $150 for 6 hours and was able to work on something that earned her $100-200 an hour.  For her, paying the $150 for 6 hours was worth it when she made $600-$1200 in that same 6 hours.

Just by being fully me all the time, I never have to worry about pretense.

We have a responsibility to a calling and fear does not release us from that calling.

Deidra Riggs was someone else that I was not familiar with before this week, but what I enjoyed the most was her openness about her struggles with her last book.  She speaks about the business side and, unfortunately, the politics behind selling a book.  A well-known author endorsed her book, and there were plans to put that endorsement on the front cover.  Until that well-known author came out that she was divorcing her husband and marrying a woman.  Her publishers, recognizing that vendors wouldn’t carry the book with the endorsement, removed it.  That didn’t sit well with Deidra and has impacted sales and promotion.

Her agent advised her that a book multiples the ministry of your message.

Was this the moment for it? Maybe not.  Maybe it’s moment has yet to come. (In regards to her second book and her disappointments with it)

Believe in your heart who you are.  And then be who you say you are.

My favorite quote from all 15 teachings: But I’m also an introvert so I don’t try very hard.

I know I keep repeating this (and probably will one more time), but I wasn’t aware of who Crystal Paine was before the day I watched her teaching.  But she gave some really good insight on blogging since that is her primary platform.   I am looking forward to incorporating some of her points into the blog here.

You want to solve a problem, meet a need or provide hope.  But try to do all three.

Focus on and finish one thing at a time.  Test it out for about three months.

People want to connect with a person not a platform.

Study others who are doing it well.

Now, Sally Clarkson, I am familiar with.  Not only is she the author of dozens of books, but she is the mother of Sarah Clarkson, who is also a writer.  She spoke a lot about the changes in her message and publishing over the years.  She focuses on adapting to her audience and not being afraid to bring in a new audience and ways to connect with them (for example, Millenials).

Really good writing comes out of our own heart conviction.

If people took their eyes off of other people, they would have more authentic voices.

You can’t face your reader and critic at the same time.  To speak to one is to turn your back on the other one.

Don’t dispise the days of small things. (an adaption of Zachariah 4:10)

This author, S.D. Smith, I couldn’t connect with at all.  It appears he may be the author of children or teen fiction.  And while I may not be his target audience, I was hoping that I could get something out of his teaching.  But unfortunately, I didn’t get anything from it but maybe one sentence.  He seemed to be all over the place with his message and talked a lot about who he was and specifics about his books.

When you look for light, darkness will be there.  You are going to have to fight.

Another blogger turned author who I was introduced to, Kendra Adachi spoke a lot about the mistakes that she made along the way.  She also touched on somethings that she did right that was pure blessings.  She gave pointers like always including an email sign up even when your website is still “coming soon.” I also loved the landing page for her website, where it lists all the different ways to connect with what she offers without you having to hunt for it.

Don’t be afraid to pivot.

Don’t let your inability to explain where you’ve been suck or what you are doing, keep you from moving forward.

The last and final teacher is probably the best known.  Beth Moore is the author of so many books and Bible studies, including a few that sit on my bookshelves.  The best part of this whole interview was the fact that Beth Moore didn’t know she was on camera until maybe the last 5 minutes of a hour-long teaching.  She assumed that only Emily could see her.  I don’t recall ever hearing Beth Moore teach before, but she is so comical and felt so down to earth.  She is a daily journaler (which she calls her private relationship with Christ), who has her own journals coiled with the paper she likes at her local supply store.  She is also an avid tweeter and broke down when she knows something is a tweet, blog post, teaching, or a book/bible study.

I belong to Jesus.  Everything else, I don’t need to understand.

The best writing is understanding we are traveling.  Write from where we are now, as we are becoming.

If it is a short term passion, it is probably a tweet (if words only) or a facebook post.  If it goes away, that is it.  But if it keeps buring, write a blog.  If it stays, speak on it.  If still burining, it will be a book or Bible study.

Ask God to manipulate my desires.  Take my heart and take over my passions.

It all gets said to God but not always written or spoken.

I don’t know a lot but I want to share with someone else what I do know and what I have learned in case it is a help to them.

The kitchen is hot.  If you can’t take the heat, this ain’t the kitchen you want.

You gon’ on ahead.  I’m not going there with you.  But I’ll be here when you get back.

When dealing with extreme pain: when you are still hemoraging is a great time for journaling.  It is not the time for publishing.

The midpoint of our pain is a beautiful place to write.

If you can’t tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the 15 teachings that Hope*Writers gave away for free during this time of social distancing while dealing with the coronavirus.  I can’t wait to start implementing what I learned!  I thought long and hard about possibly joining their membership, but while I enjoyed the teachings and saw the value, I’m not sure if I am that serious enough of a writer at the moment to justify the cost.  I would love it if they had an option to get access to the 80+ teachings they currently have in their library.  Leave me a comment down below on what your favorite quote was from the teachings I shared today or let me know if you are a member of Hope*Writers.

*All images from Hope*Writer’s website and emails.

This past week, Hope*Writer’s was one of the companies that offered some of their resources for free while we have been practicing social distancing.  They gave everyone that signed up access to 15 of their Tuesday Teaching’s, which they said were handpicked by their community as the best of the best.

I’ve heard of Hope*Writer’s from their founder Emily P. Freeman, author of The Next Right Thing.  It is a membership service described as “a community of working writers dedicated to the success and creativity of each member.”  I’ve always been interested in it but don’t consider myself a serious enough writer to pay the $47 a month to join.

I learned quite a bit from the teachers this week and wanted to share with you some of my notes.  I plan on creating some action steps and executing them here on the blog and in future endeavors.

Jo Saxton

I had never heard of Jo Saxton, but immediately after watching her teaching, I went right to her social media to follow her.  Her leadership skills were evident in her speaking, and she was so down to earth.  Here are a few of my favorite things from what she said.

Your passions arrive before the work does.

There is a colloboration even in the book you wrote yourself.

If you want to level up your leadership, you need to build your village (relational and professional).

You need two sets of people.  People who give you roots that support and encourage and are a relational investment that gives you the courage to write.  And people who give you wings who actually help you get things done and help you build the career.

When I was starting out, I had opportunities because other leaders got out of the way.  Those smaller amounts were blessings in my beginnings.

Jeff Goins

Jeff Goins was another author I had not had the pleasure of knowing beforehand.  What was interesting about his interview was that he is venturing into the ghostwriting arena, and he named some pretty big names who are ghostwriters as well, like Ryan Holiday.  Some of my favorite advice from him was less about being a writer and more on how to be a mentee.

I end things so I can begin the next thing.

The best deadlines are honest deadlines.

Assume the future you is lazier than the current you and you will never be disappointed.

A question from Seth Godin that he uses, “Why can’t you just do it until it stops being fun?”

If you want to get into anything, you have got to fall in love with the word “yes”.  Yes, I can do that and here’s how.  And then find a way to make it work.

Any time you are meeting with someone who you preceive their time is more valuable than yours: 1. always take notes and 2. send an email immediately saying here is what I got out of the meeting.  Then follow up once you have done it.

The only thing I know how to do reasonably well is not quit.

I’m free to succeed because I don’t need the success.

You cannot love something you are trying to control because control is about fear and fear and love does not go together.

Katherine Reay

Now Katherine Reay is someone I was familiar with.  I read her book, The Printed Letter Bookshop.  While I have no plans to be a traditional author in the sense of writing a book, I know if I ever do, it will most likely not be fiction, which is her genre.  And while I didn’t get as much from her teaching as some of the others, it was interesting to see how she structures her week to get her writing done.

You cannot create and edit at the same time.

Get the words out as fast as you can on the paper without your editorial mind.  Then go in and edit it.

Annie F. Downs

Annie F. Downs is one of the more prominent names (at least to me) that was one of the speakers.  Her book, 100 Days to Brave, has been all over the place.  Including my bookshelf even though I haven’t read it yet.  She gave a lot of details on creative ways to get your books in people’s hands and how to start speaking.  And while again, I don’t plan on being a book author or a speaker, it was great to learn the business behind her brand.

The actual thing you want to do forever is being you.

You need to have a thesis statement.

Every January make a yes or no list.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. (Psalm 16:6 CSB)

Not all callings are created equallly; not all personalities are the same. – Emily

Kelly Minter

Before this week, I knew that Kelly Minter was a Bible teacher, but I can’t remember where for the life of me I heard of her from.  I am just going to assume social media right now because it doesn’t appear she was a speaker at the Enjoy God’s Word Bible Conference.  The funny thing is, when I look at all the speakers and who I think I could closely relate to work-wise, it is Kelly.  I love Bible reading and studying and could see myself one day doing a Bible Study.  I may have been so wrapped up in what she was saying I didn’t take many notes.  But she gave some pointers that I will share.

To get your insight, follow your questions and start digging.  Look at the cross references before commentaries.

Look around at people who are already doing it well.

Be a student of Bible studies.

Use a pilot group to review your studies.

Michele Cushatt

Michele Cushatt is another author that I hadn’t heard of before her session.  She wrote what appears to be a deeply personal memoir and touched on how to write about hard topics and when to share.  This was especially important to me because my blog is personal, yet it is crucial to know what not to share with the world.

People don’t connect with perfection, they connect with pain

It’s always the right time to write; it’s not always the right time to share.

When trying to determine how much to share, ask yourself the following: What’s my objective? Who is my audience? How much time do I have? What parts of my story is necessary to my objective’s? Do I have permission to tell this?

Ashlyn Carter

YouTube introduced me to Ashlyn Carter a while ago but more so because of her planning and productivity videos.  I knew she was a writer, but that isn’t the content I paid attention to.  Man, oh man, did I waste my time.  I learned the most information from Ashlyn’s session. So much so that it’s been hard to break it down to a couple of lines like the others.  Ashlyn is a copywriter, and I realized that gave her a unique insight into the blogging world, social media captions, and newsletters.  All things I would love to learn about and get better at.  There was just so much information that I am hoping to put into practice right away.  And I have immediately subscribed to her YouTube channel and can’t wait to binge-watch!

Use formula’s: Problem, Agitation, Solution

The word “YOU” can be so powerful.

Listen to what people want and then say it back to them.

Facts don’t care about your feelings.

Alright, I am going to end this post here cause it’s getting long!  Stay tuned for the final post outlining the other speakers and teachers!

*All images from Hope*Writer’s website and emails.