Increasing Traffic to Your Blog: Part Two: Promotion

If you have read Part One of Increasing Traffic to Your Blog you have already taken care of the basics of choosing an topic you are passionate about, selecting an attractive design and adding quality content--and are now ready to start promoting your blog.  Using effective promoting techniques to gain targeted traffic not only increases traffic, it builds repeat readers as well.

Increase Your Blog Traffic: Evaluate Your Audience

Before you can target your audience, you need to know who they are. If you haven't done so already, take the time to create a profile of your audience. Many new bloggers assume that the world is their audience and that a few well-placed links will draw in traffic. They are wrong. Your audience consists of those who want and need the service you provide. You answer their questions and solve their problems. Consider who these people are and where you will find them.

Increase Your Blog Traffic by Joining Online Communities

Join forums or communities where your readers socialize. Get involved, answer questions and offer assistance. Follow the rules of the community and avoid "selling your blog" to members. Add a link to your blog in the signature, if allowed, or add it to your profile.  When members see that you provide valuable information, they are likely to follow the link to your blog.

Increase Your Blog Traffic with Social Networking

Take advantage of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out about your blog, but don't forget to interact with others as well. When readers see you as involved, they are more likely to follow your links and read your blog.

Add links to bookmarking sites with a thoughtful description of your blog.

Increase Your Blog Traffic by Answering Questions

Visit Yahoo Answers and provide detailed answers to user's questions and add your blog link for further information.

Increasing traffic to your blog takes work and patience. There is not magic bullet--although there are plenty of people out there who are eager to take your money in exchange for promises of unlimited traffic. Use caution and common sense. Choose a topic that others are interested in, provide quality content that solves problems and answers your readers questions, and follow good SEO techniques and your traffic will increase naturally.

Avoid Keyword Stuffing and Still Rank High in Searches

**Tip of the Day**

Take advantage of the Google Adwords Keyword Tool to find words that Google recognizes as similar to your keywords and use them in your blog posts, articles and blog tags. Not only do they help you rank higher in search engine results (SERP), when used effectively your content flows naturally. Avoid repeating the same keywords repeatedly in the same paragraph or in short posts. This creates difficult-to-read text and may even get you penalized for keyword stuffing. Think smart. Write smart. Get your work noticed by using the tools Google provides.

Increasing Traffic to Your Blog: Part One: Setting the Stage

One of the most common questions asked by online writers and bloggers is “How do I increase traffic to my blog or article?” There are many people out there eager to sell you this information or to sell you a program claiming it will increase traffic with little effort on your part. Although effortlessly gaining blog traffic is every writer’s dream, it is just that—a dream.

Increasing traffic to your blog or articles requires work—at least if you want to maintain that traffic. We have all experienced the occasional boon of web traffic that disappears as soon as it appears. This is often the result of a random link placed on a popular site. Unfortunately, spur-of-the-moment links disappear and people move on quickly. Depending on that rogue link is a bit like playing the lottery. When you hit, you may hit big--but if you hold out hoping to hit the jackpot, you are likely to be disappointed.

Building traffic to your blog begins long before promoting your blog. It begins with your blog design and content.

Until you have designed an attractive and effective blog that contains valuable content for the reader, getting blog traffic really shouldn’t be your major concern. Sure, it feels great to know you have readers, but without good content to keep them coming back—it really doesn’t matter.

Let me walk you through the process of designing and building your blog so you will soon be in the position to focus your attention of gaining traffic to your blog.

I won’t pretend to be an expert in web design. I’m not. But, I do know a thing or two about what makes a blog look good. You do too, if you stop and think for a moment. For many bloggers failing to stop and think is their biggest obstacle. Instead of thinking like a reader, they get bogged down thinking about making money from adsense and end up with a blog that screams, “Click me! Click me!” but offers very little valuable information for the reader.

Determine the Focus of your Blog.

Ideally, the topic is something you feel passionate about and can write about comfortably on a regular basis. If you intend to monetize your blog, and I assume you do, the topic should have a good search volume, too. If readers do not search for the information you provide, there will be no traffic to worry about. For tips on using the Google Adwords Tool to determine search volume, see Finding Keywords.

Blog Layout and Templates

Choose a clean, professional template that complements the content of your blog. Although those darling puppies or cute fluttering butterflies may appeal to your senses, if you want to be taken seriously, lose the cute images. Readers form opinions about your blog before they begin to read the content. An attractive blog grabs the reader’s attention and directs them to the page.

Choose a layout for you blog that is easy for readers to navigate. Complicated blogs that require several clicks to access information often frustrate readers and send them elsewhere for the information they seek. Take advantage of page tabs and post archives to direct your reader to the appropriate information.

Color and Font

Select a color scheme that enhances your blog. Loud, bright colors may be your style, but softer colors that are easy on the eye often appeal to readers. Remember the focus of your blog is your content—not your creative flair--unless of course, that is the focus of your blog. Get feedback from other bloggers, view your blog on multiple browsers and take the time to view it objectively. How your blog looks is an important step in creating a blog that will draw traffic.

Content

Before you begin to create content for your blog, jot down ideas for your blog posts. If you can’t come up with ten to 20 topics that pertain to the focus of your blog, consider whether you have chosen the right topic for your blog.

Create content with your reader in mind. Consider what your reader wants and needs and provide it. This is the time to use the best SEO practices, such as choosing the appropriate keywords for your article, creating titles and customizing your urls.

Adsense

Although it may seem like using more ads will increase your chances of earning money from your blog, this is rarely the case. Two or three well-placed ads that provide a service to the read are more effective than a lot of ads your reader really isn’t interested in. If your blog looks like one big advertisement, readers will see you as out to make money, compromising your credibility.

Once you have set up an attractive blog, created a solid base of content and used the best SEO practices to make that content searchable, you are ready to begin the task of gaining traffic to your blog. Part two of this article will address ways to promote your blog and gain traffic. In the meantime, take the time to tweak your existing blogs, or design new blogs, with your readers in mind, so you will be in a position to promote your blog.

Starting an Adsense Blog to Make Money Blogging Can be Profitable and Fun, Too!

Blogging isn't for everyone. It requires attention and the willingness to change directions, but you can make money blogging and blogging is a great way to build your writing skills in a "non-threatening environment" where you call the shots.

In the beginning, blogging can feel a bit like yelling at the moon and listening for your echo. You know your voice is out is out there, but you are the only one who can hear it. But, that is precisely when you need to cultivate patience and continue blogging whether you see immediate results or not. I think of my blogs as a garden. Planting the seeds is only the beginning. It may be exciting to see it as it begins to sprout and the first readers arrive, but without plenty of TLC, it will soon wither away.

By following a few simple techniques, you can build a solid reader base and healthy blog traffic.

Choosing Your Blog Topic

Choose your blog topic wisely before setting up a blog, especially if you intend to use adsense to monetize it to make money blogging. Although you may find rambling on about the escapades of Aunt Bertha entertaining, unless you are well known, its unlikely to attract the attention of a wide range of readers and may not attract the best ads from adsense. Choose a topic you are passionate about and can write about regularly.

Keyword Research when Setting Up a Blog

Before setting up a blog, research your intended blog topic to determine how many readers actually search for information similar to yours. The Google keyword adwords tool is quick and easy to use and returns valuable information about the popularity of your topic. See my post Finding Keywords for more information on using this tool.

SEO for Adsense Blogs

Optimizing your blog posts may seem counter intuitive—especially if you are looking for a place to simply write from the heart. But, if you want readers to find what you have written, using good SEO techniques is just as important on adsense blog as it is publishing on other sites.

Some bloggers are very successful by researching an assortment of keywords related to their blog topic and tailoring blog posts around those keywords. I personally prefer to research keywords once an idea strikes me.  Instead of looking for the high paying keywords, I use the keyword tool to find a variety of related words that have a good search volume to use in the content of my blog post. Because I’ve already researched the main topic of my blog, I already know what is likely to be successful. Using the keyword tool simply helps me refine my blog posts to appeal to a wide range of readers.

Setting up a Blog

The quality of your blog does matter and should be considered before setting up a blog. Choosing the first template you find and throwing a few words together in the hopes to make money from adsense isn’t enough. Take the time to consider your blog topic and choose a template that complements it. Adding content that directly relates to the blog topic may seem like a no brainer, but you might be surprised by the number of bloggers who jump on the “make money with adsense” band wagon thinking they will make money by slapping a blog together and targeting high paying keywords. It doesn’t work that way. I won’t bore you with the typical chastisements to use proper grammar and spelling as I’ve already covered that in Characteristics of Quality Writing.

Blog Posting

Online writers often ask, “How often do I need to post to my blog.” Although there are no hard and fast rules, most bloggers agree that regular blog posting keeps your readers coming back to see what you have to offer them. How often you post to your blog depends on your topic, reader expectations and your schedule—but three to four times a week appears to be the accepted norm. Some blogs require more frequent posts. My blog “In the Direction of Dreams” does best with daily posts, as it provides an inspirational quote, some reflection on the topic and expressions of gratitude. Other blogs may do well with several posts a week.

Blog Promotion

Don’t be afraid to promote your blog, but use caution. If others see you as simply trying to promote yourself without providing value, they will soon turn away. Join forums or communities centered around your topic. As you interact with members, provide a link to your blog, if it provides more information that may be of interest. Twitter, Facebook and other social promotion sites are a great way to get started, but shouldn’t be a substitute for promoting your blog to others who share your interests.

SERP and Page Rank: What's the Difference?

If you find the whole idea of page rank and SERP confusing, you are not alone. Many writers unwittingly confuse the two, or simply assume they are the same. They are not.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

SERP (Search Engine Results Page) refers to where your particular site (or article) falls in Google as a result of a search. How well your title and url reflect your content, the number of other competing sites and the specific focus and keywords in your work all effect SERP.

SERP changes according to the search term used. Although you may appear in the #1 spot by searching the exact title inside of quotation marks, be aware that unless your title reflects the exact words readers search to find your information, it is unlikely to appear #1 with their search terms.

Many new writers are excited to find their writing ranking well on Google, but fail to understand that unless the term is one that is searched often—it really doesn’t matter. The goal, of course, it to land your work above the fold on the first page of Google with several search terms that are searched often—not #1 with one search term readers seldom use.

Page Rank

Page rank ranges from 0 to 10 with 10 being the highest-ranking possible. This honor is reserved for Google itself. Page rank number reflects the value Google places on your site. Although the algorithm for earning a high rating remains known only to Google, good SEO practices, the amount of traffic and the quality of the links all contribute to the page rank of a site. Google updates Page rank once approximately every three months, while SERP may change frequently.

Building Page Rank

Producing quality work with fresh content helps to build the page rank of the site, but it doesn’t happen overnight. If you have your own blog or website, have patience. Provide the reader with valuable information, seek links from high ranked sites, use good anchor text and create a site that is easy to navigate and page rank will take care of itself.

Improving SERP

Meanwhile, follow good SEO practices to improve SERP, by using relevant keywords and avoiding keyword stuffing--or attempts to trick the system by adding high paying keywords that don’t relate to your topic. Although it may seem like a great idea at the time, attempting to draw traffic to ads by slipping in a few high paying keywords can (and often does) come back to haunt you, as readers decide to go elsewhere to find the information they seek.

Re-Targeting Advertising: Are Online Writers Ready for the Change?

Just when online writers and bloggers who write for revenue share--or depend on adsense income to support their work--thought they had it all figured out, along comes targeted online advertising and search advertising. No longer will ads appear alongside articles based purely on the content of the article, but may also appear differently depending on the reader. New retargeted advertising is designed to track your behavior as a reader, and consumer, and follow you wherever you go on the Internet. With behavioral targeting, the ads you see are those you are most likely to click on. This, of course is great news to advertisers, as it increases their click-through rate and they ultimately reap the reward of higher sales.

How Targeted Advertising Works

For the consumer, targeted advertising means the ads you see are relevant to your shopping and viewing behavior, providing you with the opportunity to view ads that relate to your lifestyle. Although it may be a bit eerie to be followed by that awesome pair of shoes you just viewed, behavioral marketing is designed to follow your interests and provide you with a more enjoyable surfing experience. When you view a site, a cookie-- coded with that information and stored on your computer-- allows the site to participate in behavioral marketing (retargeting advertising) by following you with the hopes of bringing you back to their site for a purchase.

A Wrench in the Formula

For those who rely on income from adsense or other revenue share advertising from blogs or writing site, this may throw a wrench into the formula, as readers may not see ads that relate to the content of the article. For those who customarily target higher paying keywords in the hope of drawing in high paying ads, this spells bad news with a capital B.  Research and careful word placement may be overridden by the readers search history.

 

Targeted Advertising and Revenue Share

So, what does that mean to online writers who earns a living from the revenue generated from ads? It’s too early to tell for sure, but it seems logical that a shift in focus will occur—one that may be good news for readers and profitable for writers who produce quality work with their reader in mind. For those who are out to make a quick buck, it may make the process a bit more difficult.

A Shift in Focus: Quality Counts

Targeting high paying keywords may lose its effectiveness, particularly for those who try to integrate keywords with a high CPC rate into content that is not focused on the topic. Although Google has always claimed to value quality content and warned against keyword stuffing or attempts to manipulate search engines, it has never been particularly good at enforcing its own “rules”.  It appears this shift in advertising, which Google itself has made available to its adwords customers, may put the focus back where it has always belonged when it comes to online content—quality.

A Shift in Advertising

As advertisers shift from targeting specific keywords and invest their money in behavioral targeting, content that is well written and provides readers with solutions to their everyday problems is likely to earn the lion’s share of revenue. For those who have taken advantage of SEO techniques purely to draw in readers in the hopes they will click ads, it seems their efforts may go unrewarded.

 The Demand for Content

Certainly, this is good news for the reader, as he may be spared choppy keyword-laden text designed to pull in ads. For writers who focus on providing a quality experience for the reader, the change may increase the demand for their work as sites seek out quality writing instead of reams of low-quality content with the specific goal of targeting profitable ads. For those who now make their living writing keyword-heavy articles designed to draw in ads, targeted advertising may be the beginning of the end.

Keep Your Eye on the Horizon

For now, retargeting advertising is just cresting the horizon. The effects it will have on writers and the demand it will create for content are still unknown, but a shift in focus seems likely. Leverage yourself as a writer by striving to improve your craft and producing quality content now, while keeping your eye to the horizon. Targeted advertisement and behavioral marketing is not likely to go away.

* I'd love to hear you thinking about retargeting advertising and how it will change the face of online content. Please leave your comments to share your views with others.

Finding Your Voice: Let Your Writing Sing

For many writers, voice is difficult to identify because it is often confused with tone or style, but it is more than either of these. Tone refers to the mood of the specific piece of writing and style refers to the way in which you use words to create structure and balance. Your voice is the elusive quality to makes your writing come to life on the page.

Think of your favorite singer. He or she probably has a preferred style of music— from soulful Blues to good old rock-n-roll. He may also prefer a certain tone from uplifting songs of praise to the dark and foreboding.  Others may share the style and tone of his music—yet he possesses the power to create a unique experience for the listener. That power is his voice.

A writing voice is a lot like that.  It embodies more than style and tone. Your writing voice makes connections with your readers and inspires action or elicits emotion. Your voice is the director, while style and tone are merely actors. They can be recast at any time, but your voice cannot.

Finding your voice requires courage and faith. The courage to put a bit of who you are into everything you write and the faith that there are readers who seek what you have to offer. It isn’t always easy, and it is always comfortable—but until you are ready and willing to go beyond the basics of style and tone and add your personal voice to your work, you will never really know what you are capable of as a writer.

Tips for Finding Your Writing Voice

Write from the heart. Whether you are writing fiction or a simple instructional article, when you write from the heart, your natural voice is unveiled. Use your passion to develop a clear voice.

Picture your audience. Write as though your readers are a friend that you want to share your information with. Use language appropriate for the reader and your voice will come shining through.

Read. Read. Read. Think about the ways the author uses her voice to enhance the style and tone of the piece.

Explore. Write on a variety of topics geared to different audiences. Observe how your writing voice affects the outcome.

Mini Grammar Lesson: That vs Which

For many of us, the proper use of that and which causes confusion, but the grammar rules for determining when to use that or which are simple.

THAT

Use that to introduce restrictive clauses. A restrictive clause is a clause that cannot be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

• Writing that is filled with grammatical errors makes the writer appear less knowledgeable.

 

• Writing that has not been checked for spelling and grammatical errors is not ready for publication.

 

• Articles that have not been proofread should not be submitted.

Removing the restrictive clause in these sentences changes the meaning of the entire sentence.

WHICH

Use which before a nonrestrictive clause. Nonrestrictive clauses add additional information, but do not alter meaning. Nonrestrictive clauses are often enclosed in parenthesis, and can be removed completely without changing the meaning of the sentence.

• Free grammar and spelling checkers, which can be found on the Internet, help writers polish their work.

 

• Confusion over word choice, which is very common, causes careless errors.

 

Removing a nonrestrictive clause does not change the meaning of the sentence.

WHO

Use who to introduce any clause when the subject is a person.

 

• Writers who follow grammar rules produce clean copy. (restrictive clause)

 

• Online writers who ignore the importance of keywords and SEO often get frustrated when their writing fails to draw in readers. (restrictive clause)

 

• Successful online writers, who take their work seriously, know the importance of good grammar and SEO techniques. (nonrestrictive clause)

Most word processing programs contain a grammar and spelling checker, but if yours does not, you can use free grammar and spelling checkers online to double-check your work. Spelling and grammar checking software is also available for sale, if you prefer to use a program from your computer.

How to Make Money Writing Online

Nearly every beginning writer asks the question “How can I make money writing online?” and promptly grabs the first opportunity that comes along. Somehow, earning a small fee and seeing your writing in “print” makes it worth the effort. Many online writers continue to write for sites that pay them a minimal fee in hopes of suddenly producing that one article that will send them over the top. The thought that they too could make it big, clouds their vision keeping them in the same position for years.

Blogs and Teaser Sites

Some online writers make the mistake of creating blogs and teaser sites to redirect readers to their main body of work on a writing site, instead of concentrating their efforts on making money from their blog. Although this seems logical, writers are missing the real power of their own words. Putting your writing skills to work for you by creating your own blog with Google Adsense will earn more money over time than the small amount many writing sites pay their writers—but it will likely take more time.

Combining Writing Sites With Blogging

For that reason, successful online writers combine both, by writing for writing sites such as Yahoo! Contributor’s Network, Helium, List my Five and others while they develop a blog to feature their best writing. If you are in a position where you need to make money now from your writing, then by all means begin by signing up for a writing site and devote your time to building a solid base of articles to make money from your writing.

Choosing a Writing Site

The particular writing site you use depends on the type of writing you do and your personal preferences. Each offers benefits that the other may not. You can find information on specific writing sites in this list by freelance writer Linda Batey Top Five Writing Websites for Freelance Writers. You may also be interested in  Reasons to Write  for Associated Content and Benefits to Writing for Demand Media Studios.

Starting Your Blog

If you have the luxury of delaying earning money from your writing, starting a blog may be your best alternative. This allows you to take your time to develop your personal style as writer and to create an abundance of quality posts that provide what the readers in your niche really want and need.  I won’t bore you with my ramblings about selecting a writing niche. If you need further information --or just want a quick refresher course--on identifying a writing niche you can find that info in the post on How to Find Your Writing Niche

Monetizing Your Blog

Once you have identified your writing niche, have a supply of information for your posts and have gained a few readers, it is time to get serious about making money from your writing. Using Google’s Adsense program is quick and easy to install on many blogs, but you should always check with the blog site before you choose a host for your blog. Some free blog sites, such as Wordpress, do not allow you to monetize your blog.  Simply sign up for Google Adsense and follow Google’s simple instructions for adding it to your blog. Simply put, ads are generated to match the content of your blog and blog posts. The better you get at targeting specific ads, the more money you will make. For more information on how you can use keywords to draw in ads that will earn you money from your writing you can find that information in Lesson Two: Finding Keywords.

Going the Extra Step Allows You to Earn More from Writing Online

Writing for writing sites to make money from your writing is certainly an option. Many online writers earn a good living doing just that. But, if you are serious about earning money from your writing, go a step further and use your writing skills to create a blog that provides a service to your readers.

Personal Brand Tells the World Who You Are as a Writer

If you find yourself wondering what all the fuss is about and wonder why writers are working on their brand, you aren’t alone. Branding is nothing more than a fancy term for letting your readers know who you are and what you stand for as a writer. Much like Coca Cola or Nike, your brand tells the world what to expect from you. In the old days, we called it building trust or building a reputation as a writer.

Obviously, your brand is important to your success as a writer. You might as well embrace branding now and let go of your resistance to the term.

So, how do you build your personal brand? 

First, you need to know what your brand is. Ask yourself what it is you have to offer to a reader that differs from what other writers have to offer. Are you witty, insightful or simply succinct and to the point? Perhaps you are a storehouse of information on a wide range of topics, or perhaps you have passion and in-depth knowledge in one or two areas. Whatever it is that makes you unique as a writer is part your personal brand.

But, your skill and unique slant don’t tell the whole story of who you are as writer. What you have to offer readers and other writers makes up the second part of your brand. How you interact with others, how you pursue your passions and how you relay that information to others completes your personal brand.

Watch successful writers. 
Watch their branding strategies and look at their brand identity. Does their personal brand tell the world who they are as writers? Follow them on twitter and facebook and observe how they interact with others. Model their branding techniques to build your personal brand and establish your reputation as a writer.

Are Boring Titles Necessary for SEO? Not if You Create a Custom Url.

Making each post count and insuring that it will rank well in Google takes more than a few keywords scattered throughout your blog. Not only must your keywords be relevant to your post--yes, Google does know all and will eventually boot you out of the search engine results if you try to fool it with bogus keywords--those keywords should be in the website url, as well. In the case of bloggers, that means finding a way to create a custom url for your blog post.

Google relies heavily on both your title and your url to determine if your website is relevant to a search. When the wesite url  reflects your targeted keywords (and the content of the post reflects the same keywords), your blog gets Google's attention.

As a blogger you may desire a catchy or creative title for your blog post. This poses a bit of problem, as your blog post title becomes part of your url. Fortunately, you don't need to sacrifice creativity for practicality. You can create a custom url for your blog post and use a catchy title as well.

Determine the important keywords you want to appear in your post url. Fashion a straight-forward title that contains your keywords to create a custom url for your post. Remember, the closer the keywords are to the beginning of the website url the more weight it carries. Title the blog and publish as usual. This creates a custom url that contains the url of your blog post.

Once you have created a custom url to reflect the major keywords as your post url, rewriting the title allows you to express your creativity and grab the reader's attention without sacrificing your Google search results.

Go to your dashboard and select the "post" option. Select "edit post" and change the title of the post  to a title that appeals to you. Save and publish the new version of your post. The original url of your post remains intact displaying your keywords, while your blog displays your new title.

You are now ready to submit the url to Google. Add your url to Google here by copying and pasting your url in the appropriate box labeled url, enter the captcha and submit. Although Google says adding only the url from the top domain on your website is necessary, many online writers report success from adding urls to Google from all their posts.

Myths About Writer Success and Residual Income

A few days ago, I had an interesting discussion with a fellow writer. We were discussing the many ways online writers find to build residual income with revenue share from various writing sites or using adsense on personal blogs. It was then that she revealed to me that she "never clicks on ads" on people's blogs. 

Intrigued, I prodded her a bit to find out her reasoning. It turns out that she is suffering from the illusion that other writers were her competition and she has set them up as the enemy. She doesn't click on adsense ads because she is afraid the other writer will becomes successful with their blog and end up giving her too much competition.

It's a logical thought, really, but there are some holes in that type of logic. The first being that she assumes there are not enough readers to go around and that if one writer amasses a great following of readers, there will  be fewer readers for her. Unless both writers share the same writing niche, this simply isn't true. There are millions of readers out there.

So.. Now I Have a Plan

I've been thinking about my writing goals for the new year for the past few days. I told myself they really didn't need to be written until the "work week" began--which of course gave me a couple of extra days to mull things over. 


This morning I came up with a plan--or rather I should say, "my plan came to me". Yes. Just like that it came and I listened, after all I was getting a bit desperate for ideas. Somehow writing down, "I will update my blogs" didn't quite cut it as writing goals. Sure I have some personal goals such as the amount of money I want to make this year from my writing and the schedule I intend to keep, but I'm not quite ready to share those yet.


What I am about to share with you might not knock your socks off, but it rocked my world this morning.


It all started with a Kiss. That's right. A simple little kiss that reminded me that Kiss stands for something. I know, you are ahead of me already, but that's okay --I'm not letting those kinds of things rattle me any more.


You see, I've decided to Keep...It...Simple...Stupid. 

• When I have the choice between an easy task and a difficult task that will reap the same rewards, I will chose the easy task. Not because I am lazy and not because I am afraid of hard work, but because it makes sense. It's practical and it's the best use of my time.
• When I am tired, I will rest because a rested mind accomplishes more in less time.
• When I am frustrated, I will walk away and take a break from writing, if only for a few minutes.
• When work is done, I will write about those things I am passionate about whether they are paying jobs or not.
• When I am under pressure of deadlines, I will relax and remind myself that all things are easier when the mind is still.
• When doubts come, I will remember that the world unfolds just as it is intended to be.
• When the day is done, I will smile and know I have accomplished exactly what I need to accomplish today.