Category: Uncategorized

February 1, 2017

Kids’ Entrepreneur Series: Vision Boards

One of the first things Kayne and I did for our Kid’s Entrepreneur Series was make vision boards.

I just love making vision boards, don’t you?

I’m a visual person, so I like to see my goals in color, in different fonts, in pictures.

And I wanted my son to have a clear vision of what we were working for. It’s not just to make money for money’s sake. We set goals for a reason.

Otherwise, what’s the point of having a business and making money?

Here are the final products:

Mine’s all “Do work that matters” and “Let’s find our way with words” and “Let’s elevate the moment” and “for the love of leaves” with Scripture dead center.

Meanwhile, Kayne’s is all tractors and girls and dogs.

It cracks me up a little. Clearly he’s a boy and I’m a girl. And clearly there’s a value difference.

We’re still working on the materialism with him.

But I think the main point here, the main point of creating vision boards, is to set goals and to give yourself something to work toward. To give real visible life to your dreams. To provide motivation.

For a good half of my life, at least, I never really sat down to figure out what I wanted. I didn’t know what to “want.” I didn’t really know I had permission to “want.” Now, they are the driving force of so much that I do!

All of my “wants” are pretty abstract and value driven, but they are very clear and this vision board so perfectly represents them.

I want my son to dream. And pursue dreams. Right now they are to “have a girlfriend,” “being rich,” “having 100 cats and 100 dogs,” and “be a rockstar like Dierks Bentley.” And apparently…tractors. Who didn’t have those kinds of dreams when they were 8?

It’s an exercise in dreaming as big as you want to.

I’m still working on “values” with him. We’re learning about setting aside money to give back and being generous. We’re also learning about how much work it takes to build a business. We’re learning about practical money saving ideas. Not everything can be about fast cars and girls (sorry guys!).

This is such a fun, eye-opening project to try with the kids. It’s a great way to get their imaginations going and start creating some goals with them. It’s also an illuminating project for you to do alongside them to bring your own goals into vision.

Here’s something to distract you. This Pinterest board is all things Vision Boards if you really want to get into it.

So, let’s hear it…

When’s the last time you created a vision board? Did anything stand out to you?

January 28, 2017

Major MAJOR Announcement

Hey #flashers,

Something life-changing is happening in my life.

I have made the decision to leave my corporate day job to pursue freelance writing full-time!?!?!?!

Let me just preface this by saying, this decision is not a “leap of faith.” It’s been very well calculated and contemplated. I’m already 100% certain about it, not jumping with my eyes closed praying it will work.

You see, I built up my writing business from scratch. I sent out cold pitches like there was no tomorrow. And really, it’s just a numbers game. For however many pitches you send out, you can expect a percentage of them to return lucrative contracts. Knowing that, I can say with 100% confidence that I can absolutely do this from here on out. I made it happen and I can continue making it happen.

In fact, at the moment, the work is coming in faster than I can keep up with it. I’ve been using nights after the kids go to bed and weekends to keep up and those hours aren’t enough anymore. I’ve got referrals and contracts coming up out of the woodwork that are keeping me especially busy and are a surefire sign that I’m onto something here…

Nights at the computer

The hardest part about all of this though is, my corporate job is amazing. I have so many good friends there. And the company I work for is beyond amazing. We win awards for being an amazing place to work. There’s nothing like it. And yet, I’m leaving it.

If I hated my job or where I worked, it would’ve made this decision a lot easier. But the fact that I love it, and I’m stepping out of an esteemed manager role, makes it much harder. It’s not a celebration from that perspective.

And I sure am going to miss my employees. They are the best of the best!!!

Silly pranksters!

So, why am I leaving then?

I know that I have heaps of talent inside of me that’s not being used to its full potential. I know I have so much more earning potential being on my own as well, instead of the standard 3% raises from now to eternity. I know I have so much more inside of me to give the world!

I am heeding a higher calling.

My freelance writing niche is health and fitness writing, and now I get to write about what I love. It’s so fulfilling. Dreamy really.

And being location-free? Such a relief! I can write from my back porch in the sun, from the Caribbean, or a semi if I want to (this might actually happen). I can have lunch with my son at school or take my daughter to a movie on a Tuesday morning if I want to. Freelance means freedom. And let’s not forget to mention the gas and stress saved from driving through sheets of ice and layers of slippery snow 30 minutes to and from work every day. Whew!

There are certainly some parts of corporate that I will never miss either, politics and extreme temperatures and parking frustrations and such. Also, even though my workplace is exceptionally stable, as employees, we’re always at the mercy of our employers. We could be unemployed in a heartbeat. But with freelance, I get to take complete charge of my future!

#corporatelife

I’ve also discovered and have been nurturing this special entrepreneurial spirit inside of me. Even though my grandparents owned a business, I never really thought I had it in my blood. But the more I get into it, the more I feel like it’s been hiding there in plain sight all along. And now I almost don’t understand why I, why anyone, would not want to be an entrepreneur!

I just saw a post in one of my Facebook groups today that researches predict 50% of the workforce will be self-employed by 2020. That’s really incredible! That’s only three years away! Things in this world are changing! And I’m sure glad I can change right along with it.

I also just know deep down that this decision is the right one. That God has made this all possible for a reason. And I have heaps of support behind me. Absolutely no one gave me the “get real” speech or the side eye. Instead, everyone was asking, why haven’t you left yet? Or telling me they wish they could do the same.

On the personal side, Hubster took a job truck driving, so it makes a lot more sense for me to be home since he can’t be. And when Rayna was born, I wanted more than anything to be home with her. I half-jokingly begged Hubster to get a better-paying job so I could stay home. I tried network marketing. I tried all different things to be able to stay home. Then, I dug into freelance writing in a really strategic way. And now I finally get to be.

And just writing that brings grateful tears to my eyes.

My heart, right there…

So, what does that mean for this space?

Well, this is my business now! So expect to see a lot more from me. I have several digital programs in the works. I have lots of freelance post ideas either started or written down, so I can share my secrets with you if you have the freelance bug too. And surely there will be more Kid Entrepreneur Series, Change Your Life on Your Lunch Break and Backyard Nature Notes series posts in store for you.

And since it’s so fresh and I’m personally doing it right now, I thought I might add a free course on how to transition from corporate to self-employment as a freelance writer and share how I did it in just 5 months!

So tell me,

Would a free program about transitioning from employee to self-employed be of interest to you?

Any other questions you would like to pick my brain about?

January 13, 2017

You Have a Freelance Client on the Phone, Now What?!

You reached out to a client or they found you and now you have the freelance client on the phone. What do you do?

Breathe.

News flash: I’m a total introvert. Honestly, there have been days at work where I feel like I’ve barely spoken at all. I’d rather hide away at a cabin in the woods for a week than go to a party any time. You get the picture…

So, when my first freelance client asked to chat with me on the phone, I was taken aback. What’s there to talk about? What can’t be said in email? Do I really have to talk to them on the phone?

Seriously, I’m that girl. Trying to figure out what they’re going to ask so I have a rehearsed answer. I even found myself googling “freelance client phone scripts” because I seriously wondered what I would say. I’ve always been really great at writing and terrible at speaking. So the phone has always made me hesitant. Ok, terrified.

But then I got on the phone with my first client and it…wasn’t bad at all.

There were some things about the product that the owner wanted to explain to me, that couldn’t be easily communicated in email, and I also sensed that he was just trying to get a feel for me and my vibe. And I was also able to pick up on his vibe too.

Same with my second phone call. And my third…

Now, I do have several clients that I’ve never talked to on the phone. Email happened to be sufficient for both parties and that’s all it took. Other freelance clients have things they want to talk out with you, conversations that are so much more efficient over the phone.

So, once you have a client on the phone…

My three best tips for handling a freelance client calls:

#1: Be confident about what you do.

You already know way more than you think you know about your writing craft and why you do it. If you’re like me, you might not have confidence in many things, but you can have confidence in that!

Think about how you might explain your craft and the type of results you get. For example, you might summarize your skill like this: “My social media content marketing boosted my clients’ page views by 10,000.” Or “The blog posts I wrote for XYZ boosted their SEO to rank on the first page in Google.”

You probably do more than just write: you persuade, you evoke emotion, you boost SEO, you convert readers into paying clients, you enhance pageviews, you communicate brand images, etc. Write out a list of all the things that you do and don’t be afraid to talk about them. Just having the list in front of you though galvanizes your confidence in your skill.

Also, keep a sheet with your rates printed in front of you during every call. If your client throws you a curveball with a project you’ve never priced before, you can always say “I want to get a better idea about how much work this will take, so let me get back to you on that.”

The last thing you want to do though, is to say you don’t know how much your services cost. That throws up a huge red flag for your client. It says to them that you don’t know what you’re doing, that you must not have much of a business, and that your prices are probably just arbitrary. Not professional.

Know how much you’re worth and have the numbers in front of you. Don’t waver.

Another way to show your confidence is to be excited about what you do. It shows in your voice. Your freelance clients want to work with someone who loves what they do, not someone who’s forcing themselves to put together their content.

The final aspect of confidence I’d like to touch on is your inferiority complex. Get rid of it! Put yourself on the same level as your client, because you are. You are speaking business owner to business owner, not employee to employer.

#2: Know a thing or two about the person/company you’re talking to.

Make sure you are familiar with the company or person you’re talking to. That may seem obvious, but I don’t think many people put much time in researching companies they’re working with.

All you need to do is have a look around their website. Look at the types of people they work with and brands they’ve done work for. Look at examples of their work. Skim their blog topics and read their About Us page.

For example, if you’re talking to a web designer, make sure you’ve peeked at their portfolio and some of the sites they’ve actually designed. You don’t have to do an in-depth study, but you need to have some familiarity with them and their products and style.

Your client will be able to tell if you took the time to actually look at their website. I was on a call with an app developer and was able to discuss parts of the app with him because I had actually tried it. Imagine if I hadn’t! I feel like it’s only common decency.

In fact, at my corporate job, when I’m hiring new employees for my department, I’m always putting my feelers out to see if they’ve at least browsed our company’s website. And let me tell you, as a hiring manager myself, it’s easy to tell who has and who hasn’t researched the company beforehand. You can’t hide it. If a prospect hasn’t, it basically tells me that they’re not all that interested. And that’s definitely not the impression you want to make.

#3: Just do you.

Ok, I know this sounds awfully trite. But it’s probably the most important tip I could give you!

When your freelance clients request a phone call, they often just want to get a feel for you or explain something better. Knowing that, it takes off a lot of pressure. They just want to know that you’re a warm, competent human on the other end of the line, not a drone with rehearsed lines or a phony. People can smell a rat from a thousand miles away.

And really, it’s so much easier for you to just be you.

Someone who’s incompetent and flaky or someone who is a hard-nosed salesy person will send off all kinds of alerts to their prospect (warning, scam!). If you just act like yourself and be honest, then you’ll be OK. In fact, I would suggest never using a “script” or rehearsed lines for this very reason and that’s why you won’t find any in this post!

#4 BONUS: Ask Questions

Questions are great! Ask questions, but don’t ask nit-picky questions. Ask questions that make you sound interested, not like you require hand-holding. I’ve run into several people in the freelance world that have been passed over for freelance jobs because they ask way too many questions.

You see, clients want someone to take a writing project off their backs and not have to worry about it anymore. They don’t want to do it, so they’re hiring you to do it. Don’t make them feel like they have to do a bunch more work to get it off their backs. Don’t be shy about taking the project and running with it.

I guess I have the personality type that’s OK with doing this. Some others are not and they get caught up in the details. If you can let some of the details go and ask only pertinent questions, you’re going to make it much easier on both of you.

But getting back around to the point of this bonus tip, it’s advisable to ask some good questions over the phone. (For an introvert, this means you can let your client do the talking). Get clear on what they’re looking for and what their goals are. Not only will this help you with your assignment, but people love talking about themselves and they love when you show interest.

A few more pointers about taking a freelance client call I might add:

Make sure you take dated notes while you’re on the phone, especially about project details and any numbers you’ve quoted. You won’t remember later, believe me. Write them down.
Feel free to make a little small talk. If your client cancels their first call because of a sick kid, ask how old their children are when you finally get in touch. It allows you to connect on a human level.
Don’t get anxious about the call beforehand. Just treat it like you would a regular call with a friend. (I don’t mean be unprofessional and goofy, I just mean laid-back and assured). I will often busy myself with something simple while I’m waiting for a call to come in so I’m not ruminating or allowing the butterflies to build. Another trick I’ve been taught by a therapist is to practice the Superworman pose before the call. Standing really tall with your shoulders back and your chest puffed out in an exaggerated superhero will give you an immediate confidence boost.
Make sure you can have complete quiet for your call. Shoo the cat and dog out of the room and make sure the kids are being tended. Because you know the second you get on that call, all hell will break loose. That’s just Murphy’s Law;)
If the client feels unsure about hiring you, offer to let them test you out. Then, you take the pressure off of both of you. They should still pay you for your work, but they’re not locked in to any sort of contract until you can impress them with your work.

I hope these pointers make you feel a little less intimidated about taking freelance client calls.

These calls get much easier after the first few. So, it’s OK, just do it, get your first call over with, and even if the first few suck (they won’t), you’ll know that it only gets better from there.

So, tell me…

Do you get nervous for biz phone calls too? Any fun client phone call stories?

January 11, 2017

4 Golden Nuggets from Pumping Iron

So, I was just listening to a Livestream which led me to Youtube which led to me watching the entire 1977 documentary Pumping Iron with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The movie follows Arnold and several other bodybuilders to the Mr. Olympia stage as Arnold defends his 6th title as Mr. Olympia.

There’s not a lot of talking during this movie and an exorbitant number of camera shots of ripply muscles. But that’s what makes the words that are said in the movie that much more potent.

I don’t see any of these quotes as just being about bodybuilding, they’re about mindset in general. They’re golden nuggets that can apply to all facets of life and every goal set. Here is a man who knows exactly what he wants, to the letter, and then makes them happen. He does not wait for any of his dreams to come to him.

He makes them happen.

Here were a few things he said that really stuck out to me:

I Don’t Have Any Weak Points

Arnold just matter-of-factly states this in the movie. He’s so completely self-assured. The confidence comes off as arrogance to some, but I can see through that to the no-holds-barred mentality. He’s just got that mindset of, I’m the winner, and he completely embodies it, so he gets it. That is all.

Your turn: think about a goal that you have and what it would look like to reach that goal. Embody the persona of that person and watch how your goals start materializing from that place of complete certainty.

I Only Dreamed of Coming to America, and Being the Greatest, and Just Being Different Than Everybody Else

2. Arnold knows that he’s made for something bigger, something different than the norm and he lives it out. That tunnel vision and channeled determination turned him into the multi-talented actor/bodybuilder/politician that he is, in America. Everything he said he wanted to be, he made happen.

Your turn: do you know that you’re meant to be different than everybody else? Are you living your life in a way that keeps you honest to that?

I Called My Mother Already Yesterday and I Said I Won

3. Arnold called his mom the day before the competition and told her that he won and she said congratulations. His winning was non-negotiable. He had already stepped into the champion identity and claimed it as his own. And win, he did.

Your turn: take your goal and visualize yourself achieving it. Really experience it with all your senses and state out loud that “I won.” Then, continue on your way as though it’s already happened.

You Cannot Have Any Kind of a Negative Outside Force Coming In and Affect You

4. Arnold admits that when he’s in competition mode, he can’t be bothered by anything other than the competition, even if his car were to get stolen in front of him. That laser focus and pruning of negative energy gives Arnold a direct route to success.

Your turn: If you’re headed toward a goal, don’t spend any time on all the things in your way. Just keep your eye on your final destination and find your way through the obstacle course until you get there.

I just find this whole thing fascinating. Arnold just knows, believes and visualizes his successes and he achieves them! He does a few questionable things in the movie by messing with his competitors by giving them bad advice and the “I already won” and “you’re not ready speech,” which I don’t agree with. But his laser-focused mentality is something we could all learn from. So much more I could say about this, but I’ll just leave it here.

How about you?

Have you ever watched Pumping Iron? What are your thoughts on the Arnold Schwarzenegger mentality?

December 16, 2016

Change Your Life On Your Lunch Break: The 30 Day Push

Hey #flashers,

Welcome to my second installment of Change Your Life On Your Lunch Break. This series is about small steps you can take every day to change your life. Big changes come from making small incremental changes over time, and your lunch break just happens to be the ideal length of time to make those changes!

If you normally scarf lunch at your desk while trolling Facebook, might I suggest using that chunk of time to reinvent your life instead?

Yes 30 minutes is enough time for a reinvention!

Today, we’ll be talking about a program that I recommend to soooo many people because it’s free and it’s a game-changer and it applies to absolutely everyone (unless your goal is to live a mediocre life, then click away).

The 30 Day Push, by Chalene Johnson

Chalene Johnson is the same woman that started the TurboJam/TurboFire empire and who is a personal development personality extraordinaire. Click on over to 30daypush.com and sign up for the free 30-day series.

What this program is about is to-do lists. And before you start snoring, let me tell you that this is no ordinary to-do list-making. It’s about finding your purpose in life, using your values as your compass, and reverse engineering your big goals into small things you can do every day to reach them.

Sounds familiar right? Kinda like the premise of this ENTIRE Change Your Life on Your Lunch Break series! Changing your life in 30 minute increments is absolutely possible. You just have to be more intentional about how you use your bits of pieces of time.

Now listen, you can actually do this entire program on your lunch breaks over the course of 30 days. The entire thing. Each day for 30 days, you’re given a very short video. Some days there’s a worksheet or a small action step you can take to implement the concepts from the video. When I am fully using this system, I get sooooooooo much more done in a day than if I just leave my days to chance.

Let me tell you, this program is completely worth it. It changed my entire thinking around big goals that I was too afraid to go after. And I refer back to this program often. Once you’ve gone through the 30-day program, you have full access to all the videos so you can repeat it as many times as you want or revisit parts that you want to give more thought to.

Click over there and get started today. There’s no reason to wait until Monday or the New Year or some other arbitrary date.

BTW, I have no affiliation whatsoever with Chalene or this program. I just love it so much and it gave me such great insight that I can’t help but share it.

Did you sign up? What are your thoughts about Day One?

December 7, 2016

Backyard Nature Notes v.3

Well, it’s finally officially December in Wisconsin and it actually looks and feels like it. A complete contrast to the 60 degree weather we had throughout November, but fitting for where we live.

But the dropping temps didn’t keep us from playing outside…

Saturday, we went to get our Christmas tree, a yearly family tradition. The ground was still in decent shape (i.e. no mud or snow) which made the whole process a lot smoother. And though it was cooler, it wasn’t frigid.

We like to get our tree from ANR Tree Farm in Wild Rose, WI (another reason to visit Wild Rose). The whole thing is a tradition, from the hay ride out to the field to the complementary yearly ornament, to the cider and popcorn afterward.

And there she is. Our tree for this year!

Where’s the little boy pulling the tree? See that hood?

Oh, and on the way to get our tree, we actually spotted an owl!

Have you ever seen an owl in the wild? I have only seen one other owl in the wild in my entire life, so it’s quite the treat. But it wasn’t feasible to get it on the camera, so you’ll just have to visualize a huge bird you think is a hawk swooping out low in front of the car and landing in the trees. And as you look at its wings and face, you suddenly realize it’s an owl! OMG, pull over there’s an owl!?!

And then your hubby pulls over so you can try and get a picture and the people whose property you’re trespassing on just a little come out to see what’s going on and the owl flies away. And everyone gets to see the elusive owl!

Sunday morning we woke up and our whole world had turned white. Yep, compare and contrast the photos above and below. 24 hours difference. Now we are in WI after all. It snowed most of the day (did you catch the Packer game? It was snowing during the whole game.)

We kept it pretty low key on Sunday, but the kiddos sure had fun in the snow. Kayne made a snowman and took his sister out in her puffball suit to play with the kittens a bit. This is the first time the kittens have ever seen snow! And they were very playful.

Awhile later, Kayne came and asked if one of us could pull him around in his sled.

Well, you know what that kind of question does to a dad, right?

A dad thinks about how he can amplify that request times 10.

And since we don’t have any hills around…

Yeah, so if you’ve ever wondered, this is what we do on Sundays, in WI, when we live the country.

The moral of this story? Don’t let the weather stop you from getting up and outside. A few layers and a warm place to return to and you’ve got an entire season to take advantage of!

How did you get outside this weekend? What’s the weather like where you live?

December 2, 2016

Kids’ Entrepreneur Series: Monarch Wing Necklaces

Hey #flashers,

Welcome back to my Kids’ Entrepreneur Series where I’m sharing the ins and outs of nurturing little entrepreneurs. In the first installment, I showed you how we put together nature necklaces to sell at my work craft fair (which btw didn’t happen because Kayne and I both ended up with the rampant flu that day. Major bummer).

Today, I’m back with another batch of necklaces that my son helped me make that we intended to try to sell at the craft fair and will still try to sell to last-minute Christmas shoppers.

These are so incredibly magical to me, especially since we got to witness Monarch migration happening in our own backyard this year. We also visited the butterfly gardens where we got to tag and release a monarch. Then, we tried raising a few monarch caterpillars ourselves.

So, this summer had a bit of a monarch theme going for us (one year it was miniature golf).

And over the course of the summer, we were able to collect a whopping 20 wings! (remember, each butterfly has 4 viable wings) One butterfly was the accidental casualty of Hubsters truck that we found in his grill, RIP pretty butterfly. We found two after they passed away in our own backyard. And the rest were picked up at the butterfly garden when we visited.

Though these beautiful butterflies had run their course on this earth, we were able to preserve their earthly bodies where their beauty lives on.

Press them in a thick book before using!

So, for the other supplies to do this project, we took a trip to Hobby Lobby and found these awesome glass window pendants. They came in a kit. Then, I bought one package each of matching jump rings, clasps, and cord crimps. I already had some nice black cord on hand. I used cord instead of silver to complement the black veins in the butterflies. The only other tool you need is a set of pliers.

All you have to do is place the wing between the two glass windows and trim around the edges.

Insert the glass panes into the silver frame and screw the top shut. They work just like embroidery hoops, if you know how embroidery hoops work.

Then, cut a piece of cord to your desired length. Attach the pendant to the cord with a jump ring.

Then, fold the ends down (because they fray) and squeeze a cord crimp on either end of the cord. Then attach a jump ring to connect the crimp to the clasp.

Voila! Quite simple actually! They probably seem more daunting than they really are.

And the finished product makes my heart leap!

Such a simple project to do with your kids where you end up with a beautiful piece of art that everyone falls in love with. These would make great Christmas presents too for any ladies left on your list.

For the gents, I suggest framing the wings in a masculine frame with a cool background. (If you want one and you’re local, hit me up; I still have some.)

Since my nephews went to the butterfly house with us last year, I framed a wing for each of them instead of the necklace. They LOVED them! And oh, what a meaningful gift, since they’re so attached to a fun memory.

What types of projects have you done with your kids that were worth selling?

December 1, 2016

Freelance Income Report November 2016

Here I am finishing up my second official month of freelance writing. And since income reports appear to be a hit, I will continue them.

And although it’s a bit early in my journey, I can already tell you a few things for certain:

The work you get each month depends on how much you hustle and pitch the month before.
If you don’t have any more hours in the day to work, you probably will level off at some point.
There’s a way around #2. You need to demand higher rates and/or also leverage and diversify your income. What I mean by that is, you need to have other things for sale that doesn’t just trade your time for money. I’m experimenting with this right now.

So, before I go any further, my freelance writing income for November was…

$1650

Not a bad chunk of extra change right before Christmas, eh?

Remember my income from October’s freelance report was $1385. So, it went up a little: 19% if I did my math correctly.

Part of the reason I got a bit more than last month was that I had some “vacation” time from my corporate job so I was able to dedicate several full days to my freelance work.

Expenses:

My expenses were pretty trivial, unless you count the $277 I spent on a business coaching package. But actually, I used my own spending money I’ve been saving up for that, so I don’t really know if that counts.

I also have the cost to maintain my site, but I paid that in full for two years several months back. I don’t divide it out by month, I just pay it when it’s due.

Freelance writing jobs I’m working on:

Writing copy for a fitness app
Product copy for snowboard equipment
A paid post on Make A Living Writing

I was working for several of the same clients as last month as the projects are ongoing for now.

My predictions for next month:

December should be roughly about the same.
I only have a little PTO left, so I don’t have many more full days in December to work.
I didn’t send out as many pitches in Nov to make Dec bigger. It’s a numbers game.
My fitness app job comes to an end in December, so I’ll need to hustle again to bring in some work for January.
And it’s Christmas. I don’t intend to spread myself too thin this month as we settle peacefully into this starry-eyed season.

If you’re getting started on your own freelance journey, I’ve got some must-read articles for you:

I have many more up my sleeve for the future too, so be sure you subscribe so you don’t miss them! And I plan on doing more of these income reports as well. So, if you enjoy seeing the ~~cold, hard~~ warm, fulfilling truth then stick around;)

So tell me…

What other freelance writing/biz topics would you love to hear more about?

Would you be interested to see how I track my income (it’s very low-tech)?

November 27, 2016

Backyard Nature Notes v.2

Last weekend was a doozy of an active weekend compared to our normal ones. We were barely home. We took a trip to the mall on Saturday for some Christmas shopping and on Sunday, we took a family trip to the Horicon Marsh.

We took a walk on what was left of the trails. They’re doing some trail renovations over the marsh, so our hike was a bit disjointed, but we weren’t ruffled in the least.

Oh the things you can see there.

Like birds of all kinds, including wild swans and many different species of ducks.

And of course your standard woolly bears, squirrels, bunnies and chipmunks. Along with a little possum that was much too fast for pictures. (There is a chipmunk somewhere in this picture, I swear!)

If there’s one thing in this entire world that I can teach my children, it’s to love, protect and take in all the blessings of nature.

I always find myself saying, “Kayne, do you smell that? That’s what fall smells like” or “Whoa, look at that cool-looking fungus!” I’m teaching them to observe, to appreciate, to really take it all in. I don’t know the names of everything (yet!), but we can still appreciate them.

And this girl, my little fairy nymph. Stopping to touch, point out, collect (and sometimes taste) everything. She loves looking at all the pretties that her momma points out.

Afterward, we stopped at the McDonald’s nearby because it has toys inside. As though the trails weren’t enough to absorb all their energy, McD’s Playland did! Next door is an adorable little candy shop that we finally visited and got a little box of all.the.dark.chocolates. It was kinda symbolic of the sweet sweet day we had together, out in nature.

It’s still warm in November here in WI. We’re happily hanging onto every minute of warmth offered.

How are you getting up and out into nature this week?

My three best tips for handling a freelance client calls:

#1: Be confident about what you do.

#2: Know a thing or two about the person/company you’re talking to.

#3: Just do you.

#4 BONUS: Ask Questions

A few more pointers about taking a freelance client call I might add:

I Don’t Have Any Weak Points

I Only Dreamed of Coming to America, and Being the Greatest, and Just Being Different Than Everybody Else

I Called My Mother Already Yesterday and I Said I Won

You Cannot Have Any Kind of a Negative Outside Force Coming In and Affect You

Get your Fitness Word Collection right here:

Yes 30 minutes is enough time for a reinvention!

The 30 Day Push, by Chalene Johnson

So, before I go any further, my freelance writing income for November was…

If you’re getting started on your own freelance journey, I’ve got some must-read articles for you: