5 articles to help you find success and satisfaction in your life and work
One of my goals as a professional writer is to give my readers practical, actionable advice and information to help them develop professionally and personally. This collection focuses on 5 different areas that contribute to unstoppable success and satisfaction.
Being too hard on ourselves gets us nowhere fast
Our inner critic is ever vigilant and watches for every opportunity to throw a punch in the form of nasty, critical comments and commentary. This nasty little bugger is you, me, all of us. While the negative messages may have originated in our infancy and childhood, now they are our own. They have become part of us.
We are the ones…
What can we do when forgiveness isn’t possible?
There are some people in my life I won’t forgive. Maybe I could, if I worked on it, but I won’t. They don’t deserve it. Some acts are unforgivable.
As someone who was raised in an Irish-Catholic family and who attended Catholic schools, forgiveness was a common refrain. We went to confession to ask for forgiveness; we were supposed to forgive others and turn the other cheek. Ironically, more than one of the priests who bestowed forgiveness on us in the confessional was later convicted of pedophilia.
This article isn’t about Catholicism although it plays a minor role. It’s about…
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to become a better writer, but the effort it takes is worth it.
A writing process can make writing less stressful, bolster your confidence, and ensure that your articles are clear, concise, correct, and compelling.
- Set a goal and the target audience for the article.
- Do just enough research to back up your statements with solid sources.
- Write without thought of how well or bad it is, so you can enter flow states.
- Edit only after finishing the first draft. Start with a macro review from top to bottom just like a reader will, noting what isn’t working. Then take several micro reviews to correct everything.
- Proofread the final draft, fixing any errors.
Planning before writing and editing before publishing helps your work hit the mark and get noticed.
“If writing didn’t require thinking, then we’d all be doing it.” — Jeremiah Laabs
“Our power of thin-slicing and snap judgment are extraordinary, but even the giant computer in our unconscious needs a moment to do its work.” — Malcolm Gladwell
Our brains are always assessing our environment. This was a survival skill when danger lurked everywhere, but it can lead us into sticky situations today. Sometimes, our “snap judgments” are wrong and bite us in the butt.
We tend respond so rapidly our more analytical brains can’t keep up. We’ve all known the embarrassment of saying something we wish we could take back. Knee-jerk reactions are our primitive brains responding without benefit of our more thoughtful minds. Reacting without thinking can hurt someone’s feelings, damage our reputation, and make irreparable mistakes that cost us money, time, business, and relationships. As we go throughout the day, we can avoid knee-jerk reactions and snap judgements by taking our time before responding. Stop. Think. Respond.
Aim high, work diligently, and never stop for long-term freelance success
My career was thriving. I was on track for a huge promotion, hefty salary increase, and lots of political power in the financial institution where I worked. And I hated going to work every day.
One of my top values is freedom, so what was I doing tied to a corporation? It was nuts. After a particularly brutal day at work, I decided I would start my own business, and I was scared to death.
I had been published enough to know that I had the talent, and my job had given deep experience in organizational communications. Not one to…
Thank you, Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
As a follower of Dr Mehmetyildiz and writer for his brilliant publication, ILLUMINATION, I decided to take up the baton and complete the Proust Challenge. Here are my answers.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Peace of mind and equanimity.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my independence. I have an autoimmune condition, so maintaining my fitness and health are top priorities.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My temper is my downfall. It has a hair-trigger, so I work hard on recognizing my buttons and mitigating my responses. Sometimes, I succeed; other times, not so much.
Which living person do you most admire?
President Barack Obama. He stands for everything I believe in without being a proselytizing nutcase.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Blind, unrelenting, unyielding, hardcore religious…
Never underestimate who you know, who knows you, and who can send the right business your way
Early in my business, I leveraged my corporate background into communication consulting gigs — all of which came to me through my network of contacts. That same network opened the door to training opportunities and a lucrative stream of income was added to my business.
There are formal and informal networks. Formal networks are well-organized, professional structures with rules, dues, regulations, and guidelines. Informal networks are more loosely organized and can be formed around hobbies, memberships in clubs, fellow students, coworkers, colleagues, and so on, to support each other and exchanging information mutually reciprocally.
Virtual networks are a hybrid of…
Patricia Haddock
Professional writer, editor, coach for personal and professional development. Writer for Mind Cafe, Writing Cooperative, & more. Find her at www.phaddock.com.
