Stop Lurking in the Shadows: Discover a Safe Way to Take Risks

This is a guest post by Stuart Mills and, let me say, when Stuart first submitted this guest post to read – I was so amazed at the depth and insight that went into crafting this article. If you find yourself struggling with taking risks, this post is a must read. And thanks, Stu, for the wonderful contribution.

It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.
- Seneca

Photo by Shayan (flickr)

Who here can say that they’ve found themselves in a predicament where they felt at risk?

Of course you have – everyone has. I once heard that the only people who have no risks or worries are dead.

The truth is that we always have risks in our lives, whether we want them or not. In your job, for example, you take risks if you don’t perform up to standards; you might get demoted or, God forbid, get struck off completely. With the economy as it currently is, the level of risks are great.

And even in the things we love, we find risks, more than the usual level that’s in our work.

But why? Why do we find more challenges and risks in that which we pursue with our hearts? Well, it’s partly because we’re paying more attention, so we see more risks. It’s also partly because there’s always more risks involved when we push ourselves further towards our destiny; it’s only natural. (more…)

12 Steps for Rebounding from Failure

This beautifully-written guest post is by Matthew Polo. Let me tell you, Matt certainly has a way with words. He knows how to reach in deep, making you visualize each step clearly, no matter how practical. I hope you enjoy the read, and thanks Matt for your wonderful contribution.

Photo by Matthew Howarth (flickr)

Failure is defined differently by everyone. Age brings perspective, since multiple failures in various areas of life are encountered and endured over the years. One person may define a particular event as simply a bump in the road that must be navigated around while another person might view an identical experience as life shattering.

Nothing illustrates this more cleary than Thomas Edison and his light bulb. The story goes that when Edison was questioned on his numeous failed attempts to create a light bulb, he replied, “I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.”

The most important thing when you fail is to learn from it. When failure occurs, the wise person will take the time to follow these tips and emerge from the situation stronger and better than ever before. (more…)

What Can You Do in a Year? (Or, Do Something Remarkable Special Contest)

Note: I mentioned a few times that I had something special planned for Cash Campfire’s first birthday (that involved giving away free stuff). Well this is it. Though, before I get into the contest (you didn’t think I would just randomly give stuff away, did you?), I want to first take some time to reminisce over the early months of blogging here and how Cash Campfire transformed into what it is today. But don’t worry – I promise to be brief (well, semi-brief), since I know you’re just jumping with excitement about the contest.

But if you prefer to just skip my ramblings and go straight to the contest, scroll down to the “I Want to Give You Something Special” section – or look for me at the beach.

What Can You Do in a Year?

Photo by Gordon Wrigley (flickr)

I often asked myself this question when I first started out. You see, I never really thought that I would last this long, but it was fun picturing the possibilities – what I would and could accomplish in a year’s time. (more…)

How to Wake Up Early with Enthusiasm: The Ultimate Guide

For the past few weeks I’ve been talking about how I had a surprise for you today. Well, this is it. I’m sorry if it isn’t what you were expecting, but I promise it will be worth your while once you start reading. I also have special guest contributors who were kind enough to share their thoughts.

Update: Want to wake up early but unsure when to go to bed? Well I found an AWESOME (free) tool to help you, and it’s called the Bedtime Calculator. Simply enter what time you want to wake up (or the time you’re going to bed) and it will spit out times in which you should go to bed (or wake up) according to the average human sleeping cycle.

Photo by Vince Alongi (flickr)

Do you struggle to wake up early each morning, only to rise out of bed later in the day – rushing to get things done without enough time to accomplish your goals? By the time the sun sinks down into the earth, you still haven’t gotten everything you set out to do done and the day has turned out to be a total bust.

Believe me, I’ve been there. In fact, it got to the point where I was sleeping 10-11 hours every night, with very little time left during the day to work on what I wanted to do, while also having time left over to truly enjoy myself.

I wanted a change.

If you’ve been following my progress over the past few months, you’ll see my various attempts to create that change by changing up my daily writing routine, with the first one being 4 months ago when I posted Finding Motivation: How to Adapt a Routine. I then expanded on the topic in my post A Confession and Report: How I Developed My Writing Routine a little over a month later. My most recent attempt at analyzing my writing routine and creating a writing schedule that worked for me was just earlier this month when I posted A Writer’s Reflection: My Life as a Writer Revealed.

There’s no secret that, after feeling how it feels to wake up earlier at 7am and getting so much done, my mind has been consumed with the thought of waking up even earlier than I am – 5:30 or even 4:45am.

Well, now I’m doing it again. I’m going to make a change in my life. And so can you.

But let’s start from the beginning. (more…)

Entrepreneurs: How Early Do You Rise Out of Bed?

Photo by Vince Alongi (flickr)

Hey everyone! Within the next few weeks (before the new year), I’ll be writing a guide on how to rise out of bed early and start your day with enthusiasm.

However, this won’t be just a regular guide. I plan to cover the topic in great length and exceed over 3,000 words to provide you all with as much content on the subject as possible to help those of you who want to make a difference in their work routine by starting earlier than they could before.

Now, I know such a guide won’t benefit everyone here. Some of you enjoy working late into the night and would rather sleep late than wake up early. Though I plan to cover how to start your day with enthusiasm and excitement, which will help some of you late sleepers, the main focus will be for those of you who want more hours in your day to write or can’t possibly work nights because of other obligations.

But in order to make this work and to give you as much value as possible, I need your help. (more…)

New Challenges, Loads of Fun, and a New Beginning

OK, I know. I’m crazy. But I have a serious weakness…

Photo by Brian Snelson (flickr)

When someone announces a challenge, I can’t refuse.

Despite the fact that I now have over 7 challenges going on and I’m generally incredibly lazy (not a good combination), I can’t deny the fact that the thought of competing in 7 different challenges is exciting – no, thrilling. And, hell, this might be the ticket I need to let go of my procrastination habits!

After all, knowing my incredible weakness, why would fate lead me to see these blood-tingling, electrifying, and all-so-too-good-to-resist challenges in the first place?

Oh, I forgot. Fate is often cruel; but I’ll lament later. Right now, fate is my new best friend. For right now, I’m ready to take action!

But, of course, I’m only making up excuses. The real problem lies with me taking in more than I can chew.

Yes, all this excitement has dwindled me down into a gibbering maniac who doesn’t make any sense. Let’s just look at exactly what I’m dealing with… (more…)

A Writer’s Reflection: My Life as a Writer Revealed

What is your writing routine?

That was a question I asked one October evening while sitting at my desk contemplating about my life’s direction when it came to living the life of an entrepreneur/writer.

Photo by S. Diddy (flickr)

I really had no clear path to get me to where I wanted to go, and no real reason for writing besides the fact that I loved it and I wanted to increase exposure – hopefully translating into more income later on down the road. I simply wrote blindly, woke up late, procrastinated, and set goals I didn’t really want to achieve (though I thought I did at the time) that ended up leading me down a whole new road than the one I wanted to take.

Over the course of several months, I dug deeper and deeper toward my inner self, really analyzing my career direction and what I really wanted with my life and future in general. I knew that I wanted to establish a career as a blogging entrepreneur. But I had so many side projects that I didn’t know what to do with. (more…)

Free eBook – Making the First Leap Into a World of Writing

Are You Ready to Make the Leap?

Making the First Leap Into a World of Writing is devoted to aspiring and struggling writers who are both hesitant about getting started as a freelance writer and need guidance and a bit of motivation to propel them forward.

Making the First Leap Into a World of Writing (available for free) is ideal for writers who are…

• Just starting out and need a gentle push to get started
• Hesitant about diving in and starting a life freelance writing
• Struggling to create a successful writing career and need a boost of confidence to keep going
• Bewildered, with tons of obstacles slowing down their progress

Do You Have What It Takes?

Many people enter the world of freelance writing only to find that the freelance life wasn’t what they wanted or it wasn’t what they were expecting. Others just aren’t given a full glimpse of where they would be headed if they ever did adopt a full-time writing career.

Well, now the secrets are unleashed.

With this free guide, you’ll discover…

• The ins and outs of freelance writing – Why even start a writing career in the first place?
• What makes a freelance writer successful – Why do some writers fail and others succeed?
• What to do if you have no prior writing experience – Can you still be successful if you have no experience?

Get a Sneak Peek into the eBook Jump Start Your Freelance Writing Career

Since Jump Start Your Freelance Writing Career came out, I’ve been getting lots of inquiries. So I compiled a mini version of chapter 2, complete with assignments, scenarios, and information-rich content – what you now know as Making the First Leap Into a World of Writing. Best of all, it’s 100% free and yours for the taking! (more…)

Jump Start Your Writing Career: Design Your Future and Control Your Lifestyle

You’re working long hours and finally come home late after a stressful night of overtime. Your shoulders are stooped, spine ready to break. Your vision is hazy, and all you can think about is how good the pillow on your bed will feel once you sink down into it.

But you can’t give in to the mindless agony of your body yet – not with all the work you have left to do.

Now you must set aside time for your side business. For if you don’t, your meager income threatens to take away your house and everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve thus far.

As you sit your aching bum into your desk chair and rest your complaining leg muscles, one simple phrase repeats itself over and over in the dark recesses of your mind…

This isn’t the life I want to live.

• You want to live your life doing what you love, enjoying the time you have, cherishing every moment, and awaiting the future with eager excitement.
• You want to free yourself from the tight bonds of your corporate office and frolic in a life you’ve built and have control over, no more fearing that you’ll suddenly get laid off.
• You want to build a steady income that only continues to grow, no longer depending on your boss to give you a pay raise whenever you want to increase your salary.

Well, I’m here to tell you that your dreams are not impossible. (more…)

Are You Ready to Take Your Next Risk?

Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.

- Frederick B. Wilcox

What’s the point of living if you’re afraid to take risks?

Photo by Kevin Dooley (flickr)

I was browsing Marcus Sheridan’s blog The Sales Lion the other day when I came across this motivating post: Boldness: Your Key to Business and Personal Success. In the post, Marcus weaves a story of when he was in his 20s and got the urge to share with the world the marketing strategies working for him. He contemplated speaking at the National Pool and Spa Show (he sells pools), until he finally decided to make it a reality.

So, he walked right into that office where the woman was sitting bored at the desk, and, when asked, “How can I help you,” tells the woman (with a big grin) that he is “the best speaker you’ve never had at this show.”

When I first heard the story, I was shocked by Marcus’s forthrightness, and then that shock quickly turned to awe. It’s not every day that you see an optimistic (and otherwise invisible) soul push through the crowd and force everyone’s attention on him. In fact, such a thought makes me somewhat cower in my seat (never did like public speaking)… But Marcus did it. Because of his confidence, determination, and ability to stand out, he got the position and even today continues to speak at the National Pool and Spa Show on occasion. (more…)