Ambassador of Possibility

Yesterday was Father’s Day here in the states, and for me, it was a time to reflect on all the lessons that I learned from my Dad, and from being a dad.   It is hard to pin down your favorite memory with a person who influences you as much as a father does, but when my youngest daughter asked me, I told her that my favorite memory with my Dad was a day we shared at the theme park Tivoli in Denmark. ( This link will take you to my facebook page where there was a touching discussion about favorite memories of dad, or being dad.  Check it out, very cool!)

I treasure being able to teach my daughters valuable lessons; likewise, I treasure being able to share my knowledge with all of you through this blog.  I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know that I will be hosting a few free writer’s seminar this week.  One is tomorrow, June 22^nd, at the Radisson LAX in Los Angeles.  There will be one in Orange County on the 23^rd, and one more in San Diego on the 24^th.  If you will be in the area please attend!  For more information, please click here.

Once again, to all the fathers and father figures, Happy Father’s Day, you make a huge impact!

-Mark

All successful people need a mentor.  I have had 44 mentors,including Bucky Fuller (pictured here), and the most valuable thing I have learned is to think like your mentor.   When you are fortunate enough to be in the company of a great mentor, you should study what they have studied, are studying, and will study.  Every successful person has learned and developed their own unique way of making decisions.  When you learn your own, you hold the key to your success!  This is one of the many reasons why having a mentor is so important!

I try to read as many biographies as possible because there is so much wisdom and information contained within their pages.  I would suggest that you do the same.  A person can be your mentor even if you have never met them, or never will.  I have learned many valuable lessons from reading biographies and autobiographies of great and inspiring men.  

I know people need mentorship, which is why I created Wealthy Writer’s Wisdom for anyone who has ever wanted to write a book.  I know you have a book in you because each and everyone of us has a unique and inspiring story to tell.  I am blessed to have arrived at a point where I can mentor others. It is a true gift.  When you become the master of your trade, you must “pass the brush” to another who is learning.  The greatest way to leave a legacy is to teach.

Whether you are giving or receiving mentoring, embrace the gift you have been given and share it with as many people as possible. 

-Mark

Teams are powerful, pivotal, crucial, and fundamental to success…but at times, choosing a team that will successfully accomplish what needs to be done can be difficult.   You need a group of individuals who compliment each other, and more importantly,compliment the focus of  your project.  My Wealthy Writer’s Wisdom program addresses this very issue in the lesson 5  workbook, The Discipline of Writing. Here is an excerpt to help explain the elements that make up a great team:

There will always be portions of the writing process that you aren’t good at, that is why it is so important to work with people who compliment your unique skills.  You need both starters and finishers to successfully produce a book, or anything for that matter. 

 

I want to share something with you that a good friend of mine, Paul Roper, taught me.  Within the realm of starters and finishers, there are 3 sub-groups: dreamers, builders, and drivers.  These groups are a less general way of breaking down the integral parts of a project, and the types of people that you need to complete one successfully.

 

Dreamers:  Dreamers fall into the starter category.  Dreamers dream big, and give the project initial direction, and it’s overall goal.  Dreamers are generally very imaginative, and are often accused of being eccentric.  I am a dreamer. Ford was a dreamer. Edison was a dreamer.

 

Builders: Builders are the people who provide a project with its structure.  They handle contracts, negotiations, and planning.  Builders are finishers and often appear as lawyers, consultants, and accountants.  They build the foundation of the project.

 

Drivers: Drivers are the people who make the project work everyday.  They make sure that the plan that the builders lay out is executed.  The drivers can fall into either the starting or the finishing category, depending on what they are doing, but most often fall into the finishing category.  Without drivers, the dreamers and builders would have a wonderful concept and blue-print, but no crew to execute it.

 

All of these elements need to work, and focus, together to make spectacular things happen, and that is exactly why you need to know where you fit into the relationship. 

When choosing your team, don’t forget to ask these three questions:

1.     Do I like them?

2.     Do I trust them?

3.     Do I respect them?

If your choice can’t get a yes to all three, they probably won’t be a good fit for your team.  

There are many aspects needed to pull a project together, particularly a book.  If you have ever been interested in writing a book, you should come to one of the free breakfast meetings I will be hosting this month!  For more information, on dates and venues, please click here!  I would love to see you there!

-Mark

Many people know me from the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, which are a collection of heart touching stories.  What many people don’t know is why I choose to teach using stories.  Stories communicate with people on a soulular level.  When an author writes, they become connected to their audiences in a unique way; a way that is unlike any other.  I wrote about a connection I made while at Book Expo America one year with my writing partner Jack Canfield.  This story appears in my Wealthy Writer’s Wisdom Workbook, lesson 1:

That particular year my partner Jack Canfield and I had attracted a massive crowd to our book signing, and we were trying to make the line move as fast as possible, while still taking the time to make each person feel special. About 30 minutes into the constant stream of signatures and “thank you’s”, my writing partner Jack Canfield leaned over, looked me in the eyes and declared with total sincerity, “You have got to hear this.”  

Jack allowed the emotional man to cross behind his signing table so that he could tell me his extraordinary story. I noticed that his friend, who was with him in line, had no hands and forearms that ended in war-mangled stumps.

“Mark and Jack, I needed to come here today to tell you that your book, Chicken Soup for the Soul saved my country.  You see, I am in charge of training troops in a country that is ravaged by a gruesome civil war. Everyday many soldiers are killed or left horrifically injured, like my friend.  Each night I would read the soldiers a Chicken Soup for the Soul story, and it would give them the strength and courage to go on, even in the face of extreme danger.”

A ball formed in my throat that felt like a golf ball, and my eyes immediately became heavy with tears. “Young man, I am so touched.  How can I help you?” 

“You have done enough my friends.  Please go in peace and god bless.”

There is no way that I could have ever predicted the stories in Chicken would have such an impact; but this is why I teach in stories.  Stories have this special way of getting to someone’s heart.  The lessons in stories hit them on a personal, highly relatable level.  They can feel themselves in the storyteller’s shoes.  Stories break down personal barriers, which means they relay hard-to-swallow information in a gentle way.

Stories have been, and always will be, one of the most effective ways to teach lessons.  From a marketing standpoint they are also the best way to connect with your audience. 

As a writer, be sure to let your own story come out in your writing.  People want to feel like they are connected to you.  They want to relate to the information you are sharing with them.  The fastest way to get to someone’s heart is through a story.  It is the superhighway to the heart. 

-Mark

I have debated the reality of luck more than once, because I don’t really believe it exists. I believe that luck comes to those who are ready for opportunity.  Thus, being able to take advantage of it. This all comes together in the POP formula, or Preparation + Opportunity+ Passion=Luck.  That’s right, luck is simply a combination of preparation and opportunity.

So what does this mean for all of you who have been “down on your luck?”  It means that for some reason, you haven’t been prepared for the opportunities that have been coming to you.  You may argue that you have done everything possible to be prepared for the next opportunity, but have you really?  Do you know what that opportunity looks like?  Have you taken the time to figure out what that opportunity is expecting of you?

Things don’t just happen; there is always a causal relationship between events.  There are exceptions for miracles, but 99.99% of the time, there is a reason for what is going on.  If you are having trouble getting to where you want to “go,” it may be time to re-evaluate exactly what that is going to take.  Just like a client’s needs in business, opportunity is always changing…are you prepared for the newest expectations?

Take the time to outline your goals, in a very specific manner.  Then, break them down into smaller steps.  Once you know where you are going and have a defined path of action, you will know what you need to do in order to prepare yourself for the next step.  Don’t be afraid; the universe is on your side, it WANTS you to succeed. 

If being “lucky” enough to have the time to write a book is something that hasn’t happened yet, it won’t unless you take action.  Nothing that we want in this universe comes with no effort.  The Law of Attraction can put us in the right place at the right time, but it can’t do the work.  To find out about the fastest, and most effective way to write a book, I invite you to visit WealthyWritersWisdom.com.  Accomplishing a goal, and being prepared for opportunity is one of the greatest feelings in the world. 

Many people attribute their success to luck, and there is nothing wrong with that.  If you have been blessed with success give yourself an extra “pat on the back” because you were ready at the right time.  If you think back, can you see the role that the POP formula played in your life’s successes? Preparation + Opportunity+ Passion=LUCK!!

I know my success happened as a result of the POP formula.  Time to start recognizing it, and using it on yours!!

-Mark

There is a business side to books, something that many people forget when they start marketing their book, or start looking for agents and publishers.  When you begin your book, it is important to know who your target market is, and to find out as much about their demographics and psychographics as possible.  Knowing the demographic and psychographic profile of you ideal customer could make or break your book, especially as a business.

If it has been a while since your last marketing class, let me give you a quick run down of what those terms mean, how they relate to each other, and how they are different.  There is a great excerpt in my Wealthy Writer’s Wisdom Workbook Lesson 4 on this topic…

 ”A demographic is a set of criteria, usually based on quantifiable variables such as age, race, education, and income.  The psychographic profile of a group is determined by variables relating to personality, values, interests, lifestyles, and opinions.  Demographic data is a concrete numbers game, while psychographics are based more on qualitative consumer behavior.  Both are statistical, although demographics are usually easier to collect, and people are more honest about them.  Sometimes, surveys meant to collect psychographic data do not reflect actual consumer behavior, especially since much of this data is subjective. 

Both demographics and psychographics are used in every type of marketing research, and it is important not to confuse them.  All publishers and agents will ask you something like, “what is your demographic” or “who is your target audience.” When they ask this, they want to what your target demographic and psychographic are. This information will help you to find an agent and publisher interested in your market. Agents and publishers use demographics and psychographics to determine the viability of a book’s success, just like grocery store manufacturers do with goods. 

Have you ever noticed that when you sign up for a club card at a grocery store you begin receiving coupons for the items that are usually in your cart?  That’s because those cards are a way of collecting psychographic data.  When you use your card at the checkout, your purchase decisions provide the supermarket’s marketing department the data it needs to classify the types of things you like to buy.  On a larger scale, this helps them to establish a psychographic profile that will be integrated with demographics, such as age and place of residence.  All of this is in place to provide highly targeted marketing campaigns.  This information trickles down to a manufacturer and eventually determines what goods will and won’t be produced.”

  Each book is targeted toward a different demographic and psychographic because each audience is unique.  If your content does not fit the needs of, or is not suitable for, your target customer, it may not get produced.  This is not because  your content isn’t good, it is just because it isn’t marketable.  To powerfully position your book, familiarize yourself with to whom you are writing.  If you don’t know who you are writing to, or what you are writing about, whether for business or pleasure, your writing can become misdirected or muddled.  Identifying the demographics and psychographics of your ideal customer or reader is part of starting at the end, and plays an integral role in the tone and approach you will take when addressing certain topics.  It also comes into play when it is time for you to select you ever-important title.

Take the time to create your ideal customer.  Keep your description near and dear to you when you write, it will make your writing clearer, more concise, and more directed.  This is some of the best advice I could give to anyone who is looking to get into the book business.

It is raining out today; something that doesn’t happen very often in sunny Southern California, and it is a reminder that blessings come in many ways.  Usually, traffic is significantly worse when rainy weather strikes, and it is the root of many accidents; but rain is also a great source of life. 

 Like this rainy California day, every situation has two sides.  While one aspect over here may be falling apart, another aspect over there may be coming together.  In metaphysics this is called the “The law of Polarity.”   Every situation has two opposite polar forces acting upon it; good and bad, right and wrong, false or true…the forces change depending on the situation.  For creativity it sometimes appears as writer’s block.

 Writer’s block isn’t the only challenge facing the creative person.  There are also distractions, procrastination, and a slew of other things.  Today, I want to address the common problem of writer’s block.  Writer’s block is a result of fear and doubt; your subconscious conjures writer’s block to keep you from moving forward.  It is the polar opposite of creativity.  So how do you over come writer’s block? You become comfortable writing about anything and write everyday, no matter what. 

If your dream is to become a professional author, you must write everyday, rain or shine.  I know it is easy to let a habit slip, but once you let the happen once, you are twice as more likely to let it happen again.  If you get stuck on one project, create another one.  Write about something as unusual and simple as the way butter melts on pancakes.  This new burst of mental energy will break down writer’s block, if you recognize it for what it is, a mental challenge. You have what you need to write already in your head; finding it simply takes practice and a healthy dose of confidence.

 You must write everyday.  You must stretch yourself.  You must overcome resistance.  I read a great book called “The War of Art,” by Steven Pressfield.  This is an easy read, but outlines creativity and how to overcome the resistance that every author or artist naturally faces in a very profound way.  If you are struggling to tame, or bring out, that part of you, I would highly recommend Pressfield’s book. 

Members of Wealthy Writer’s Wisdom are also being treated to new exercises to help them overcome the problem of writer’s block, and how to improve their writing.  I am here to support you; I see your possibility!

-Mark