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7 Tips for an Authentic and Productive Writing Process

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Does this sound familiar? You’re sitting in front of your laptop, staring at a blank screen. The deadline for the article you need to write is approaching, and you’re struggling to get started when you should be in the final editing stages. As you sit there trying to put your expertise in writing, a strange insecurity creeps up your spine. You see yourself changing before your own eyes, transforming from a confident expert into a self-conscious amateur. It’s your own Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde transformation experience. I’ve been there. I used to hate writing Well, actually, it was more like loathing than hating. Anytime I needed to write anything I’d procrastinate, pretending that avoiding the project would make it go away. Needless to say, the procrastination led to a flurry of rushed writing at the last minute to meet my deadlines, resulting in less than my best work. But my real problem wasn’t the act of writing. It was fear. Fear of making mistakes, fear that what I wrote would sound stupid, fear that my writing wouldn’t make sense to the reader, etc. My insecurities were turning me into a monster So there I was, a guy with more than 15 years of experience, who has won some awards and is even a judge for three international design competitions, worried about sounding stupid. It sounds ridiculous, but my fear of screwing up made writing a miserable experience for me. I even used to try to compensate for my fears. I’d use stiff, formal sentences and large, important-sounding words to try to “prove” I knew what I was talking about. Unfortunately, all that did was make me sound like a pretentious jerk . It was like I was changing from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde anytime I had to write something. Then one sentence from my college professor changed everything I had a job that offered tuition reimbursement benefits, so I decided to take some college classes. One of my classes was a composition class, and the professor gave me the best writing advice I’d ever heard. “Write the way you talk.” Wait. What? It can’t be that easy! Seriously? What a liberating idea! That one piece of advice helped me break free of my fears and relaxed my writing style. No more procrastination. No more using large, unnecessary words to try and impress the reader. I could just relax, be myself, and write. Now before you get the wrong impression, let me explain something: writing the way you talk does not give you permission to write poorly , or to publish content that sucks . What it does is help break down the mental barriers of fear and procrastination that keep you from being a more engaging, and more productive writer. Here’s how to use “write the way you talk” to squash your insecurities and avoid sounding like a pompous idiot: 1. Imagine yourself having a chat with a trusted friend Good writing is like a conversation between the writer and the reader. So when you’re writing, think about how you would explain your topic to a close friend who was sitting next to you. If you were having a conversation with that person, what words would you use? What would you talk about first? What examples would you give to help them understand your topic? What questions might they ask? Approaching your writing this way will help you write copy that’s more informal and conversational in tone, that better engages your audience. As it happens, it’s also the best way to write sales copy . 2. Record yourself talking about your topic. Not sure what you sound like in a conversation? Try recording yourself talking about your topic. This is especially helpful for people who have clients they talk to on the phone regularly. The next time you’re explaining something to a client on the phone, record the call and listen to it later (Be sure to check the laws in your state first. Some states require you get the other party’s permission before you record). The easiest way to do this is with one of the many available plugins for Skype that do call recording. 3. Take a deep breath, relax, and just be yourself By writing the way you talk, you can’t help injecting a little of your personality into what you write. After all, you’ll be writing in your own voice , using plain English everyone can understand, and a tone that makes you seem more human than textbook. Combine that with a few relevant, well-placed personal stories and you have the makings of some irresistible content. 4. Use the same words that you do in your everyday life. If you write the way you talk, you’ll be more inclined to use common, everyday words that you would normally use in conversation. This prevents you from sounding like Captain Jack Sparrow using (in my best Johnny Depp impersonation) obtuse and generally confounding speech that makes your readers wish they were drinking rum. So keep your writing simple and clear without artificially inflated language. A good rule of thumb is: if the average person would need a dictionary to know what your word means, then you need a different word. 5. Toss out the rule book and just start writing If all the rules about grammar, writing styles, active versus passive voice, and punctuation are adding to your insecurities about writing, toss out the “rule book” for awhile and just write. Focus on getting the main points of your idea down in your first draft, and don’t worry about anything else. Once you’ve done that, you can go back and edit the heck out of what you wrote. Do you notice any obvious errors? Is there anything that could be rearranged to bring more clarity to what you wrote? If so, now’s the time to fix it along with any grammatical, spelling, or other writing problems. After you’ve made those corrections, leave the article to sit overnight and look at it again in the morning with fresh eyes. Is there anything you can do to make it even better? 6. Enlist the help of a close friend to keep you honest Want to make sure that what you write actually sounds like you and not someone else? Enlist the help of a close friend. Have them read what you write, and tell you if it sounds like someone else wrote it. This will help keep you true to yourself, and will force you to be authentic with your writing. 7. Read what you write out loud One of the first editing tests I put my writing through is reading it out loud. Doing that makes awkward sentences and bad punctuation become obvious, because as you read, you’ll naturally “stumble” over the parts that need to be fixed. So as you read your writing aloud, pay attention to those places that tend to trip you up — they may need some additional work. The moral of the story Get over the fears of messing up or sounding stupid. Just write the way you talk and you’ll be able to knock out your first draft in no time. If you’re willing to do that, you’ll find that you’ll dread writing a lot less and be able to get more writing done because you’re working on it instead of fearing it. I’ve been using these tips to guide my writing for several years now, and today I got the best evidence yet that they work. I was talking with one of my clients on the phone about blogging, and as we were discussing the content for her blog she told me, “Whenever I read something you wrote, you always sound like such an expert. Like you really know what you’re talking about. ” Need I say more? So go ahead. Dive in. Who knows? You may even start to like writing. About the Author: Logan Zanelli is a business stylist who helps entrepreneurs get found, stand out, and sell more. You can follow him on Twitter or get more from him on his blog .

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Captivate Your Readers with a Marketing Story that Sells

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I’ve never appreciated classic literature. I read Hawthorne and I get bored. I read Austen and I fall asleep. My wife likes Dickens, but I can’t stand it. Ask me who Tiny Tim is, and nine times out of ten I’ll refer you to the obsessive-compulsive ukulele player from the 60s. Literature snobs think I’m low-brow, and that my modern reading material is hollow. I disagree. A good story is a good story. Any good story can move you … but before it can do that, it has to grab you. It has to pull you into its world, to make you feel at home. (I just don’t feel at home in a Dickens story. They talk funny.) Different people have different taste in books. But we all like stories that we can imagine ourselves being part of. And we like characters we can relate to. What that means varies from person to person, but it’s almost always true — relatable stories sell . Your clients and customers feel the same way. If what you write doesn’t pull them into your story, they’ll run away like they’re escaping a high school summer reading list. In Latin. Writing copy with character I ran a post on my blog a few weeks ago on what I call Storyselling , or what sales copy can learn from fiction. It was all about pulling people into your world by telling (true) stories. See, stories are great marketing devices. They blur the line between entertainment and persuasion. They let readers relate to you and your business on a story level first — and then to see that your products and services are a good match for their needs. You’re able to show your reader why they should buy instead of telling them. You convey information by allegory , the way humans have done since they had stories to tell. Stories have a plot, a theme, maybe a dash of symbolism, and all that other good English class stuff. But what really makes a story sing are great, multi-dimensional characters. Most of all, a compelling story needs a compelling protagonist, or lead character — someone people want to follow and learn more about. And most of the time, dear online entrepreneur, that protagonist is you . Five elements of great characters So let’s get one thing out of the way: None of what follows is about fabricating tales or pretending to be something you’re not. The usual rules still apply in Storyselling. You need to be authentic, you need to be trustworthy , you need to keep your commitments. Also, your product or service should probably be excellent. But while you’re at it, go ahead and be authentically trustworthy and reliable the way your best inner protagonist would. As you read through the following, don’t think, “How can I pretend to be this?” Instead, ask, “How am I this, and how can I bring it out in my writing?” Got it? Good. Let’s talk about what makes great characters great. 1. Great characters cannot be defined in one sentence I challenge you to go out and find me someone who can be accurately and completely be described as “the hooker with the heart of gold” or “the all-American hero.” Real people don’t have only one or two attributes that define them. That gold-hearted hooker? She also plays the guitar like Stevie Ray Vaughan with a seizure disorder. That all-American is into amateur boxing. Both like ER reruns. Both are insecure from time to time. Thrillers are often filled with paper-thin, one-sentence characters (“the ex-FBI agent bent on revenge”), and they can sometimes get away with it because the plot is compelling enough on its own. But unless your business is as riveting as a Dan Brown novel, stop being “the SEO specialist” or “the consultant for ex-accountants.” Yes, you can be those things, but don’t end the story there . It’s great to have a USP … but don’t let your USP be all you are. Do you have a dog? Do you like sports? Do you get inspiration from your kids? Don’t blab on and on endlessly about tangential stuff … but don’t hide it, either. 2. Great characters cause the reader to reflect A character will only hold your attention for so long if all you read is exposition about their life and events. When a character is really great, it’s because the issues they weigh and the decisions they face make you think about the issues and decisions that you, the reader, face in your own life. When you’re telling stories in your copy, don’t do it diary-fashion, like “Here’s what I did today.” Instead, write about the reasons you did things and the choices you had to make. Include revelations and discoveries that reflect revelations and discoveries that others are likely to encounter. You want your reader nodding, thinking, “Yeah, I’m like this person. Maybe what he’s done would be good for me, too.” 3. Great characters are optimistic I run across what I think of as “wallowing copy” online all the time — stories of people in bummer situations who essentially use their platform to complain into the void. It reminds me of when I used to work for my mom and something would get messed up. I’d tell her, “Such and such situation went wrong,” and then expect her to take it and solve it for me. But she didn’t do that. Instead, she’d say, “Don’t just tell me what’s wrong. What are your ideas to fix it?” A great character never sits with a problem for too long. He eventually comes up with a way to solve it. And for sales copy, a product or service is usually a good way to solve that problem. 4. Great characters aspire We all enjoy reading about people who want to be bigger, better, stronger, faster. We like the story of the weak kid who wants to wrestle, or the old baseball player who wants to stage a comeback. We like stories of people believing they can do more than anyone would expect of them , and then finding a way to make it happen. As you write the story of your business or product, always be aspiring. Always demonstrate a desire to get better at what you do and to become more. (If you do this one right, you’ll become a leader that people will want to follow, because you’re showing them how to be better, too.) 5. Great characters aren’t always great One of my favorite TV shows over the past few years was the newer version of Battlestar Galactica , and it’s because the characters are so impossible to pigeonhole. Repeatedly, the “good” characters make morally and ethically wrong choices, while the villains do the right thing. The heroes are sometimes overly bold, or arrogant, or stupid. Now don’t get me wrong — over the course of the long story arc, certain characters are always more noble than ignoble and more selfless than selfish, but it’s never black or white. Remember tip #1 above? A lot of the same rules apply. Real people are conflicted, and real people are flawed. Characters who aren’t always perfect are usually much more relatable and likable. Most people try to only present perfection in their copy. My product idea was always perfect. I sold a zillion units the first time I tried. Everybody who’s used the product has done well with it, and nobody really seems to have failed. Every email goes out on time, my shopping cart never breaks, and I have never in my life looked stupid or been laughed at. Stop doing this. No, don’t paint yourself as an unredeemable screwup when you tell your story, but don’t feel you need to be perfect, either. Flaws (redeemable ones) make you believable and relatable, because your readers and customers aren’t perfect either. Storyselling takes some practice just like writing fiction does, but it can be very effective once you get the hang of it. People aren’t always interested in reading marketing copy, but most of those same people are a sucker for a good story. If your current copy isn’t engaging anyone, telling tales just might. You’ve got a story, even if you don’t think you do. Have a go at telling it sometime, and then let me know what happens. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. About the Author: Johnny B. Truant writes at JohnnyBTruant.com and is the creator of Storyselling 101 .

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Scribe 3.0: SEO Made Simple

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Some people think search engine optimization is a dark and mysterious art. But for online writers and content producers, it’s really as simple as 1, 2, 3: First, you need the right keywords, so you understand the language your readers, customers, or clients are using when they search. Second, you need compelling content that people love and search engines know is relevant to those searchers. Third, you need incoming links so search engines treat your site as a trusted and relevant source. I’m proud to announce that version 3.0 of Scribe now goes beyond on-page content optimization. We’ve added upfront keyword research (in addition to our keyword suggestion tool), plus three great link-building features that help you cover all your search optimization bases. Scribe 3.0 makes these three SEO fundamentals easier and more efficient than ever: First, the Scribe keyword research tool tunes you into the right language before you write. Once your content is created, the Scribe keyword suggestion service shows you keyword phrases you might have missed. Second, Scribe analyzes your natural, reader-focused content, and tells you how to gently tweak it to spoon feed search engines based on 15 SEO best practices. Third, Scribe’s link building tools help you build back links from other sites, crosslink the content within your own site, and identify influential social media users who want to share your stuff. With Scribe on your side, you’ll: Discover the correct profitable keywords Stay automatically up to speed on SEO best practices Optimize your content better and faster Avoid content that reads like it was written by a robot Build quality links with less hassle and confusion But most of all, you’ll achieve higher search rankings and increase the targeted traffic to your site! As part of your subscription you get Scribe Web, plus integrated versions of Scribe for WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. We’ll even throw in free educational seminars to help you get more out of Scribe. Check it out . Scribe Web: Scribe Web allows content creators of any type to optimize any web content for search engines, regardless of platform or content management system. It’s especially popular among professional writers who create search optimized content for clients, and that’s why Scribe Web allows you to generate detailed content optimization reports so your clients can easily understand the work you’ve done. Scribe for WordPress: Scribe for WordPress allows online publishers and bloggers to optimize their content for search engines directly from inside the WordPress interface, by tapping into the Scribe software service on our servers. This means you’re constantly getting new-and-improved, state-of-the-art keyword research, content optimization, and link building tools. Scribe requires the ability to enter a custom title tag and a meta description via your WordPress interface. Most popular themes and plug-ins, both free and paid, enable these two functions so you can use Scribe directly from WordPress. Themes that work with Scribe for WordPress: Genesis Thesis Headway Hybrid Frugal WooThemes SEO Plug-Ins that work with Scribe for WordPress: All In One SEO Pack (free and pro version) FV All In One HeadSpace2 wpSEO Platinum SEO Pack SEO Ultimate Scribe for Joomla and Drupal: Scribe also helps you win the search engine game with the Joomla and Drupal content management systems. The keyword research and link-building features have been built in by our respective Joomla and Drupal ninjas, and are in beta testing as we speak. We expect the new and improved Joomla and Drupal plug-ins for Scribe to be live and kicking by next week. New design, new videos, new offer: Because these new Scribe features are kind of a big deal, we’ve done a complete makeover in their honor. We’ve got a completely new site design, new copy, a new video tour, and new demo videos. There’s also a special offer that makes Scribe an even better deal (if you look hard enough). Hint: Look at the “test drive” page. Check out Scribe 3.0 for yourself . About the Author : Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media. Get more from Brian on Twitter .

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5 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Email Newsletter

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Five reasons? There may be seven thousand reasons why your newsletter won’t get the response you’re looking for. Most of those reasons have the same common problem, though: readers just don’t like it. And that’s probably because you’re making one of these five mistakes. Mistake # 1: Your newsletter isn’t helpful This is a big one. My wife signed up for a newsletter on Ayurveda, thinking she would get some helpful articles and ideas on a topic she was very interested in. All she ever got was a whole bunch of promotional stuff. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You know very well that non-stop shameless self-promotion doesn’t exactly endear you to others, and of course you’d never make every single newsletter into a pitch. Because you’re a Copyblogger reader, you know that your content has to be useful or it won’t get read. Yet most folks can’t help themselves. They mean to write something useful, they mean to be helpful, but they end up being self-promotional because it’s easier . It’s easier to say “Yoga class on Friday, 17th December” than it is to write yet another article about yoga. So they wind up being self-promotional by default — and since it was the easier option, they don’t think of it as being unhelpful to their readers. That doesn’t mean the readers don’t see it that way, though. Mistake #2: Your voice isn’t particularly compelling Voice is not everything, but it sure counts for a lot. When you speak to a friend over the phone, they sound excited and vibrant. Ask them to put down their feelings on paper and you often find what they’ve written just doesn’t sound like them. Their voice doesn’t show up in their writing, and that means their writing doesn’t really convey how they feel. Every artist, singer, and yes, writer has a signature voice . This voice needs to be authentic. If you’ve tried and failed to find your voice before, put down the pen and Skype a friend. Get them to ask you questions about the topics you’ll be writing about in your newsletter — recording every word, naturally. Then just blab away, and transcribe what you’ve said. I know this method sounds tedious. But it’s quicker than slaving over a boring newsletter that takes you two days to write, and still winds up completely devoid of voice. Voice matters. And you have one — you just have to get it on paper. But tone alone won’t save the day. Mistake # 3: You’re not telling stories Many people think their newsletter has to be full of perfectly organized and structured articles — and since they don’t know how to create those kinds of articles, they get frustrated and stuck when they’re trying to write. Structure isn’t the way to create a great newsletter. Stories are. As human beings, we’re entranced by stories from an early age. Start with stories about your clients. Write about what you’ve experienced in your industry and your thoughts about it. When you’re trying to elicit response, nothing gets your readers engaged like the color and drama of a good story. And how do you finish? Tell the moral of the story — just like you would in a real story. Explain what you learned or what you should have learned or what someone else could learn from this experience. The moral of the story also does double duty as the springboard for your call to action. Which brings us to Mistake # 4. Mistake # 4: You have a half-hearted call to action This week, you need to fill up your yoga class. In your newsletter, you’re going to ask a customer to write back or comment. You need that customer to respond. You can’t hope they will — you have to ask them to do it. You have to be pretty darned clear what you want them to do, too. Just saying “please respond” is far too vague. Your customers don’t know exactly what you want them to do or how to do it. Do you want them to click on a link? Tell them to click here (and also tell them why). Do you want them to write back and tell you you’re a god/goddess/schmuck? Use the words “just click reply to email me back and tell me I’m a god/goddess/schmuck.” Do you want them to buy? Tell them . Most folks just hope their customers will act on their own. And their customers mostly don’t — because they’re too busy to figure out how you want them to respond. You need to tell them. Just a little nudge will do. Of course, none of this will work if you’re a complete stranger. Mistake# 5: You don’t have a specific frequency Switch on your TV at 6 pm. What do you see? In most countries, it’s the evening news. And every evening it’s the same old news, but hey it’s consistent. Most newsletters aren’t. If you’re going to write a newsletter, then you’ve got to have a publishing schedule. You have to promise your readers that your newsletter will go out once a month, or twice a month or three times a week — whatever it may be. Your newsletters can’t go to Bermuda on vacation. They’re doing all the grunt work for you. Our newsletter has gone out since 2002 and has done so week after week without any stoppage. You want to stop? You are ill? Sorry mate, but that won’t wash well with your readers. Imagine the TV station canceling the news because some newsreader didn’t turn up. One of the big reasons for the lack of response is that your newsletter is a stranger to your readers. You can’t send them a newsletter whenever you feel like it and hope they’ll respond. Response is directly related to frequency. Muck up on frequency and the rest of the four points don’t even matter. So there you have it: Pure self-promotion won’t work — make it useful. Your tone of writing is critical. Record yourself if you have to, but connect with your own unique voice. If you can’t get your head around structure, use customer stories. Don’t be half-hearted about promotion — give a strong call to action. Without consistent frequency, your customers will forget who you are even if you do everything else right. Newsletters are a lot of work. There’s no point in doing them unless you see the response you’re looking for. And avoiding these five big mistakes will perk up your response in a hurry. About the Author: Sean D’Souza offers a great free article on ‘Why Headlines Fail’ when you subscribe to his Psychotactics Newsletter . Be sure to check out his blog , too. P.S. Have you checked out Internet Marketing for Smart People , the Copyblogger email newsletter? It features a free 20-step course that will build your business, so you really should click here and subscribe .

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Is Spiritual Business a Contradiction in Terms?

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With all the beads, prayers, affirmations, “laws of abundance,” and other woo-woo business accoutrements flying around these days, you’d think there’s some fire sale promotion going on spirituality. Maybe it’s the rough economy, or the unsettling pace of change. Business seems to be getting more and more difficult, and support is hard to come by. When you’re struggling, the idea of having the unseen realms backing you is pretty appealing. But can getting more spiritual really help your business? For some of us, spirituality is everyday stuff. It’s how you relate to the world, in business just as in all other things. It’s what’s for lunch. As the Zen master Suzuki Roshi said, it’s “Nothing special.” For others, spirituality in the realm of business can seem profane, inappropriate, or just plain bizarre. So which is it? Is spirituality the missing leverage point in business — or is it just plain wrong to use spirituality to get what you want? What the Heaven is spirituality? Spirituality is one of those words that can be tricky to define. The Oxford American Dictionary defines it as: … of, relating to, or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to the material or physical things. I would define spirituality as any connection we feel to a greater purpose, existence, or reality than ourselves. It means there is a core Oneness that everything comes from and everything returns to. Ever been in love? You know what I’m talking about. Things spirituality doesn’t really work for On a power trip? Spirituality is not going to get you world domination. If you want to manipulate people into doing something that’s not in their best interest, your connection to love and all-that-is ain’t gonna help you. Because spirituality isn’t a tool or technique, you can’t “use” it like that. When people describe their spiritual experiences, they tend to use words like: “awe-inspiring” “humbling” “connected to everything” “full of love” “deep trust and peacefulness” If you’re trying to trick people into spending money on something worthless, it’s pretty doubtful those words describe your state of mind. But hold on … something seems familiar here. Copywriting, business, and spirituality Here are a couple of key themes about copywriting and sales that you’re probably familiar with if you’re a regular Copyblogger reader: You’ve got to believe in yourself and your product . You need an attitude of service . Rather than talking endlessly about yourself, you have to listen to your readers and engage them in conversation . You have to care about your audience . Great salespeople and marketers, the ones you feel good about and look up to instead of feeling slimed by, have this combination of confidence and humility, caring and willingness to deliver on their promises. Are you starting to see what I’m seeing? Maybe this spirituality thing could be helpful after all I don’t know about you, but that sounds like an amazing way to spend my time. To be awe-inspired by the presence of the people you are wanting to help, to be humble and not distracted by trying to be something or someone you’re not, to feel connected to everything and full of love. And to have it all grounded in deep trust and peacefulness. If your blog posts, tweets, products, content, conversations, and connections reflected that sort of approach, what would that do for your business? Or for that matter, for your life? Spiritual teacher soup Listen, I may have been designated as a master teacher in my spiritual lineage. I may have years of spiritual practice behind me. But let me tell you, all I need is a bunch of cool people to launch cool things while I’m sitting on the sidelines and all my internal voices get going. I’m an incompetent booby. I’ll never catch up with those guys. Maybe what I do doesn’t matter anyway. I get worried and upset and angry. The usual things that I’m tempted to do in moments like that (work harder, be brilliant, eat too much ice cream) tend to be completely ineffective. In fact, they leave me feeling even worse. Maybe you’re the same. You end up doing crazy things. Like buying yet another high-priced program when you already know what to do. Or launching a sales page that feels like it was written by a sleazy car salesman. Or retreating into a corner, too paralyzed and overwhelmed to do anything at all. That’s one of the very useful things about spiritual practice. My practice allows me to drop all of those thoughts very quickly, saving me from acting on those impulses, from sabotaging myself or scaring off our clients. It allows my heart to drink the love, peace and groundedness it thirsts for. That’s the real payoff. The side effect? I’m more on-point with what I’m doing. Efficient, effective, connected. Mother Teresa — you know, that once-unknown little nun who mobilized tens of thousands of people to care for the poorest of the poor, and trotted the globe bringing in millions of dollars and creating a legacy that has lasted far past her death? She insisted that everyone associated with her Missionaries of Charity spend precious hours in spiritual practice every day, even when there was the pressing need of dying and starving people all around. Why? Because getting stuff done simply wasn’t enough. Ticking items off a to-do list is draining. But understanding that what you do and who you are into the world is an expression of profound love and caring — that’s when miracles happen. It worked for her. It works for my business and our clients. It can work for you, too. Have your spirit call my spirit, they’ll do lunch As the great Sufi sheikh Ibn al Arabi said, All streams lead to the Ocean. There are a million ways to connect to spirit. Some are organized, some are eclectic. Some are communal, some personal. All, hopefully, are grounded in love and service. I share my Sufism with two poets you may have heard of, Rumi and Hafiz . Sufis talk about Remembrance as a spiritual practice. That this connection with spirit is not something to cross off a to-do list or a technique to be mastered, but an essential part of who you are that is simply to be Remembered. What if you were to stop in the middle of your busy day, right in the middle of your never-ending task list, right in the middle of the sales page copy or blog post you’ve been pushing uphill, and took time to speak to your heart and ask it to remember? To remember that love and connection are essential to your business. To remember that you aren’t alone, and that you don’t need to be anyone other than who you are. To remember that it’s okay to be humble and in service, and that you are cared for deeply. No one has to watch you do this. If you want help, I did a short audio to guide folks, Ack! Where’s My Heart? Stop working so hard. Use all of that tremendous will power and individual force that you’ve been given to ease off the gas pedal and just stop. Stop. Breathe. Remember love. When you step on the gas again, you just might find it easier to do whatever you were struggling with before, and making bigger ripples once it’s out there. Who, after all, can resist love? About the Author: Mark Silver helps entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to make a difference, but also need to make a profit. Check out his website and blog at Heart of Business , follow him on Twitter , or take the free Remembrance Challenge .

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Is Spiritual Business a Contradiction in Terms?