What Is Your Story The 1 Idea That Can Change Your Online Business ( And Bank Account ) Forever

What does your life look like in 2 or 3 years, when your " online " goals become a materiality? What does your business look like? What do you do every day that makes you caress like you are making progress, vitality, growing and flowing into the tenacious person you are coming up to become?

I want to share with you a little secret. It ' s not altogether considering much of a secret... because it is the ONE core, consistent idea that EVERY dominant success story shares. Subject you other you read about is faux pas... but THIS one concern is partly universally true.

You need a compelling story that makes your work meaningful, and matter to YOU. It doesn ' t have to be the same driver, or the same idea, or the same inspiration that moves and motivates other people... it only needs to work for you.

When I see people who are jumping from thing to thing, trying one bright and shiny idea after the next and never really sticking with any one path for long... it ' s ALWAYS because they don ' t have a compelling, personal passion for living a life they really love.

Instead, the focus is on techniques to make easy money, or tactics that may drive traffic to their websites, or shortcuts, software or sneaky strategies that may help them expedite the process of getting ahead.

That rarely works in the short term. And NEVER works long term. Because it gets old, and boring and grows tired, very quickly... EVEN if it works. ( which those techniques, as most of us already know, rarely do )

One of the amazing insights I took away from reading the Steve Jobs biography, was he seemed to make everything harder than it needed to be to build Apple from the ground up. Every accountant, money manager and bean counter thought his obsession with design, and form as well as function would kill the company and bleed them dry.

But Jobs was less interested in money... as he was in satisfying his own story. What he saw as his own mission, purpose and passion. To create beautiful things that married technology and art. And to live in a society where his contributions to the world were celebrated as innovative inventions that literally changed the world.

Whether you like him or not, his passion, and sense of purpose about his work... certainly did exactly that.

In a smaller way, by making a MANIFESTO, and creating a compelling vision about what your life looks like, when you are truly living a life that honors, values and celebrates your gifts is the only true path to progress... and profit that will make any of us happy.

I remember the first successful " review site " I created many years ago. The first few sales were exhilarating. The first $1000 in commissions made me feel like I was walking on clouds. By the time I got to 10K in commissions... it felt boring, bland and sort of dishonest work as well. ( as I was recommending products for commissions... not because they were all that great )

By the time I hit 50K in commissions, I decided I hated it and pretty much quit altogether.

For me... there was nothing exciting, compelling or creative about writing reviews all day... no matter how successful it could become.

Pretty much everyone I meet, online or off, prosperous or not, agrees.

Do what you love. Love what you do. The money will follow. ( but first... you have to KNOW what it is that makes you come alive... imagine it, see it, live it... and loving it is sure to follow! )

You Know How Your Story Starts, but do you Know How it Ends

Should you know indubitably how your story ends before you start or sanction it to chance? Different writers go about it in different ways. Find out what suits you best.

There are four methods you can use to plan how your story will top:

1. Just do it.

This is seat you start writing from page one and expectancy it will all turn out deserved in the stump. Fingers crossed.

Some writers lament this passage, others find it works for them.

You ' ve got an idea for a story and perhaps the main characters are coming alive in your head. You ' ve no idea how it ' s commotion to turn out, but you want to go for it anyway. And with luck and a dry wind you may well get there. So go for it. Time will tell whether you ' ve got the creative tide running strongly enough to bring you safely into harbour or not.

The danger here is that your story might get stuck on the sandbank of I - don ' t - know - what - to - do - next or totally shipwrecked on the rocks of This - is - a - load - of - rubbish. If the former, then there may be hope of rescue. Read your story and jot down the main events so far. Now put your thinking cap on and decide seriously how you want it to turn out. Then do ' what ifs ' to find a path into clear water and on to landfall.

2. Bare bones.

This is where you write down the beginning, middle and end of the story, but otherwise leave it to develop itself.

Not a bad plan this one unless you ' re writing a mystery or detective novel and you need to plan things out more thoroughly than that.

For short stories it should work well.

3. The whole caboodle

This is more applicable when writing a novel or a very long short story.

Write a detailed synopsis, maybe broken down by chapter or section, so that you know exactly how it ' s going to work out in the end.

Some authors use the ' cover - the - wall - with - A4s ' method. Take a sheet of A4 for each chapter and write on it what is going to happen in that chapter. Then stick them on the wall in chapter order. This makes it easier to see at a glance what ' s going on and how everything links up. Use different coloured pens if you want to follow say a subplot through so that you don ' t forget anything.

This has the advantage, providing you ' ve got the wall space, of being able to change things quickly, add, delete or merge chapters as you go along. You could use Word for Windows and read it all on screen, but it ' s just not the same.

4. Suck it and see.

Write the first chapter or section to get a sense of whether it will run to a satisfying conclusion. You may or may not know what that is to begin with.

This method is good if you have a novel in mind and don ' t want to work out a detailed synopsis to start with.

When that first chapter is finished and it excites you, gives you goose bumps or simply that yeesss! feeling then you may be onto a good thing and it ' s worth taxing the brain cells to get the whole framework sorted out.

Conclusion

From personal experience this is what I think works:

Methods 1 and 2 work well for the short story; 3 is best for the longer story or novel, and 4 works OK for either. Visit WritersReign http: / / www. writersreign. co. uk for a sackfull of resources, useful links, markets, writing competitions, software, articles for writers, and more. There ' s a free Article Writing Course at http: / / www. writersreign. co. uk / WRac. html up for grabs too. Sign up for it now before the opportunity slips quietly into obscurity... you know it makes sense!

Writing A Eulogy For A Child ' s Funeral

Nothing is more heartbreaking than the death of a child. Writing a eulogy for a young person can be a hard engagement, especially if one was close to the child. As you review the life of the child you will admire, dwell upon why people deliver eulogies: to memorialize the person who has died and celebrate his or her life. ( In Greek, eulogia means blessing or praise. ) Your mission is to sincerely deliver a undeniable tribute to the life of the child that has passed on. Preparing what to divulge in advance can make the work of writing and delivering a eulogy a little easier. Here are some tips on how to write a eulogy for a child:

1. Bunch up facts about the child to light upon a main matter for the eulogy. Recall personal stories. Objective what made the child perfectly happy. What will you look back most about the young person? Did the child have a certain motto or branch particular values? Mention special achievements. Get stories from others as well. Avoid negative, embarrassing, and sad stories.

2. Keep it simple. Once you begin writing your speech, aim for clarity. Big words are not necessary. Neither are great philosophical insights. Just be honest, and speak in a manner that would be understandable to a child.

3. Be organized: Include the following sections in your eulogy:

- - The Introduction. Introduce yourself and let others know how you are connected to the child. Your introduction should set up the main theme of the eulogy in a personal way. Consider capturing your listener ' s attention through a personal story, appropriate poem, the child ' s favorite song, or part of the child ' s favorite story.

- - The Body. The middle section of the eulogy should include stories that support your theme. For example, if you ' re focusing on the child ' s courage, you could share stories demonstrating the child ' s bravery. Also mention family ties: speak about how much the parents or guardians and siblings meant to the child.

- - The Conclusion. In your conclusion, summarize your main points and restate your main theme. The conclusion will explain how much the child meant to you in a way that is short and simple. In the example of the brave child, for instance, one may conclude by emphasizing the courage the child never lacked, perhaps ending with, " This child faced the world the way a prince would face a dragon. "

4. Consider including media to accompany your speech. Slideshows and video clips are excellent accompaniments to memorial speeches.

5. Practice reading the eulogy out loud and have a friend edit your speech. As you practice, try to keep the eulogy ' s length under 10 minutes.

6. Make it easy on yourself. Use notes in a large font while delivering the funeral eulogy. These will help you if you are at a loss for words. Give a copy of these notes to a person who is willing to deliver the eulogy should you become too overwhelmed with grief and emotion.

Writing a eulogy for a child is an honor and a great way to help others know who this young person really was and why they were special. Writing and delivering a eulogy is not only a way for you to deal with your own grief, but can also help others deal with theirs.

~Flora Richards - Gustafson, 2009

Why Your Business Needs a Story

If you ' ve tried subject to make your business stand out among the crowd, but zippo is working, inasmuch as here is a suggestion: make up a story and share it with the world.

Now, not just fraction story will performance. You need to establish the story of your business. The personal details of why you are so passionate about what you do and why you, and matchless you, are the perfect person to help solve your clients ' problems.

Why is a story so important? It is the easiest way to get your message out to your ideal audience. A great story will resonate with your dream clients and bring them to you. A compelling story can convince a potential client they need your services and even educate them on why they need your help, even if they don ' t realize they do.

A story can also let people know if you aren ' t a good fit for them. And that ' s okay. While most entrepreneurs and small businesses want to cater to the masses, it is more productive, and lucrative, to target a niche market that gets what you offer.

Want an example? My favorite story is that of the unassuming minivan. The minivan is brilliantly marketed to soccer moms who feel more like a taxi driver than a parent. The car companies are telling the story of the frazzled mom rushing from place to place - soccer practice, birthday parties, grocery store, school plays. They need a vehicle that is safe, roomy, convenient, easy to enter and exit and simple to drive. The minivan may not be the coolest thing to drive, but it is the most practical. The connection between the minivan and the busy mom is so strong that it is seen as a sensible car for families and a sort of a rite of passage for new parents to trade in their sedan for a minivan.

On the other side of the minivan is the Sports Utility Vehicle ( SUV ). While the SUV offers many of the same benefits as the minivan, its story is one of carefree fun, ruggedness and spontaneity. The story of the SUV is the exact opposite of the minivan. There are many people who could really benefit from a minivan, since they are generally less expensive and get better gas mileage, but because of the story it represents, they wouldn ' t be caught driving one.

That ' s the power of a strong story. So, what ' s your story?