The Success Experiment – Successful Authors are Clever

Posted on 19. May 2016 by fmoebius
Marketing

Marketing

Today, we’re moving into the realm of limiting beliefs about being successful, especially as author.

Being an author nowadays means that you have to balance your writing with marketing, running your website, being present on social media, and have a way to create fans. That’s the only way to reach a wider audience and to have satisfying sales.

And it makes no difference if you have a traditional contract or are self-publishing. The marketing firmly rests on your shoulders.

So it’s very easy to believe that those authors who have great success are much cleverer than you in doing all that marketing.

And being clever is not something one can learn.

That in turn means, you’re stuck being “unclever” and thus clumsy in marketing and selling. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Success Experiment – It Takes Years

Posted on 12. May 2016 by fmoebius
Fame!

Fame!

We all hear about overnight successes.

Someone writes and publishes their first book, and BAM! Success. A million sales. Bestseller out of nowhere. Shades of Gray…

One movie – instant star! That’s what happened to Orlando Bloom when he starred in Lord of the Rings.

Oh, how we wish it would happen to us!

That discovery. That one fan who tells all her friends and builds an avalanche of sales. That director who absolutely wants to make that movie out of our book!

We dream of exactly that.

But the truth is, it usually doesn’t  happen that way. Usually, there is a lot of work that’s been done in preparation before someone becomes really successful.

Hugh Howey worked in a bookstore for years (and wrote in his lunch breaks) before his books got famous. He knew about the industry before he self-published.

Even J.K. Rowling needed years to get Harry Potter sold and off the ground. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Success Experiment – I Need a Lucky Break

Posted on 5. May 2016 by fmoebius
Wand of Luck

Wand of Luck

I see this one a lot – and I catch myself thinking it, too.

You see, I self-publish my books. And there are self-publishers who simply uploaded their book because their friends enjoyed it so much, and BAM, they made the bestseller lists and they got a contract and are making a ton of money now. And there’s a Hollywood movie, too. (Yes, I’m dreaming about that myself.)

It is so easy to believe those authors just had a lucky break. To think that some people loved their book so much they told everyone else, and finally a mover and shaker heard about it.

Case in point: The Martian. (A fun read, btw.)

That’s an awesome success story.

But Andy Weir made his luck by writing an original and very compelling story that appealed to nerddom and a large audience as well. (Did I mention it’s a fun read?)

And honestly, relying on a lucky break to reach success isn’t a good business strategy. But its allure is so strong that it keeps people playing the lottery every week… well, you know how many win that. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Success Experiment – I Have to Work Really Hard for Success

Posted on 28. April 2016 by fmoebius
Hard work, no fun

Hard work, no fun

There is one belief that is almost universal: If you want to have success, you have to work very, very hard. Duh, it’s so true, everyone knows that.

The whole picture includes working long hours, depriving yourself from joy, staying focused on one single thing over months, and being at least a little obsessed about your chosen project.

Hard work over long time leads to success.

For me, that’s not a pretty picture.

It probably isn’t for you, either.

But it illustrates the common belief that success comes only at a high price. That we have to pay for it in the form of hard work, stress and deprivation if we want success.

And it’s partly true. Success does take dedication and work. It won’t come flying in while you’re sitting on the sofa playing solitaire. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Success Experiment – I can’t have success

Posted on 21. April 2016 by fmoebius
Special Snowflake

Special Snowflake

The first limiting belief I want to explore is a very simple but pernicious one. It is one that makes a person special in a negative way – and being special is something all artists crave deep within.

It goes along the lines of “I’m different.” They are not like everyone else, and in this case, the distinguishing feature is the fact that success eludes them.

I can’t have success.

There is more than a little bit of the “special snowflake syndrome” involved in this belief, and it’s probably also tied into the “starving artist” idea.

It is possible that by denying themselves financial success, some artists feel more like an artist. Or that a writer feels they can’t be creative if they are “rich”. This belief can evolve into a firm conviction that success could actually destroy creativity by forcing an artist to conform to market demands. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Success Experiment

Posted on 14. April 2016 by fmoebius
successful author

Successful Author

Today, I’m starting a new series here on the blog. Together we’ll explore at least a dozen typical blocks to success, from the perspective of a writer. And of course, I’ll give you some tapping pointers to work through each of them.

I have chunked those blocks into three different categories:

1) Beliefs about success itself

Depending on what we believe about our own success, we can reach it easily or struggle with it. And since you’re here, I suppose you’re struggling with it just as are most people.

2) Beliefs about successful people

If we carry unpleasant beliefs about those people who do have success in a way that you would like to have, well, there are safety programs at work that will prevent you from becoming such a person as that goes against values that you hold. So we need to examine those beliefs – and possibly shift them – so you can reach the success you want.

3) Blocks that originate in family system dynamics Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Money Experiment – Final Thoughts

Posted on 7. April 2016 by fmoebius
#1 bestseller

#1 bestseller

With this blog post, I’m ending the Money Experiment.

It has been quite a journey. We looked at beliefs about money, about being rich, and we looked at the family system dynamics that can exist where money is concerned. And I’m sure there are many, many more aspects I didn’t talk about.

Even so, I do hope I have given you the tools to look for patterns and thought habits in your own life that might prevent you from having the amount of money you want to have.

You see, there is a pattern in those blog posts, as well.

In every post, I have named a thought pattern or block to financial success. And then we took a good look at it, and tapped on it.

All you have to do is to  recognize your specific blocks – and tap on them. And with all the examples in the series, I really hope you’ll find it easier to take a good look and nail what’s going on for you. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Money Experiment – I’m Loyal to Aunt Erna

Posted on 31. March 2016 by fmoebius
I love ...

I’m loyal to…

Loyalty is a huge topic in family systems. We are always expressing it in a multitude of ways. In addition, the system demands loyalty to those family members who were wrongfully excluded. (Everyone belongs, that’s Family Rule #1.)

So let’s imagine an aunt who was the black sheep of the family.  She might have been shunned for many reasons. Aunt Erna always was different, maybe. Or she was the lone artist in the family, maybe even a writer.

And maybe she lived on her own in a small cottage, eking out a living on small advances and some ghost writing. The family looked down on her choice of life, and maybe she wasn’t even invited to family events.

It’s just a story. But such people exist in every family.

And it is quite possible that – subconsciously and due to system dynamics – you feel loyal to her. And you might be recreating her life-style in order to express that loyalty. Which includes sticking to her income limits. Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Money Experiment – We don’t Need a Lot of Money

Posted on 24. March 2016 by fmoebius
frugal author

Frugal Author

Here’s another family rule that might sound familiar:

We don’t need a lot of money.

I grew up with this one. It includes a ton of other unvoiced statements.

We don’t need a lot of money because:

– We are really good at doing well with little.
– We don’t want to be rich because rich people are bad.
– We are better than those ugly, bad rich people.
– We treat the environment better by not buying so much junk.
– We don’t want the limelight.
– We are goodie goodie people because we live frugally.

See that there is an entire world view behind that little family rule?

And that makes it difficult to go beyond it. Because the moment you start earning money with your books, and have more than that little amount of money that’s enough to survive on – you’re breaking a family rule.

And you risk being cast out. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Money Experiment – I Must Not Earn More Than Daddy

Posted on 17. March 2016 by fmoebius
Money Rule

Money Rule

Last week, I talked about the family system and how it can be harsh and uncaring as a system. And while that remains true, there is also a huge amount of love and loyalty within each family system.

And that loyalty and love can be expressed in many, many ways. Usually, however, family members express it by being “like” or similar to their parents. This extends into all areas of life, up to and including the amount of money we subconsciously allow ourselves to have or make.

Do not earn more money than Daddy.

That’s actually a common one. It can even be one of those family rules passed down without actually talking about them.

By being like Daddy (or Mom), we show our love and loyalty.

And thus, earning a massively larger amount of money than either of them, or just your father if he brought in the money can feel like an act of betrayal or unlove. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment