New Beginnnigs – Why EFT for Authors

Posted on 8. March 2018 by fmoebius
Something New!

Something New!

Today, I’m starting something new on this blog:

Video.

Since most of you haven’t seen me (well, maybe you did watch the NaNoWriMo videos on Facebook), and since it’s easier to decide to trust someone you see, I want to add video to this blog.

And maybe even interviews with authors – and a little tapping.
(Let me know if you’re interested!)

Now why would any author want to use EFT?

In my experience, EFT is the best tool to shift out of negative mindsets. Yes, I’m biased. And it is fast, fun to use and easy to learn.

And boy, do authors have negative mindsets!

I’ll talk about why you need to get rid of those in the video.

 

In the modern world of publishing, and especially as a self-publishing author, you’re running a business. That requires steady work, regular production of stories, a system for editing, cover creation, publishing and marketing – and making smart decisions.

You can’t afford a negative mindset.

EFT is an awesome tool for authors – and everyone, really.

Here are some suggestions for some tapping – to help you release a negative mindset.

Tapping Phrases

Even though I never thought about changing mindset, it always seems I just feel what I feel, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I’m now open to the possibility that I can change how I feel about my writing and my business.

Even though I often feel bad about my writing, but never thought this could be changed, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I’m now open to using EFT to make my life easier.

Even though I often feel resistance to writing, and I thought this is just part of the job, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I’m now open to the possibility that writing could be much, much easier.

Asking you:
How do you feel about being an author?
About running your own business?
What happened while you were tapping?
And finally – are you writing right now?
Please share in a comment.

Image Source: F. Moebius

PS: My newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts, so it’ll be easier for you to get results. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive an introduction to EFT as a gift, find that specific tapping round plus occasional special offers. If you’re on a mobile and can’t see the sidebar, you can sign up through this link: Newsletter Sign-up.

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

Procrastination – Final Thoughts

Posted on 1. March 2018 by fmoebius
Yay for Systems

Yay for Systems!

I hope that with this series I’ve been able to show you that it’s negative emotions that underly most instances of procrastination. That’s how we try to protect ourselves from bad stuff – which in most cases isn’t even true. So we procrastinate because of emotions.

Worries, fears, and of course, outdated safety programs.

I also hope that I could encourage you to tap on these feelings when you’re procrastinating again on something.

Because all these fears and worries, and especially that nasty bad conscience when you didn’t do something again – all of this doesn’t even have to happen.

All you need to do is to tap on these resistances as they come up. And the tasks you procrastinate on are the perfect triggers to make them visible.

It’s as simple as that.

A round of tapping takes a few minutes, at most. And sometimes, all you need to do is to become aware of what is really going on to make it shift. Continue reading →

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

Procrastination – Fear of the Success Rat Race

Posted on 22. February 2018 by fmoebius
More Success!

More Success!

What comes after a success?

The next success, of course.

Preferably one that tops the first one.

The next bestseller. The next, even bigger award. More five-star reviews, more blogs, more, more, more…

Better, bigger, even more awesome!

And what happens if the next book doesn’t make bestseller?

When there’s no new award to celebrate and market?

That’s even worse, because you already know those moments of joy, those awesome, heady days when you celebrate a huge success.

It makes the hole bigger, the failure more painful.

The higher you fly, the deeper the fall.

We creative people can easily imagine that. Continue reading →

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

Procrastination – Fear of Success

Posted on 16. February 2018 by fmoebius
Scared of Success

Scared of Success

At first glance, this sounds rather weird.

Why would people be afraid of success when all we want is to be successful?

It’s because of our wild imagination. We need it for our creative endeavors, but it can also trip us up when we think of our success.

Because what happens after we enjoy our success?

Life goes on. Inevitably.

Even winners of the Nobel prize continue to make their own breakfast, and probably clean their toilet themselves.

Our success gets old, stale and will be forgotten eventually.

We will have to repeat it.

Which means that the pressure is back on and probably higher than before we had our first success, the one we dreamed about. Continue reading →

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

Procrastination – Fear of being Judged

Posted on 8. February 2018 by fmoebius
Afraid of being judged

Afraid of being judged.

Underneath all those fears that I’ve been talking about in the last few weeks is another, much bigger fear:

The fear of being judged.

The big issue behind that fear is that being judged means being rejected and getting kicked out of your group, which in turn means dying all alone in the saber-tooth tiger infested wilderness.

Yes, this is an old stone-age fear.

And yet, it is very much alive in ourselves, since we humans are a social species and need groups to survive.

Being rejected by your group meant death back then, quite simply. We still don’t like taking that risk – and finishing your book, publishing it and making it visible for practically everyone in the work does mean taking the risk of being judged.

That’s why we may not finish writing our book.

Why we hesitate to publish it and prefer doing yet another rewrite or editing run.

Why hitting that publish button is so difficult.

And that’s why getting bad reviews can feel so frightening.

We want to stay in our group and be safe. Continue reading →

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

Procrastination – Fear of being Seen

Posted on 1. February 2018 by fmoebius
Afraid to be seen

Afraid to be seen

The Fear of being seen is another reason why we procrastinate and don’t finish stories, art projects, or other tasks.

Because once we finish, our product needs to be seen.

That book needs readers, that painting needs viewers, that piece of art has to go to exhibitions and find a buyer. (And of course, that opens up a number of other tasks to procrastinate on!)

And of course, if our products are being seen, we as creators are also on the line.

Being seen means to be visible.

With all of our flaws. With all the parts we don’t even like about ourselves.

It begins with our body.

We may not like how we look.

We may not have that ideal weight. (Dare I mention that idiotic “thigh gap”?)

We may not have ideal hair.

We may not like being looked at.

Some of us can hide a little.

Authors can use a pen name, and so can other artists. Continue reading →

Posted in Mindset | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Procrastination – Perfectionism

Posted on 25. January 2018 by fmoebius
I must be perfect.

I must be perfect.

Perfectionism is a bit like the big brother of the fear of mistakes – the stakes, however, are much higher.

You can’t allow a single blemish, because then it wouldn’t be perfect anymore.

It takes enormous amounts of time and effort to be perfect, and the temptation to put it all off is much larger.

The cost of failure is also much higher – I’ll get to that in a moment.

Perfectionism is a killer.

That’s because perfectionism is the symptom of a very detrimental mindset.

In her book “Mindset”, Carol Dweck talks about a “fixed mindset”.

This is the belief that you can only be good at something if you have talent.

And talent expresses itself with perfect results right away.

Perfectionism is the expression of this belief.

The downside, however, is horrible. Continue reading →

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

Procrastination – Fear of Mistakes

Posted on 18. January 2018 by fmoebius
Fear of Mistakes

Fear of Mistakes

From this post on, we’re going to look at the reasons behind procrastination, and we’re starting with the obvious:

Fear of doing something wrong.

Now, rationally, we know that making an error isn’t a big thing, it’s usually a moment where we can learn something or grow a little. That’s the adult way of looking at mistakes.

Emotionally, we’ve been drilled to live in fear of mistakes.

It starts in school. Every error is marked in red, and it costs us. Points. Grades. Love from the teacher. No smilies. No happy faces. Disgrace.

Maybe we even got laughed at.

So emotionally, we fear making a mistake.

And depending on the cost of the mistake, we are reluctant to do a task.

Which means that we’re more reluctant and likely to procrastinate more on a tax declaration than on cleaning the bathroom, in general. Continue reading →

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

Procrastination – Introduction

Posted on 11. January 2018 by fmoebius
Nah, I'll do it later.

Nah… I’ll do it later

I think you all know this feeling.

This feeling of… nah, I’ll do it later.
No, not now… later.
I’m not in the mood, I’m not inspired, I’m not… whatever.

And then we procrastinate.

Nah, I’ll do it tomorrow, there’s still time…
Nah, it’s such a nice day, I’d rather go outside…

And at the worst, you open a file you should be working on… and you can’t do it. Instead, you find yourself playing Solitaire, or vacuuming the house, or – that happens to me all the time – you start writing a brand new story without finishing the old one.

And before I started writing this blog post, I quickly checked FB, and sent a good morning greeting to my own little chat room.

As you can see, I’m totally familiar with this…

But what causes procrastination?

I believe it’s not just “laziness”. Continue reading →

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

December Blog Break

Posted on 7. December 2017 by fmoebius
December Blog Break

December Blog Break

I’m taking a break from blogging in December.

Because it’s like this: You guys are busy with the holidays. Family matters. It’s also the end of a stressful year, right? So we can all let it wind down, relax, take good care of ourselves and make the best of the season.

I’m wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, happy holidays, much family time (and remember, you are your own family, too), and a safe, fun and cheerful New Year!

I’ll be back with a new post on January 11th.

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