Love Your Work

Big creative projects are daunting. It's hard to find the motivation to make them happen. I talk about a trick I use to make creative projects practically complete themselves. I call it cascading motivation, and it's the subject of this week's article.

New Short Read: How to Write a Book I just published a little "book." It's more of a pamphlet, really. It's a Kindle Short Read called "How to Write a Book." It will show you how to use self motivation to overcome writer's block and make your book real. Buy How to Write a Book at kadavy.net/wab. Again, that's kadavy.net/wab

Donate on Patreon Supporters are currently covering more than half of production costs for Love Your Work. Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/cascading-motivation-podcast/

John Ramey (@jpramey) found success as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. He dropped out of college with only one semester left, moved to Silicon Valley, and built a successful startup.

After he sold his startup, John traveled the world helping budding ecosystems promote entrepreneurship. He ended up setting up a program called Nomadic Mentors, which pairs experienced entrepreneurs with incubator and accelerator programs around the world in developing markets.

By the way, I'm one of the mentors in Nomadic Mentors. I've done a trip to Greece and to Serbia where I spoke and helped entrepreneurs.

After John traveled the world, he served as the Innovation Advisor to the Obama White House. He set up a program at The Pentagon for making government innovation happen in months, rather than decades.

Now that John has had that success, has traveled the world, and has seen firsthand how governments work, including very intimately with the U.S. government, and a trip to North Korea that you're going to hear about, what is John dedicating his time to now?

He's actually running a site for "prepping." You may have seen some reality shows with shifty-eyed people prepping for nuclear fallout or a zombie apocalypse. This is not that.

John affectionately refers to himself as a SANE "prepper." If you go to his site, which is at theprepared.com you can see that John is quite sane. He provides incredibly-detailed and practical information on all sorts of disaster or emergency-preparedness supplies.

On theprepared.com you'll find prepping checklists for emergencies such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and car accidents. You'll find detailed reviews of supplies such as water storage containers and non-perishable food. You'll find everything you need to be informed on how best to prepare you, your family, and your home for an emergency.

This is a very long conversation. John has really seen The Matrix, so to speak, that rules our daily lives. Hear about:

• How he lived in Silicon Valley on $2.85 a day.
• How did he end up working at the White House?
• What was his trip to North Korea like, and why wasn't he, as an American, allowed to use the bathroom on one ocassion?
• After all John has done, why has he decided a "prepper" site was the next project for him?

Self Motivation Webinar March 7th I'll be sharing my best self-motivation tips from over a decade as a solopreneur in my brand-new webinar, Self Motivation for Solopreneurs. It will be on Wednesday, March 7th 2018 at 3pm EST. Learn more and sign up at kadavy.net/motivation.

Donate on Patreon Supporters are currently covering more than half of production costs for Love Your Work. Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/john-ramey/

Getting writing done is a battle with your mind. If you're a perfectionist, it can be a very tough battle.

But if you have phrases you can tell yourself, you can win that battle. I think of them as "mantras." They're little things you can say to yourself when you get stuck. They'll keep you moving.

In today's article, I'll tell you eight mantras to overcome perfectionism and get writing done.

Buy The Heart to Start on Amazon You have something to offer the world. Break through fear, self-doubt, and distractions to finally make it real. Buy The Heart to Start.

Donate on Patreon Supporters are currently covering more than half of production costs for Love Your Work. Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/eight-writing-mantras-podcast/

Joanna Penn (@thecreativepenn) is one of the leaders in helping self-published, or I should say "indie" authors, find their way. She has been self-publishing since 2009. She's written 27 books under 3 different pen names, and she earns a multi-six-figure income.

She writes about writing and running an indie author business at thecreativepenn.com, and she has a podcast called The Creative Penn.

Regular listeners know that I recently self-published for the first time. In the process of self-publishing, I've discovered a whole new world.

I used to think that self-publishing would be a step down for me. After all, I had a traditional publisher for my first book. It was nice to have the vote of confidence, and the advance check, from the publisher. And it was nice to have the support on editing, design, and distribution.

But it turns out there's more and more opportunity in self-publishing. You have full control over your writing, and you're going to be responsible for your most of your marketing anyway. You actually have more control over that as a self-published author.

There are more six-figure authors than ever. A recent survey from Written Word Media found that, in 2017, the number of authors making $100,000 or more jumped by 70%.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why is "self-published" the wrong term. I keep saying "self-publishing," and I'll probably keep saying it, but Joanna prefers the term "indie author." Why is that?
• How can you hit the New York Times' best-seller list as an indie author? Joanna has done it. She explains why she thinks it's not such a big deal.
• Why have pen names? As I said Joanna publishes under three different names, which I think is a very cool and interesting way to break down creative resistance. But I was surprised to hear why she does it.

Buy The Heart to Start on Amazon You have something to offer the world. Break through fear, self-doubt, and distractions to finally make it real. Buy The Heart to Start.

Donate on Patreon Supporters are currently covering more than half of production costs for Love Your Work. Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/joanna-penn-podcast/

As regular listeners know, I recently self-published for the first time. I traditionally-published my first book, Design for Hackers, and I had a good experience. I liked having the extra support for getting my book laid out and printed, and onto shelves around the world, and as a first-time author, I really needed the vote of confidence and accountability of a publishing contract.

But this time around, with my new book The Heart to Start, I had a lot to learn. Fortunately, it turned out that I had already built many of the skills I needed to self-publish.

I'm glad that I never stopped learning. Whether you dream of publishing a book, or of doing something else, today's article will help inspire you to keep learning.

Buy The Heart to Start on Amazon You have something to offer the world. Break through fear, self-doubt, and distractions to finally make it real. Buy The Heart to Start.

Donate on Patreon Love Your Work currently costs $260 a month to produce, and supporters are covering half of that! Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/never-stop-learning/

Jordan Harbinger (@jordanharbinger) started out as a lawyer, but made a big change. You heard about another lawyer who made a career change, Jodi Ettenberg, back on episode 23. Jodi became a food and travel writer.

Jordan Harbinger did something different. He quit his job as a lawyer to become a podcaster. A very successful one at that. If you listen to podcasts, you've probably already heard The Art of Charm. (Jordan now hosts The Jordan Harbinger Show).

Jordan examines relationship-building and networking to be more effective in business, and in life.

The Art of Charm received a brief mention here on Love Your Work when Hollywood set designer JP Connelly shared his favorite podcasts on episode 91. In this episode, Jordan shares:

• Law is a prestigious profession with a rich history. Did Jordan hesitate to start podcasting instead?
• Jordan has interviewed folks such as Shaquille O'Neil, Larry King, and Robert Cialdini. How does he connect with influencers, and how can you do the same?
• When it comes to building a platform such as a podcast, what really makes a difference in growing the show?

Buy The Heart to Start on Amazon You have something to offer the world. Break through fear, self-doubt, and distractions to finally make it real. Buy The Heart to Start.

Donate on Patreon Love Your Work currently costs $260 a month to produce, and supporters are covering half of that! Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/jordan-harbinger-podcast-interview/

Something that has been on the top of my mind the past few years is how creators can make an honest living from their work. You heard me talk with Hooked author Nir Eyal back on episode 21 about how technology is fragmenting attention, for example. These economics incentivize creators to be outlandish or even dishonest.

But, the blockchain and cryptocurrencies may change all of that. I've been earning money for my writing lately on the STEEM blockchain, on a social network called Steemit. You heard me talk to STEEM's CEO, Ned Scott back on episode 71.

I recently cashed in over $1,000 in STEEM cryptocurrency. Today I'll be giving a basic introduction to making money on Steemit. You'll learn:

• Where does the money come from? I cash in the STEEM Tokens I earn, but why are they worth anything?
• What are the various forms of STEEM, and what are they for? I'll talk about STEEM, STEEM Power, and STEEM Dollars.
• Once you earn STEEM, how can you convert it to USD? I'll give you the gist in this episode, but for step-by-step instructions, visit the original post for my beginner's guide to STEEM

Buy The Heart to Start on Amazon You have something to offer the world. Break through fear, self-doubt, and distractions to finally make it real. Buy The Heart to Start.

Donate on Patreon Love Your Work currently costs $260 a month to produce, and supporters are covering almost half of that! Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/steem-beginners-podcast/

Join Audible and listen to The Heart to Start free at http://kadavy.net/audible

Hey there, just wanted to let you know that the audiobook version of The Heart to Start is now available on Audible! I know many of you have been anticipating this, as audio is such a convenient medium – it probably explains why many of you discovered my work through my podcast. If you sign up over here as a first-time Audible customer, you will get a 30-day trial, in which you can pick The Heart to Start as your trial book. By the way, signing up through my link helps support my work. I'll earn a $5 bounty if you sign up for the free trial, and if you choose HTS as your first book AND become a customer of Audible for at least 61 days, I'll earn another $50 bounty. Here's the link again.

Todd Henry (@toddhenry) has written a ton of books. My personal favorite is called Die Empty, and it's all about finding the urgency to pursue your creative destiny. His newest book is called Herding Tigers, and it's all about leading creative people so they can do their best work.

He also has a great podcast called The Accidental Creative. In fact, he interviewed me on the show, and you can listen to it over here.

In this episode, we'll talk about:

• The different kinds of work: What is making, mapping, and meshing?
• What's your style when it comes to executing your ideas? If you're weak on one kind of work, and strong on another, what's the result?
• And how do great creative leaders create an environment where their people can be creative and effective? The killer tip from this is that "great leaders have great rituals."

Buy The Heart to Start on Amazon You have something to offer the world. Break through fear, self-doubt, and distractions to finally make it real. Buy The Heart to Start.

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/toddy-henry-podcast/

We're in only the second week of 2018. There's optimism in the air, and you have a fresh well of energy and motivation for making change in your life.

Have you thought about starting something? Maybe you want to start writing, or you want to start a company. How can you make 2018 the year you finally get started? I'll share three easy ways in today's article.

Buy The Heart to Start on Amazon You have something to offer the world. Break through fear, self-doubt, and distractions to finally make it real. Buy The Heart to Start.

Donate on Patreon Support the show, get early access to episodes, as well as bonus masterclasses and office hours with me. Sign up at kadavy.net/donate.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Show Notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/2018-get-started/