đ´ Today I got an email newsletter that I usually like a lot that said the power of intention was horseshit.
After a few shocked laughs, I thought it might make a good topic for this newsletter. The writer mocked that book of the 1990s fame, The Secret, as being the biggest lie of intention he could find.
Apparently, starving kids canât manifest their way into a meat and potatoes meal, he opined, as well as mentioning that the author herself tried to sell a very expensive home a few years back and ended up getting less than half her original asking price for it.
If intention is everything, why couldnât she double or triple the amount of money her home sold for by doing nothing more than intentioning it so, the newsletter writer asked.
đ° The thing is, âMoney comes to meâ was a mantra created by a freelance friend. A very smart, savvy six plus figure freelance friend, who reminded my mastermind group back when COVID started messing up everyoneâs business model, that just putting the intention out there that âmoney comes to meâ somehow makes us feel more connected to the actions it takes to land new clients or new work and puts the power back in our hands.
My group embraced it. We have notes to remind ourselves that money comes to us taped on our desks and computers and we live by the mantra that we know money comes to usâeven when work has noticeably changed, dried up or been a victim of the current pandemic economy for some of us such as food, sports and travel writers., among others.
Whenever one of us loses a client or a good editor or a project pauses or goes belly up, one of will say, âmoney comes to us.â
Notice I said the mantra puts the power back in our hands. How can intention be such a bad thing if it does that?
The newsletter writer stressed that thereâs no scientific proof that manifesting our thoughts (setting intentions or whatever phrase you care to call it) actually exists. In fact, he claims, science disproves it.
ButâŚ
He acknowledges that our thoughts are powerful. That athletes, researchers, writers, Nobel peace prize winners, inventors, authors, space travelers and just about everyone else who ever tried something and believed it could work, manifested their good thoughts as truths. âThis will work.â âI can do this.â âMoney comes to me.â
Iâve often noticed when writers are down and out, their head scriptâthe chatter they tell themselves, tell others, think about themselves, even write about themselvesâstarts to change.
Suddenly they go from being positive and upbeat about work, their business and their ability to land new clients to feeling defeated and unlucky. A desperation creeps in, a doubt.
They need work. They need a new client; they need to send 100 LOIs this month and 25 pitches. They need leads, they need friends, they need advice. In a matter of a short time, or sometimes not so short, theyâve gone from running a successful writing business to near despair and their thoughts accompany them there.
Maybe their LOIs seem desperate. Maybe their pitches lack confidence. Maybe theyâre spending so much time throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping a noodle will stick that theyâre not even targeting the right people or the right niche or the right ideas in an effort to just land something--anything to alleviate their desperation.
Maybe they canât see the forest for the trees. And then they feel even worse when they donât land the work.
đł And because itâs desperation that clings to them, suddenly they canât see the way out of the forest. They canât nail a pitch to save their life, they canât get an assignment if someone was giving them away on the street corner, they canât land a new client, think up a good idea, send the right LOI to the right person. Theyâre stalled, stuck, floundering.
And yet, instead of any of that why not manifest good thoughts? If you think the world is an inherently good place, you believe that, and it becomes your experience. If you think the world is an inherently bad place, you believe that and tend to have experiences that reflect it.
Therefore, if you think you have the ability to land any client you please, get that essay accepted or send a brilliant magazine pitch and land a a big, fat juicy assignment, company or client, you likely can.
đĽ No one says not to be prepared. Save money, donât put all your eggs in oneâor even two--business baskets, do the right things, prepare for when times are hard, search out new ideas, discover fresh markets, branch out to niches you havenât tried, treat people the right way, donât neglect marketing and shake off the scent of despair.
đ§ Know that unto every writing lifeâand businessâa little dark time falls now and again, and know that by focusing on the positives and manifesting them, such as âmoney will come to me,â âI will land more clients,â or âI can get through this,â you are setting yourself up for the actions that follow and actually bring the money and the clients to you.
At least thatâs how I view it and it seems to be working.
So, go ahead, manifest something positive about your business today. Because what it creates, is the actions that help make your intentions come true.
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đ Happy Halloween, Trick or Treaters! Stay safe and wear a mask.
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Six Figure Freelance Mastermind Magic #6FFMM
* sessions are limited to six participants.
Come scale up with us.
Whether youâre looking to make more money, land more clients, add niches, offer a new value proposition or just go in a different direction, and want to mastermind your writing business ideas or problems, a virtual mastermind can be very valuable.
Virtual mastermind groups meet via video conference weekly for 6 weeks.
Each week a different member of the group is in the hot seat and the power of group-think will help them with their business pain points and problems.
Plus, every week you get a chance to roundtable with other writers, and throw out your own conundrumsâsomething sorely missing from our usual week to week.
Masterminds are a great way to scale up, reach higher and give your business a needed boost. All levels and types of writers welcome.
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Contact me at jennifer@byjennifernelson.com to sign up.
The power of mastermind lies in group think when everyone comes together to make your business better. It really is like magic!
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See you next week,
Jennifer