Not making enough money? Cheer up.

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How are you, today?

Well, it really depends on how you think you are. Right?

2016, the year my marriage ended, was my best year EVER financially.

Was this a coincidence? I don’t think so.

It’s because I had something to prove to myself.

I had a can-do attitude. And I did it.

I remember waking up super early, seeing my four to-do items for the day and thinking, “No problemo.” Then buzzing through my work and most days, even having time for the gym and the dog park.

In 2017, a lot of that motivation carried over.

Last year though, my goals didn’t quite feel as make-or-break. Overall, I felt drained. I was blasé. My outlook was less I-can-do-it and more Meh, we’ll see what happens. I slacked off with marketing. I lumbered through tasks and struggled with productivity; good work took me longer than usual. I wasn’t really into breaking any ground. I was surviving, and I was okay with that. I still am. It happened. And maybe I needed it.

But I’m telling you this because my chosen outlook directly affected my bottom line. Financially, 2016 was my best year ever. 2018 was my lowest in many. And I said CHOSEN outlook for a reason. Because I chose it.

Maybe this is what Ilise meant when she said so many years ago that there’s no room for feelings in business?

Yes, we should be aware of our feelings. We should respect them, and feel them, and take necessary actions accordingly—but not DWELL in them.

I feel tired.

I feel sad.

I feel unmotivated.

Last year, I let myself linger in these feelings.

This year, I’m saying:

OKAY, I FEEL YOU. Thanks for stopping by! Now, since I don’t want to go on a long ride to sad-land, I’m going to skip it and choose to be energized, happy and motivated.

Feelings happen for a reason.

They’re important.

But our outlook is really something we choose.

Is it really as simple as: Be happy, make money? Probably not. But when I choose a can-do attitude, I do more marketing. (And we know marketing is a sure bet!) I smile more. I feel more energetic, and bring that into everything I do. Some of it is actual output. But some of it, I think, is just the universe helping out. Positive attracts positive—and when we put positive out, we get more positive back.

Money doesn’t buy happiness.

But I’m pretty sure happiness buys money.

I’m giving it a try! Want to join me?

And even if this theory of positive outlook = more money doesn’t pan out, at least we’ll be happier for it.

Want to ignite the cheer and accountability when it comes to your marketing efforts? Check out Ilise’s newest offering: Get Your Marketing Done Virtual Co-Working Session. The first one is this Saturday, 12-4 PM ET!

Hi, I’m Deidre. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a web copywriter, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning as I go (with Marketing Mentor as my guide). To keep in touch, sign up for my un-newsletter here and get my freebie download, 12 Sparks to Write Sizzling, Audience-Attracting Website Words.

 

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