Audiobook: Rising Strong by Brene Brown

Monday morning in January in the Midwest. Armed with our new 3-month community center family pass, my oldest and I are heading out. He does the treadmill or uses weights. My plan is to walk the track and listen to this gem I got free through our library's audiobook program and the Axis360 app on my iPhone.

Writing isn't just writing. It's also about reading and reading and reading and finding your own voice and know what writing you like and what you don't like and figuring out how YOU want to write.

I have heard about Brene Brown forever but had never read any of her books. I don't really need a lot of help with daring greatly or rising strong, but figured I'd check out her stuff anyway. Lately I listen to this book while making a meal for my family or doing something where I only have a few minutes but I want to be learning instead of just hearing my own voice in my head.

Don't worry, I do have some time where I hear the voice in my head and listen to God.

So far what I have gotten from this book that speaks to me is something I already knew: if we are brave enough, often enough, we will fail. Yes, I've failed at many things. Then I was brave again and now feel like I'm a success at many things (marriage being a success; homeschooling being a work in progress; friendship being something I am still a bit afraid of for various reasons; my writing needs some bravery).

I'm hoping to get in a good half an hour a day listening to this book so I'll be back with the update.

Why Should You Get to Inbox Zero?

So last fall I wrote about Inbox Zero, the concept of always keeping your email inbox at ... well, ZERO!

I did it then it crept back up into the 500s with 200-something unread. I have used the same Yahoo address for a zillion years and don't want to change it now, but it's SLOOOOW. Something happens when I log in ... it just craaaaawwwwls. So going through email STINKS.

Anyway, this morning I was going through some stuff, digging through all 500+ looking for something I kind of remembered getting, but when?

It was a call for parenting articles for a specific month. WHERE IS IT?

I was spending too much time looking for it when I came upon one from A MONTH AGO asking for a specific article for June. It's June 3, now, people. They won't need it anymore.

Then I found one from April asking to use a specific article. It's for July so MAYBE I caught that one in time or maybe they moved on to another writer who knows how to respond in a timely manner.

I LOST MONEY by not having an organized and low-count email inbox.

I'm also getting ready to send email to a ton of editors to update my book on getting paid to write parenting articles and my email needs to be pristine.

I sign up for subscriptions I never read, so there is a waste of time, and we all know time could be turned into money if we weren't messing with our email all day long.

What are your struggles with email?

Begging for my Article Payments is Ridiculous

When I get incredibly mad, I post on Facebook. I should not, but I do. Here's my recent one related to writing:

It's sad but true that I have to spend time chasing down payments from magazines. We are not talking about $1,000 articles here, people. We are talking about $35 article reprints that editors ASK FOR and then ignore invoices, emails, phone calls. It's disgusting. I can use that $35 to feed my children. You started a magazine and you need to pay your writers.‪#‎despicable‬

Several magazines owe me money currently. I'm not talking about they published my reprint for $35 in September and have not paid me yet. I'm talking they did it in January and have not paid me yet. Or last year. And they won't email or call me back. Maybe even worse is when they give you hope and finally might write you back when you get really angry and they say it's in the mail and it never comes. Who are these disgusting people?

I'm about to start naming names. I'm very close. I'm also going to contact their local Better Business Bureau and file a complaint. I'm not a customer, but an independent contractor they are not paying.

I feel like it's my duty to let fellow writers know what they are getting into. I have warned many in my close circle who write for the regional parenting magazines and some of them have had the same issues. It's about time to go bigger.

I wrote this book for writers to get published in such magazines and I've just been taking out the crappy ones that may have been in previous editions. For the 7th edition I think I'm going to make a chapter titled "Do Not Submit to These: They Do Not Pay."

Update on Inbox Zero and My Anniversary

So what are you working on today? Writing, reading, getting your inbox to zero, keeping good records for tax time?

I took about 15 minutes this morning to work on my Inbox Zero project. You can read about it here.

I started at 211 unread and 1,701 total email in my inbox. I have zillions in other folders but this is about just my inbox.

After 15 minutes I got to 144 new and 1,495 total.

I have a tendency to want to look at EVERY email, afraid I will miss something VERY important. I suspect you might have the same problem and that's why your inbox also overfloweth.

Today is my 17-year anniversary with my husband, who I jokingly call Mr. Kerrie. We'll go on a walk later tonight just to chat but today at some point I hope to walk alone and just can't decide what to listen to! I love Lifestyle Liberation but also Brilliant Business Moms and also The Empowered Podcast with Ellory Wells. I also have Travel Like a Boss on my list since I love to write but also love to travel. I write because I love it but if making money from it takes me to a place of travel with my family, then my soul would be incredibly happy. I have so many great podcast series and single podcasts on my listen-to list and am excited to share those with you as I get to them!

Have a great Saturday!

Brilliant Business Moms Podcast: Inbox Zero Concept

So MAYBE this isn't EXACTLY about writing. But it does apply to BUSINESS, and if you are serious about making money from your writing then you have to treat it like any other business. Sorry to burst your creative, magical bubble here but you have to market yourself and keep track of income and file taxes and junk. For real.

So I found this podcast and dig it. The Etsy-related stuff isn't for me because I don't sell things like that but I do have a physical book that I try to sell. And I sell myself in the form of my writing and my articles and my blogs. And I sell makeup and nail wraps. And yet, this podcast also talks about writing voice and writing ebooks and writing cookbooks so it really is about everything. Anyway ...

I heard one podcast from these ladies about a book called Eat That Frog and so I put that on hold at the library because I'm currently broke coming off of vacation. Can't wait to up my productivity and stop getting distracted so easily.

The other podcast I dug was about Inbox Zero ... so I'm trying to get my inbox to ZERO. Who else struggles with this? It drives me nuts when I have so many emails but it's always that way. It's hard for me to concentrate on my work! So I'm attempting to get to ZERO every day and deal with subscriptions I never read or coupons I'll never use. I'm putting things on my to do list as they come in so I can then move them to a folder but they are still relevant.

Tonight I started with 442 new email and 2,105 total in my inbox.

After about 45 minutes I got to 197 new and 1,686 total.

Yes, I am sorting by sender to make it easier to lump things together and move them to folders.

I HIGHLY recommend this podcast and website for anyone who is business-minded. They cover so many different topics that there is something for everyone.

I'll keep you posted on my inbox zero situation. I'd love to see your inbox numbers!

Walking Writer on Vacay

 So you probably won't be hearing much from me this week because I'm on vacation with my family in Nebraska. Today I did manage to somehow log almost 3 miles at a wildlife safari park. And then I decided that I would walk from our cabin to an activity center and meet my family there. I did not realize that it would be about a 1 mile walk. I could not get I heart radio to come through And so I decided to do some Periscoping. I think that I am mommykerrie on periscope. Like with most things in my life I have not come up with the focus for my periscope thing. I do too many different things and so it's hard for me to focus and I feel like most of the time I get on there and I just ran and have not figured out how to engage people yet with questions and hearts. So keep walking and keep writing and I will be catching you soon.

And if you see any typos in this it's because I was doing dictation on my phone and am in a super rush and don't have my laptop with me on vacation so I will fix anything when I get back over the weekend. Thanks for reading and excepting my faults anyway.

YouTube: Eric Worre on Recruiting 20 Team Members in 30 Days

So in addition to proofreading and writing books and articles for income and pleasure, I also do other things. I do some social media stuff, blogging, and I also sell Younique skincare and cosmetics and Jamberry nail wraps. I have a team in each business and it's so much fun to work with them and sell things I love. So this morning I was listening to a YouTube video by Eric Worre about recruiting 20 new team members in 30 days.

I have to admit I have not been focusing on my direct sales businesses. September was INSANE with starting the kids and I at a weekly co-op, starting religious ed classes, Scouts going in full force, activities, parties, BBQs, friend and family events, volleyball, homeschooling and more.

The thing is, I can't seem to quit anything. I love life and I love all we do. I just need like 30 hours in a day instead of 24 and I could do everything well, I just know it!

Anyway, I walked to the grocery store for the hard-core Sudafed for the kids and Chapstick and then to get the dog's flea pill at the animal hospital. It was over 2 miles and I feel great. It was only about 50 degrees.

I'm sharing my September income with you today. I have to say I don't now where it goes! A lot of it goes into the bellies of my children! Some goes to my monthly Weight Watchers membership. Some to my new 12-passenger van payment, the rest is all over the place (coffee, kid shoes, gas, books, gifts and so much more). I'm sharing this to show you how things fluctuate. I've been focusing more on proofreading, obviously, than on sales or marketing my books ... or on writing new ones. Focusing less on writing new articles and marketing the old ones. Let's see how this changes in months to come!

What are your challenges with fitness or writing or anything in between?