Month: November 2021

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ZOMBIE’S

Posted on by Alastair Walton

I was watching a Tony Robbins interview the other day…

At about the halfway mark he said this:

“I’m not here to have an argument with my brain.”

I think most people can relate to this. Whenever we have to do something (whether it’s exercising, eating less, or breaking bad habits) we tend to get into arguments with ourselves. The one side of us knows that we have to take action…

…but the other side resists.

Whether it’s through fear, laziness, anxiety, or simply the unwillingness to change…

…our mind slams the brakes on.

But in order to get anywhere in life you have to stop doing this.

You have to learn how to turn off your thoughts and do what needs to be done.

You have to put yourself on autopilot and become a mindless personal development Zombie.

I’ve experienced this in my own life.

At one stage I wanted to start taking daily walks.

I was slightly overweight and knew that I had to get more exercise.

And although I did start to develop the habit it was still hard as hell.

I’d sit there having an argument with myself…

“Should I do it?”

“No I’m too tired…”

“You have to do it…”

“Today was really tough…”

Etc. etc. and so on.

It was only when I started to turn my brain off and get out of the house no matter what…

…that I managed to hit this habit with 100% accuracy.

The point is this:

Don’t get into arguments with your brain.

Stop thinking about what you have to do.

Simply decide what needs to be done…

… turn your mind off…

…and get going.

Cheers,

Alastair Walton

WANT TO BE A FREELANCE WRITER? DO THIS FIRST

Posted on by Alastair Walton

I’ve had a lot of success in this business.

On the other hand, there were times when things went pear shaped

One thing I’ve learnt about freelance writing is that it definitely goes in cycles.

One minute you’re swamped with work…the next it’s crickets.

On top of this, clients come and go.

And in my experience this usually happens at the worst moment possible.

What you also have to realize is this:

Freelancing is, by its nature, a highly unstable business model.

It’s really a thing of feast or famine.

So if you’re just starting out (or you have hopes of doing this one day) then here’s a massive piece of advice: start building up your emergency fund.  You’ve probably heard it said that you should have at least 3-6 months of living expenses saved. This is good advice, but a year is even better. In fact, you should actually go beyond this, and save up as much money as possible.

What’s more, learn to spend within your means.

Don’t blow every cent that you make

Better yet, create products which you can sell as a sideline to your freelancing career.

The bottom line is this:

You need a bankroll that will help you ride out the bad times.

Do this and you’ll survive long enough to make writing into a viable career.

Cheers,

Alastair Walton

P.S. Another big advantage of a bank roll is that it helps you deal with deadbeat clients. If you have money saved up then it’s very easy to dump a crummy client. On the other hand, if you’re desperate for money then you’ll have to take whatever you can get…

WHY ARE ONE WORD YOUTUBE TITLES BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAR?

Posted on by Alastair Walton

Here’s something you may have noticed:

It seems like more and more YouTubers are using one word titles on their videos.

For example, Emma Chamberlain is one of the platforms biggest stars.

If you look at her channel some of the latest videos are titled: cool, film, rotten, haunted, and haircut. But isn’t this the exact wrong thing to do? Shouldn’t she be using something more descriptive…some type of title that grabs you by the eyeballs and refuses to let go?

Turns out no.

You see, there are a few good reasons why she does this.

First of all, these titles look completely different to everything else and actually help her stand out.

Second, she simply doesn’t need to.

What you have to realize is that she’s one of the most famous YouTube stars right now.

This means her name carries more weight than any convoluted clickbait title ever could.

Not only that, her audience is rabid and basically guaranteed to watch anything she puts out…

…no matter what title she uses.

And this brings me neatly to the point.

A lot of email marketers get obsessed with subject lines.

Yes, subject lines are important BUT they’re not nearly as important as WHO sends the message.

(Think about it.)

This is why it’s so important to build your name.

You need to become the type of person your audience loves to hear from.

The type of person who they eagerly click on no matter what you’re sending.

Most importantly you need to become FAMOUS.

Do this and half the battle is won.

Do this and your subject lines won’t matter nearly as much.

Cheers,

Alastair Walton