Words are a lens to focus one’s mind. – Ayn Rand,writer and philosopher
It’s my birthday next week and every year, I take a little trip down memory lane to see how far I’ve come.
And when I look back on the most transformational times in my life to date, they all have one thing in common…Writing.
Words can change your life.
They are powerful, meaningful and momentous. They connect and inspire. They uplift and unite. They offer comfort and support.
Your words are everything.
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved writing … actually for as long as I can remember I’ve loved to write.
- I penned my first “book” when I was 4. It was about a runaway $1 coin that got stuck down a drain, swept out to sea, washed up on a shore and eventually found its way back to its owner’s pocket. (I reckon I must have lost a buck and was hopeful I’d find it again).
- Got high scores in English at school.
- Was always in trouble for writing notes to my friends.
- I have always written to-do and pros and cons lists and still write everything down (and I mean everything. I can’t help it!).
- I also kept a diary for many years. I still have one of them.
- Even now I keep a gratitude diary. I express words of thanks every day.
Then I found my one true love: Words
In Year 9, I found my one true love … not my high-school sweetheart at the time, but journalism and at 14 I became a published journalist. From that point on I was hooked and couldn’t believe that I could get paid to write!
I knew then writing was my sole purpose in life and the only “job” I’d ever want. Journalism would help me spread people’s words and share their messages. I’d found my passion.
I went on to carve a colourful career as a journalist in print media. It was a blissful and turbulent relationship but I loved it all the same.
I had a wonderful 16-year marriage to the media as an editor and journalist, for international and independent companies. But the media was changing and it had become more stressful and negative than I’d ever known, and in 2013 I was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
I was probably one cappuccino away.
I was stressed to the eyeballs, not looking after myself, way too busy in my full-time job as an editor and practically living on air… and caffeine.
I was 32, I felt like I had no life, I was in a rut and finding life in general hard to cope with. I had never felt like this, so I knew it was bad. Really bad.
Words were starting to kill me
In all honesty, I was exhausted. From the outside in everything looked great. I had just scored my dream gig. I was the launch editor of a new weekend magazine for a major newspaper organisation. I’d been the launch editor on two other mags, but this one was different.
I’d spent 13 years getting my career to this point. I was hand-picked. Others wanted it. But I got it. It’s what I’d longed for. I’d made it. This was it. You know that feeling?
Only it wasn’t “it”. I was excited for about five minutes before I realised it really wasn’t what I wanted at all. What did I want? I wanted to run my own show – I wanted that to be my full-time job – to teach people the art of writing great content and to be a business owner – and to lead a life a really loved. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the media, but I was over it – maybe I’d finally admitted that to myself.
I spent three months trying to love my new promotion with all my heart. At times I did. But I was working around the clock, putting out fires, dealing with difficult people, doing just about everything, and more and more jobs were landing on my shoulders.
Until one day I couldn’t take another step. Literally.
The inside scoop: I said a few choice words!
On this morning, I’d arrived at work and was immediately bombarded by people who wanted something from me and about a gazillion emails. That was pretty standard.
I wouldn’t have even put my bag down and there would be someone at my desk. To cope, I just got another coffee (probably my third or fourth for the day) and opened one of the emails; it just happened to be yet another nit-picking message. Urgh.
Then I got an absolute blasting from a head of department who yelled at me in front of the newsroom for something he had done but blamed me for… he was stressed too. But I snapped back at him as he turned his back and walked away. That was all before 9am.
His words embarrassed me and the words that came out of my mouth were not me. Who was I?
After that grilling, I stared at the email from a reader about the gardening section of the new magazine and I thought, “you know what? I’m done. I’m out. There has got to be more to life than this full-time job.” <add a few expletives in there too>
So I collected my phone and walked out. People stared. I needed to get out of there before I had a Jerry Maguire moment and told them all where they could stick their promotion. It was on the tip of my tongue let me assure you. But that’s not who I am – I couldn’t say those words. I had loved the media and was grateful senior management had seen something in me for that promotion.
So I wrote a thank-you letter – a resignation to my editor.
That was March, 2013.
That was a turning point in my life. One where words played a huge role; the writing was on the wall.
I had a fling with public relations
Once I said good-bye to newspapers and the media, I had a quick fling with public relations and then gave my undivided and complete attention to a long-term relationship to my business, EC Writing Services … a business about writing words; where I could write to my heart’s content.
My new career path was about to change more people’s lives in a completely new and different way. And I was excited again. The business took off with a mind of its own. Another transformational time in my life. Words cannot express how much fun I was having and how the business was growing.
After three months I was fully booked with work and at the 6-month mark I was still fully booked with repeat business and referrals.
In 2014, I wrote a book – Wow Words on the Web – published in 2015, and that’s when it all started to come together … in my business life. I was flying!
My personal life was another matter.
Business: 👍 BUT personal life: 👎
My marriage was in tatters and separation and divorce was on the horizon – once I admitted that to myself. One sunny afternoon, I packed my car and left all that I knew, the whole 15 years of it, scared out of my wits and wondering how on Earth I was going to manage this business, writing a book, getting myself together and starting again.
So I wrote all about it – in a diary that I have since turned into another book – The Divorce Diary.
When I was separating, there was just no info out there on how to run a business and go through a divorce. Sure, there was info about selling your business during divorce and splitting assets, but this was my baby so I wasn’t going to let it slip through my fingers.
I vowed to share my experiences and knowledge with other businesses (mostly, it was women asking me what I had done) once I had gone through it myself. So I started taking notes and writing words that would encourage others to “keep shining”.
Then the most amazing thing happened
I got through my divorce, kept my business and grew the heck out of it! In 2016 I started a business networking group called Business Styling and running workshops and webinars to teach business owners how to write their own words and turn them into online content that rocks and gets results – and Wow School Global was born.
I am now well known in business circles all over Australia as a speaker, trainer and writer.
I have no words for the love I have for my craft and the passion that oozes from me when I get to teach people how to write or when we start working with a business owner who is also passionate about they do.
For me, it’s all about finding the right words.
Conclusion
And here we are. That was almost 6 years ago. I can’t believe how this birthday will be so vastly different from many others in the past.
And it’s thanks to words – having the courage to speak up, sharing my voice, writing my passion and finding the right words to transform my life and build the business of my dreams.
If you need a hand writing words that wow for your website, blog or social, my team and I can help you find the right words too.
Let me know what you biggest issue is here.
In the meantime…
One of the biggest topics business owners talk to me about is confidence and not having enough of it to put themselves out there – especially when it comes to content.
Is your confidence factor holding you and your business back when it comes to your words?
If this is you or someone you know, I’ve put together a free webinar on JUNE 19 at 7pm (AEST time) for business owners who are struggling to put themselves out there online because:
– You don’t believe your content is good enough
– You don’t feel confident promoting yourself or your business
– You feel your content writing ability and skills are holding you back
– And you’re looking for a way to change this.
In this webinar: I will teach you 5 contract strategies to put yourself out there with more CONFIDENCE.
One of the ways to get more confidence is to just take the first step – and that’s this webinar.
If you’d like more confidence, leads, clients, sales and opportunities this year. Join me. Join our Confidence Webinar
