Want recognition as a subject matter expert? Write a book.

Want to share your knowledge in a way that easily accessed by millions? Write a book.

There are a ton of good reasons to write a book. Yet, the idea might be daunting if you’ve never done it before.

I’m sharing my Ignite Your Life review because I got a lot of questions from friends when I started sharing that I have a book coming out this summer.

Many had thoughts of writing a book themselves. But they were also held back in wondering what what to write about, how to get published, or even how marketing would work. Without the right information it’s easy to get stuck in analysis paralysis… no bueno!

I CONSIDERED A FEW OPTIONS

When I made the decision to add “published author” to my accomplishments this year I knew it was crucial to set the stage for success. Getting caught in the details would lead to failure, so I took an honest look at my options.

OPTION 1: Write a book and self-publish.
I have friends who’ve successfully taken this path. Some were a little beat-up at the end of the process to be honest. Also, nearly all of them invested more money than intended to bring their book to life. Nah.

OPTION 2: Write a killer pitch and secure an agent.
There’s an abundance of advice online for getting a literary agent. Still I feared I’d spend too much time chasing the agent instead of doing what I really wanted to do… write my story. Also nah.

OPTION 3: Apply to participate in a book series.
The publisher would manage every aspect of publishing and promoting the book. They’d also provide a supportive community, a weekly mastermind meeting with fellow authors, and a team of professional editors to help perfect my story. Yes please!

I remembered an inspiring woman in my circle, who I’d met at a conference in Mexico a few years back, who recently launched a publishing house and a compilation book series. The woman was JB Owen.

WHAT IS A COMPILATION BOOK?

JB, dubbed the “Pink Billionaire” is a multi-passionate serial entrepreneur with a number of successful projects under her belt. More importantly, her businesses are impact driven. That spoke to my personal passions as someone who focuses on supporting impact driven businesses.

JB & her husband, Peter Giesin, founded Ignite. Within a year they birthed more than 8 additions to the series which all rose to best-seller status on Amazon and captured hundreds of 5-star reviews.

Each book was focused on a different topic and featured multiple authors sharing their personal story. Thrilled to see that an upcoming book in the series was centered on entrepreneurship, I applied and was excited to get accepted.

In less than 6 months I went from having no clue what it would take to write a book, to writing my own story and accomplishing my goal of becoming a published author (soon-to-be). The book, Ignite The Entrepreneur, will be published in the summer of 2020.

BENEFITS OF WRITING IN A COMPILATION BOOK

Having gone through the process I can say I’m glad I took this path to start my writing journey. Being part of a compilation book series has a number of benefits in comparison to going it alone. Here are the top reasons I’d suggest this path to new authors, plus my Ignite Your Life review.

The Process Is Simple

Ignite makes the process of writing your book as easy as pie. Once you’re accepted you get a portal that contains everything you need for success. You’ll get a calendar of events for your book series, a template to follow when writing your story, access to schedule sessions with your editors, and a database to learn more about other authors.

I simply wrote my story, scheduled a few calls, and uploaded a picture to be included in the book. Because my story was nestled amongst others the writing commitment was less than 4,000 words.

You Get Amazing Support

Every step of the process includes thoughtful support. As an Ignite author I got access to a professional mastermind group, multiple editors, and resources that I didn’t even know I needed. Each week I could participate in inspiring conversations with my fellow authors and get meaningful advice. Those who had tough emotions surface during the journey had access to a professional counselor.

There were weekly workshops to support my personal development beyond writing as well. One week we created vision boards. The next we did a group meditation. Support was abundant at every turn.

You Get To Expand Your Community

There are over 400 authors in the Ignite community. By joining the program you’ll share a common bond. I’ve had 1-on-1 conversations with others from my specific book as well as authors from other books in the series as well. There’s even an active Facebook Group where you can connect with new friends and contacts as well.

If you’re the type who believes that you can learn something new from everyone (which I am) this is a rich community full of go-getters who’ve been successful in both business and life.

It’s A Fixed Investment

Most authors spend $2,000 – $4,000 publishing their book. While it’s a worthwhile investment, there are many factors that can vary and inflate the final price. There’s the cost of editing, printing, designing the cover, marketing & promotion, shipping to buyers, and possibly more. You can manage all those moving parts or invest a one-time fee to cover it all. This simple path was appealing.

I didn’t intend for my first writing effort to be a stream of revenue in my business, so managing the cost this way turned out to be a great decision.

There’s No Time To Procrastinate

Do you know someone who has been writing their book for so long you’ve started to question if it’s ever gonna happen? I’ve know a few through the years. And honestly, I get it. Writing a book on your own means keeping yourself motivated and on schedule. But, life happens. Other things pop up that can take priority over writing, especially if you’re a first time author.

Writing for a compilation book puts you on a tight deadline. You only have so many months to submit your portion of the book or you’ll miss the boat. Having that pressure helps you stay focused and on task.

The Backend Work Is Handled

Beyond the cost of editing, printing, design, marketing, and distribution is the work of actually getting it all done. I didn’t want to spend my hours having conversations with multiple people to organize all that needed to be done. Ignite handled every bit of work on the backend. Instead of stressing about how I’d make sure my book got enough reviews, I could focus on telling my story.

FINAL SUMMARY

At the end of the day, getting your feet wet as an author through a compilation series has many benefits. The process provides an opportunity to incorporate writing into your daily life, learn the ropes of the industry, meet a likeminded community and accomplish something you may have struggled to do alone.

Interested in sharing your story? Have you written in a compilation book series? What was your experience? Let’s chat in the comments below!

The post Is Writing In A Compilation Book Series Worth The Effort? first appeared on Ashley Baxter.

What are affirmations?

Affirmations are statements you create around your goals and dreams that help train your brain to positive thoughts and possibilities.

In your affirmations, you declare your desires to be true. Studies have shown that doing this actually helps them come to reality. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the idea makes a lot of sense if you think about it. By simply believing that the things you desire could actually be yours you’ll be more likely to make actions towards getting them.

How To Write Affirmations

So where do you get affirmations?

You can Google affirmations and find hundreds of lists for every topic you can think of. From love, to work, to health, to wealth… many wise people have written detailed affirmations that you are free to copy.

However, your affirmations will have a larger impact on your life if you take a few minutes to focus them on things that you’re currently struggling with.

• STEP 1

  Grab a pen and paper, set a timer for 10 minutes, and write down any self-judgments, roadblocks, or negative thoughts that are holding you back and squashing your motivation.

• STEP 2

  Review that list. For each item, write a self-affirming statement that speaks the opposite of that feeling to be true. Here’s an example:

  Roadblock
  “I’ll never find my soulmate or be loved.”

  Affirmation
  “I am worthy of love and the person I’m meant to spend my life with will come into my life.”

• STEP 3

  After you’ve written your affirmations, create a schedule in which you’ll repeat them out loud or write them down. Then stick to it!

Why Repeating Your Affirmations Is So Important

On days when you need a little extra something to stay motivated, your affirmations can help keep you focused. It’s often said that you are what you think. Adding this bit of positive energy to your routine keeps your mind thinking good vibes. Those good feelings will start to spill into other areas of your life as well.

Take note of how you feel both before and after you repeat or re-write your affirmations. Chances are, you’ll feel much better afterwards.

It’s normal to feel some resistance when you start this process. If you aren’t accustom to reminding yourself of the possibilities it can feel forced. Some people often refer to the use of affirmations as a “fake it til’ you make it” exercise which feels a little disingenuous.

But that’s the point!

If you reject the hope and truth in the awesome things you wrote as your affirmations why would they ever become real? That’s why it’s important to push through. Read your affirmations until they feel real. Knowing that they are possible helps bring them to life.

Have you written you affirmations? How do you use them to stay motivated? Tell me in the comments below.

The post #MotivationMonday – Write & Repeat Your Affirmations first appeared on Ashley Baxter.

Change your environment!

In the corporate world that can mean getting up and going for a walk around the building or making sure to leave your desk for lunch. But what can you do when you’re tied to a laptop and on a deadline?

One of my favorite things is changing the environment between my ears. That’s right, I listen to something uplifting!

You can pop in your headphones and control your auditory stimulation now. What should you listen to? Well it all depends on what really gets you going. A few of my faves are:

Motivational Speeches

Sometimes a good pep talk can boost your motivation and get you in gear. I love the “Today is the Day” playlist on Spotify. It’s a playlist of motivational speeches that make me feel a bit like I’m back in my high school gym waiting to take the court before a game. If truth bombs and tough love are your thing, this one is for you.

Uplifting YouTube Videos

I’m a huge fan of inspirational speakers like Lisa Nichols, Abraham Hicks, and Tony Robbins. Did you know that there are tons of playlists of YouTube with the videos that you can listen to throughout the day? Pick your favorite speaker and do a Google search for their name + “YouTube playlist”. You’ll be surprised at the gems you find.

• Abraham Hicks
• Tony Robbins
• Louise Hay
• Lisa Nichols
• Wayne Dyer
• Bob Proctor

Happy Electronic Music

Something about EDM makes me really happy. The rhythm makes my body feel alive. The language is usually about happy feelings (if there are even any words at all). I can get totally lost in the beat and quickly shake any thoughts that might encourage me to procrastinate. My go to fave is ElectroPositivity on Spotify.

Guided Meditations

When most people think of meditations they think of being guided into peaceful bliss with their eyes closed. What I’ve found however, is that guided meditations are actually great triggers to reset your mindset for motivation in the middle of the day. As long as your meditation isn’t designed for a restful night’s sleep, you should be fine to take in its message as you work the day away. Oprah and Deepak Chopra have great guided meditations on a variety of topics. Their collections have gotten A+ ratings from myself and a number of my friends.

What do you listen to for motivation during the weekday? Share your tips in the comments below.

The post #MotivationMonday Tip – Create A Playlist for Positive Vibes first appeared on Ashley Baxter.

As the New Year creeps closer many of us will begin to write out our lists of new years resolutions. For most, it’s a timeless tradition passed down through generations.

The most common resolutions are related to weight loss, eating a healthier diet, being smarter with finances, and spending time more efficiently. All are perfectly good things to focus on improving.

What’s The Best One?

Yet, there is one resolution that goes unnoticed. There is one thing you could focus on in 2016 that would make all your other goals a million times easier to reach. Do you want to know what it is?

The most important new years resolution you can make in 2016 is to live a more conscious life. 

Yes, it is really that simple. Being more conscious in your everyday life choices will give you a strong foundation to accomplish literally anything you want to achieve. From your love life, to your family, to your career, or even your overall happiness, giving thought to the things that seem routine help you make decisions that get you closer to what you want.

You’re probably wondering why everyone doesn’t live consciously if it’s so easy, right?

That is because the hard part of conscious living is facing the truths uncover head on and doing something about them. Even more difficult will be learning to accept the ugliest truths for exactly what they are and finding peace in that.

Conscious Living vs Common Living

A great example is someone who makes a resolution each year to lose weight and exercise more but never manages to get in a workout.

The common man or woman would claim “I haven’t lost the weight because I am too busy to exercise.” From there, the common individual might:

• Continue to complain about their weight.
• Continue to whine about their inability to find time to exercise.
• Blame their lack of progress on other people, obligations, or their busy schedule.
• Feel with anger, shame or frustration if someone asks why they haven’t met their weight loss goals.

The conscious man or woman would claim “I haven’t lost the weight because I am too busy to exercise. I am too busy to exercise because I haven’t prioritized it in my schedule.” In that statement you see the conscious realization that it isn’t the busy schedule which prevents the exercise but the lack of prioritization. From there, the conscious individual would do one of two things:

• Accept that they are comfortable staying at their current weight because they don’t want to prioritize exercise in their schedule and make peace with their decision.
• Rearrange their schedule to make exercise a priority. This means they may have to make difficult decisions on what to remove from their schedule. Those decisions may lead to uncomfortable conversations with others regarding why their priorities have changed.

The common approach is comfortable. The conscious approach lives in truth. Knowing the truth pushes you to acceptance or action. The first brings peace and the latter brings a need to get outside your comfort zone and make change. The choice is yours every single day with every single decision you make.

How Does Resolving to Live Consciously Make a Difference?

Resolving to live consciously means you no longer accept life on auto-pilot. Your routine is no longer just a routine. You now have the power to get to the source of what you feel is holding you back from living the life you want. You now carry the ability to unveil the truths that will help you make steps to make changes for the better.

Those sometimes ugly truths may lead you to realize that it’s time to change your environment. That could mean leaving a comfortable job, a long relationship, or moving yourself or your family across the country. The truth could bring you to realize that in order to meet your resolutions you need to change your perspective. If you don’t want to do that, you can live in peace knowing that you aren’t ready to make that step.

Embrace this resolution, to live a conscious life, as your number one focus and watch your other resolutions fall into place with more ease than ever before. Your life is never going to be better than you decide to make it right now, so make a conscious decision to live out your fullest potential.

The post The Single Most Important Resolution You Can Make This New Years first appeared on Ashley Baxter.