Start towards a year of meaning, fulfillment, creativity, and much more.
I first stepped into the world of personal development when I was 18.
At the time, I was a high school kid, confused, lost, torn between fitting in, and being myself. On my five-year journey of self-discovery, change, and growth which was a roller coaster, I consumed a lot of self-help books. Most of these books said the same thing in different ways. Very few actually made a difference in my life.
What I’ve learned from reading a lot is that you don’t need to read fifty books each year like Bill Gates to truly make a difference in your life. If only pick a few good books, read them over and over again, and religiously apply them to your life, you’ll experience a remarkable transformation. …
Save your blog from becoming a total flop
Fancy bloggers making six figures love to feed you all sorts of lies. They love keeping you in the dark instead of telling you the reality of things because that’s what keeps dollar bills pouring into their bank accounts.
I know this because I happily subscribed to their lies before I started my WordPress blog three years ago. Some of these lies looked like the following:
“If you’re passionate about writing and want to make six figures from it, start a blog.”
“A blog is really easy to start.”
“Blogging is completely free!”
“Anyone can make $100,000 per month blogging.”
That’s just one tiny scoop of it. If I could go back in time, I would give this advice to my younger self: don’t start a blog. …
From a top-rated freelancer on Upwork
Upwork gets a bad rap from so-called six-figure freelancer-turned-coaches who’ve made it their mission to advocate against content mills.
But actually, the platform is a goldmine for freelancers, especially those at the beginning of their careers.
Here’s why:
- It helps you (literally) start from your scratch — no portfolio, no website, no prior experience needed.
- It helps you build a portfolio.
- It helps you figure out your niche.
- It helps you learn how to deal with clients.
- It helps you gain confidence so you can go after big shots later in your career.
That said, a lot of freelancers fail and give up because they don’t know the right strategies. See, Upwork is a content mill after all. And content mills are saturated with freelancers. It’s like a tank full of fishes competing for space and food. …
Even if you’re a beginner with no experience
I landed my first $50 writing job on Upwork within an hour of creating my Upwork account. Within four months I earned the top-rated status.
The secret? Killer cover letters.
On Upwork, your cover letter can make or break you. It’s the first thing clients notice; your samples come next. Given that Upwork is a highly competitive marketplace, a job posting can receive as many as fifty proposals out of which the client picks one freelancer. In most cases, this is the most experienced freelancer with good job history and excellent ratings on their profile.
Tiny efforts can save your relationships
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned during COVID-19 is that relationships matter. More than our jobs, more than our businesses, more than the latest thing in the market, and more than the trivial things that consume our minds and energy every day.
During the lockdown, we felt lonely, suffocated, scared, and craved human connection. Even the most introverted among us began wishing we could socialize, even for a little while. And a lot of us watched hopelessly as our loved ones lost their lives. It was a trying time and we learned just how much we need each other. …
Tips, tools, and best practices to become pro
I’m a non-native English speaker. My complete schooling happened in my native country. I grew up in a family where everybody spoke my native language. But today, I’m a professional writer. I’ve won international essay writing competitions in school, been published in an anthology and top Medium publications, and make side money as a freelance writer.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because I want you to know that I haven’t had any advantage over other non-native English speakers. I’m completely self-taught. I honed my English writing skills over the years using just a few tips and tools. …
And several mini psychological exercises.
People always told me I was a calm person. And I thought the same.
I’m one of those people in the room who stay silent and composed no matter how heated the situation gets instead of losing control. Until my therapist revealed to me that I had internalized my anger. This meant I was turning my anger inward, consequently indulging in self-harm, self-loathing, and self-criticism, rather than turning it outward. It wasn’t that I never got angry, it’s that I never showed that I was angry. …
They’re (probably) why clients keep rejecting you on Upwork
You can be the best freelancer out there, have the fanciest website and blog, and still not get clients.
You see clients don’t care about your website, your blog, or who you are. What they do care about is what you can do for them. Whether you can help solve their problem or not. Period. And they make this decision within seconds. They pick the one freelancer from a list of more than 50 who they think can solve their problem and save their time and ignore the rest.
The question is how do you ensure you’re not the one who gets ignored by clients? Because let’s be honest, as a freelance writer, nothing is more discouraging and heartbreaking than knowing you are willing to give 100% to a job that makes you money but nobody wants to hire you. …
How to level up your life and career while still in college.
Most people’s trajectory of life looks like this:
- Be born (without wanting to)
- Grow up a little
- Go to school
- Go to college
- Get a job
- Stay at the job
- (Maybe) get married
- Die (without wanting to)
But the fun part is you don’t have to follow this exact trajectory, you just think you do. There’s a lot you can do in the middle. In this article, I’ll tell you what you can do when you’re on #4 i.e in college.
Keep in mind, though, if you’ve graduated already you might regret reading this because you probably never thought you could do all of this stuff while in college. If you’re still in college though, good news. You still have time. What I’ll share with you now will get you ahead of the 99% because, as I said, most people don’t even think they can do all of this cool stuff. …
Stop feeling bad if you have ‘small’ goals.
Think your goals aren’t big enough? Think you aren’t ambitious enough? Think you’re selling yourself short?
Think again.
When I was in school, my teachers would often write on my reports that I’m an ‘ambitious student’. I obviously took it as a compliment, and so did my parents.
Being an ambitious student meant I was an overachiever. It meant I was always on top of my class. It meant I was always getting ‘A’ grades. It meant I always had the approval and admiration of my teachers and peers. So it was a big deal.
As I grew up, I internalized this definition of ‘ambitious’ that was thrown at me: famous, focused on the end goal, always on top, always seeking status and people’s approval. As an adult, I set goals for myself that any highly ambitious person would: study at the best university, get a high-paying corporate job, start a six-figure business, become a New York Times bestselling author, etc. The list was HUGE. …
About
