14 Tips on How to Become a "Take Action" Type of Person: Part 1 of 2
By John Wood

Taking action.

Two simple words that are the driving force behind prosperity and happiness … and success in the writer’s life.

For writers, taking action is the difference between having so-so copywriting skills and great ones.

It's the difference between having zero clients and a stable of clients that consistently push you to an annual six-figure income.

But here's the thing about taking action.

It's easy not to do.

Because it's easier not to read the next course chapter, not to write a spec assignment, or not to make that follow-up call to a potential client.

If you sometimes neglect to take action, you're not alone.

I’ve been guilty – and so have other copywriters I've talked to. Everybody at one time has failed to take action regarding some task or assignment in their working life.

If you feel you could use a boost in the 'taking action' department, please read on.

I've compiled 14 tips (I’ll cover seven today and seven in tomorrow's issue) that will help you take action to advance your writing career:

1. Love what you do – This is the key to the whole thing, really. You have to focus on what it is you love about the writer’s life. Find a niche you enjoy, and every day will be a wonderful adventure.
2. Establish your goals and put together a plan to reach them – Studies show that only 3 percent of the population write down their goals and structure their lives to achieve them. This is surprising because it can make the difference between a life of constant struggle and one filled with abundance.

3. Think of yourself as a "do it now" person – Create an image of yourself in your mind as a "do it now," take-action type of person. Do whatever it takes to live up to that image.

   If you think of yourself as an environmentally friendly person, you'll be less likely to litter. If you think of yourself as a responsible driver, you'll be less likely to drive over the speed limit. If you think of yourself as a person who doesn't sit back and wait for good things to happen, you'll be more likely to take action.

4. Set up a reward system for yourself – Once you finish writing something, treat yourself to a walk in the park or dinner at your favorite restaurant. If you stick to your self-marketing or writing schedule for a week or month, reward yourself by treating yourself to something special from your favorite store or website.
5. Be accountable to others – Partner up with someone and hold each other accountable for the timeline of achievement you've mapped out for yourselves. Don't feel you can let things slide just because they're a friend. Treat them like they're a client. And give the deadlines you set for yourself the same urgency as the ones set for real clients.
6. Put everything else out of your mind and focus on a single task – It's hard to focus if in the back of your mind you're thinking about issues, concerns, and life problems unrelated to the task at hand. It's important to block everything out of your mind and give 100 percent attention to your work.
7. Don't feel you have to solve all of life's problems at once – This one is similar to the above point, but it's more "big picture." Sometimes, if you look at where you are and where you want to be, the gap – and the stuff you have to do to close the gap – can seem quite overwhelming. That can sometimes paralyze you into inaction. Focus on successfully completing each individual task at hand, and slowly but surely, you will get to where you want to be.

Do you have any examples of things you've done to get yourself to take action? Please share with me what you've done by leaving a comment below.