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Today’s rule is more about mindset than about a particular system or process. That doesn’t make it less important, or even less measurable — just a little more on the psychology side of the line. It’s also the solution to a key obstacle that keep people wanting to write for a living instead of actually doing it. Rule nine seems harder than it is, because most people don’t really understand what it means….
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HAVE A WEALTH MINDSET
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the population into two groups, and people who know better.
That’s true, but in this case there really are two major categories of your relationship with resources: a wealth mindset and a scarcity mindset.
A scarcity mindset looks at time, energy and money as finite. They plan their dreams according to what they perceive is available. A wealth mindset considers resources something you can get more of, and figures out how to make more available when their dreams get big.
Most would-be professional writers approach the money part with a scarcity mindset. They write what they can, then add up how much that writing earned them. It’s almost always a number so small they can’t imagine going full-time.
Using a wealth mindset approaches the problem in a different way. Instead of writing what you can and adding the total, start the month knowing how much you need to earn, then do whatever it takes to write that much.
It’s an expression of proactivity vs. reactivity, of optimism vs. pessimism. Turning that specific switch in your outlook will mean you write more, earn more, and achieve things you never could if you just settle for what you’ve already done.
It’s not as easy as I make it sound, but it’s exactly that simple. Make the switch and see what it does for you.
One caveat on wealth-based budgeting. Always make your plans based on a wealth mindset, but spend your money on scarcity lines. The alternative lands you in debt, which makes earning what you need exponentially harder.