self improvement -

26Aug 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Self Confidence For Writers Part 6: Final Thoughts

When you've been writing for five, ten, fifteen years and have yet to see more than a little extra pocket money from your effort, it's easy to feel like you've accomplished nothing. And it's completely natural to think about giving up once in a while. It would certainly be easier to do just about anything else. Over the past few weeks I've discussed how various factors impact your self confidence, how to deal with different situations and what routines you can build to permanently improve your self confidence. These strategies are all useful, but the best way to build your self confidence is to make consistent progress towards your life goals. We all have issues, things we want to change about ourselves. Many of us also have big career dreams…

23Jun 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

13 Ways to improve your day — and your life

Self care for writers

For many writers, life is a constant struggle. Those of us whose books remain unpublished after years of work doubt our ability to write and wonder why we started. Those who have found success fear with each book that their chain of success will be broken. Many of us also struggle with depression. Many writers don't make a living on their work and instead have jobs they hate--or at least jobs that don't fulfill them but are necessary to pay the bills. While I'm lucky enough to be working from home as a freelance writer, I've struggled with depression for years and I may not ever fully conquer it. But now I spend most of my time happy and enjoying life. You may need something more drastic than anything on…

03Mar 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

The necessary mindset to build better habits

Goal setting, Inspirational, Writing

Building new habits only seems easy when the habits are bad. Forging good habits is a constant uphill battle, but it can be done. With the right mindset and a lot of hard work, you can create new habits and build the life you've always wanted. So what is the mindset that will spur you to success? In a nutshell, it's the belief that you can accomplish it and the willingness to work at it every single day. Really. Take it back to basics, those two things are all you need to be successful. To break it down further, there are four important beliefs which make up the mindset required for success: 1. I am already successful in many ways. Grab a pen and paper. Write down everything you've done…

06Jan 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Building new habits in 2014

Goal setting, Inspirational, Writing

Everybody--especially the people that don't admit it--wants to become a better, more successful version of themselves. The specifics vary from person to person, but it always boils down to two things: building good habits and eliminating bad ones. Looking at the big picture of self transformation is scary. Most of us have a pretty concrete vision of how we'd like to change--quit smoking, eat less fast food, write more, exercise regularly--and regularly attempt to make these changes. Many set these goals as their new year's resolutions, put real effort in for a couple weeks or months, then fall off the bandwagon. They set the same goals, year after year, never making more than minimal progress towards becoming the person they want to be. There are all kinds of reasons why…

07Nov 2012 by diannagunn

How to Use Nanowrimo to Change Your Life

Inspirational, Nanowrimo, Novels, Writing, Writing: The Process

You might think that the only thing you're going to get from writing a novel this month is a horrible first draft, some pretty web graphics, a cramp in your neck and a high caffeine tolerance. Of course, taken at face value and used in the most basic way, this might be all you get from Nanowrimo. But used properly, Nanowrimo can change your whole life in ways you might never have imagined. So how can you use Nanowrimo to change your life? Well, for starters now you can call yourself a novelist, which should give your ego a nice boost. But the changes I'm talking about here are deeper changes. Nanowrimo, used properly, can be a tool to teach yourself discipline, discover what you really want in life, and…