“You have to put yourself out there!” “If you don’t promote yourself, you’re stealing from those who need you!” “Marketing and selling are an act of service.” You’ve probably heard these things. They’re all true. You might’ve also heard: “If your friends are annoyed by your success, they don’t deserve to be in your life.” […]
KEEP READINGThe F-word I don’t use (and maybe you shouldn’t, either)
“Are you a freelancer?” When someone asks that, I nod yes-ish and answer, “I have a copywriting business.” I’ll call myself a consultant, a professional copywriter, an independent contractor. I’ll say I’m for hire. A free agent. Available for projects. A business owner. But I don’t say “freelancer.” Why? Because it sounds poor. Poor, and […]
KEEP READINGUgly turkey, gratefulbragging and vaguesicking: 3 things I can do without seeing for a while.
I love when a holiday’s over! That doesn’t mean I hate holidays, or hate turkey (I like it fine, especially the skin), or hate joy. I’m not a monster. What drains me is when everyone’s doing and saying the same things. I guess that’s the nature of tradition. Though, oy, does social media make it worse. Shame on me for not […]
KEEP READINGAn Embarrassing Story About Marie Forleo
Back in 2003, there was this annoying chick who always danced in the front of my hip hop class at Crunch. To be clear, by “my hip hop class” I mean one that I went to every week, not one that I taught…or owned. And by “annoying chick” I mean she had an impossibly great […]
KEEP READINGYou have official permission not to do that f#cking 7-day challenge.
In third grade, I loaned a quarter to Serena, the richest girl in my class. She wanted it for a packet of Munchos from the vending machine. When I say rich, I mean, rich. Serena’s family had, and has, their last name on the most famous buildings in the world. Buildings with observation decks, where people get engaged or try crazy climbing stunts or realize their […]
KEEP READINGShit. I said a bad word.
There’s this twitter user you’ve probably heard of called “Shit My Dad Says.” He’s been on the scene since early Twitter. He tweets shit his dad says, and his feed was turned into a 2010 network tv show starring William Shatner. Except, of course, it wasn’t called “Shit My Dad Says.” It was written “$#*! […]
KEEP READINGThis one’s for the late bloomers.
It’s my birthday! [Update: It was. When I wrote this. If you’re reading this on October 30th, it is again!] I was supposed to arrive on October 25th. My mom took a chance and went to a Bar Mitzvah on the due date. There’s a picture of her in the parking lot of a synagogue, […]
KEEP READINGThe #1 Most Beautiful Word Of All Time
I won’t tease it out. Here’s what the word is: CANCELED. Or, cancelled. I looked it up, and you can choose your own spelling. Ever go to the magazine store and notice there’s Conde Nast Traveler and Conde Nast Traveller? It’s like that. I spell it canceled, single “l” because I canceled the second one, and I […]
KEEP READINGNot every entrepreneur wants to change the world. Some of us just want to love what we do and never fly coach.
Should I be ashamed? Am I a freak? A grinch, a soulless beast, a Kardashian-hearted money grubber? I wonder that sometimes. Because here’s what I see: People in the online business world (life coaches, business coaches, healers, private chefs, virtual assistants, copywriters, dog psychics) who cater to other people in the online business world (other […]
KEEP READINGThe real secret to a million-dollar business
Back in like, 1999, I kept getting calls from a collection agency for a mobile phone bill I’d already paid. Yes, I’d paid it late — to a previous collection agency, which, because collection agencies are just knuckleheads earning dollars from home in their dirty undies, had neglected to do the proper paperwork and log my payment. […]
KEEP READINGYes, it’s raining, humans are weird, and you can make a living telling us what we already know.
The other day, I was on my walk (fyi – when I say “a walk” it means just a putter around the neighborhood where I might stop into a clothing store and try on a top; when I say ”my walk” it means a long one that counts as my workout for the day. A walk that must happen. Podcasts […]
KEEP READINGThe three most boring words that come out of your mouth
Know what I need to do? Apparently, everything. Every time I open up 750words.com, which I use as my journal, I see that I accidentally skipped a few days. I broke my streak. And I invariably start with, “I need to write more.” And then, as I continue typing, the “I need to”s multiply like Gremlins when they get […]
KEEP READINGThe Cab Driver Who Convinced Me to Have Kids
No, a cab driver didn’t really convince me to have kids. But he sure did try. As soon as I got in, I knew he was was going to be one of “those” drivers. You know: the talkative kind. My first clue was that he asked, “How was your day?” instead of asking where I […]
KEEP READINGI Can Do Happy.
Yesterday’s blog post sucked. I knew it while I was writing it. I’d had nothing to write, a state which I’ve promised won’t stop me from writing. “No time to write today” is legit; “Nothing to write today” is not. Why? Because sometimes when I’m thinking, I’ve used up all the thoughts and ideas I’ll ever have, […]
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