Five Ways To Boost Your Initiative FAST!

Written by Angela Booth


*Article Use Guidelines*

This copyrighted article is free for you to use as content in opt-in publications, or on your Web site. When you use it in opt- in publications, or on a Web site, please includerepparttar resource box.

However, please do not charge for it. Please DO NOT include it in CD compilations, paid-subscription sites or in publications for which you charge.

**

Summary: Are you a self-starter? Discover how you can increase your self-confidence (and change your life) by boosting your initiative.

Category: Small Business, Marketing, Writing

Words: 1000

Five Ways To Boost Your Initiative FAST!

Copyright © 2003 by Angela Booth

The educational system inrepparttar 117304 western world has a lot to answer for. It crushesrepparttar 117305 initiative right out of people. We get many questions from people who come to our Digital-e site. They want to work for themselves, or set up as a freelancer, or write a book. Our answers to these questions can be summed up by: "Use your initiative. Get creative. Anything you do will give you feedback, and then you can do another thing, and another."

For example, I've had several people request more info about writing proposals in response to my proposal-writing article: "How To Write A Proposal To Get Freelance Work" ---

http://www.digital-e.biz/art_writing8.html

The word "proposal" sounds official. Surely there are rules to writing proposals? People want to know whatrepparttar 117306 rules are, so they can do it right.

Here's a response I sent recently:

>> Don't get hung up onrepparttar 117307 word "proposal". The mini-proposals I describe inrepparttar 117308 article are LETTERS first and foremost.

Like---

Dear person at this business

Your business would be greatly enhanced and you would make much more money if ---X. (Or you have this problem that needs fixing.)

I can do this for you.

You can get in touch with me at/ by ---Y.

See?

No big deal. Send a letter. :-) It should take you all of 10 mins max to create one of these things.

>>

Here's a partial dictionary definition of "initiative":

1. The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.

2. A beginning or introductory step; an opening move: tookrepparttar 117309 initiative in trying to solverepparttar 117310 problem.

From: http://dictionary.reference.com/

Success begins when you takerepparttar 117311 initiative. Here's how to boost your initiative FAST:

=> Tactic One: Realize there are no rules

In business, there's one rule: "whatever works". As long as you don't break any laws, you get to make up your own rules as you go along.

Inrepparttar 117312 writing field, it seems as if there are a hundred and one rules for manuscript formatting, for approaching markets, for this and for that. You can safely ignore ALL ofrepparttar 117313 writing rules --- you're an individual. Do it your way.

For example, there's a no-simultaneous-submissions rule which book publishers espouse. This is a problem for writers because book publishers will take anywhere from one month to one year (or even longer) to respond to any book proposal you send them. Since you might have to make 20 submissions before you get a publisher, this rule does not work for writers, so you can ignore it.

Professional writers become professionals by ignoring junk rules like this, and what's more, publishers expect them to ignore these so-called rules.

How to Turn Idea Squashers into Possibilities

Written by Steve Brunkhorst


By Steve Brunkhorst http://www.AchieveEzine.com

Managing a small business continues to become more challenging. However, history has shown that resourceful business owners will succeed. They will prosper, turning disadvantages into advantages by thinking creatively.

While entrepreneurs focused on competition fade intorepparttar past, those working from a creative standpoint will carryrepparttar 117303 torch. The creative individual will forcerepparttar 117304 solution to a problem by looking closely at his or her vision, values, resources, and assumptions. He or she will find alternatives through creative problem solving.

I recently attended a business seminar whererepparttar 117305 presenter talked about "idea squashers." Squashers are assumptions that form barriers to creative thought. You've probably known someone who was great at coming up with squashers when first hearing new ideas. It'srepparttar 117306 familiar "Yeah but..." response. The trick is to turnrepparttar 117307 squasher into a possibility by responding to it with a leading question, or "assumption buster."

Here are some examples of squashers that block creative thought:

We've always done it this way. I've already tried that. There's too much competition. It's irrelevant to our situation. You don't have enough experience. We don't have a big enough budget. An "average Joe" can't get ahead. We haven't gotrepparttar 117308 manpower. Someone might not like it. Let's stick with what works. It's too far ahead ofrepparttar 117309 times. That's not in my job description. I'll get back to you later. Stick with what you know. It will take too much time. Nobody asked you to do this.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use