Freelance Writers: Train Your Mind... or it will train you!

Freelance writers tend to have a lot going on in their minds... words, words, words. It's constant - and not uncommon to have so much conversation going on up there that you almost can't even sleep!

It's not that you're going nuts (well, maybe). In fact, all that chatter forms the word well you can tap into to write for clients almost effortlessly.

But... your mind may be a dangerous place to go alone! Unless you're constantly training it.

Last weekend, I was at the Nitro Marketing Full-Time Online seminar for internet marketers, and was delighted to see Kevin Wilke and Don Osbourne didn't just fill our tech toolboxes with how-to's, but we also went into mindset issues.

This point stuck with me - (and I knew it, but MAN was it still kicking my butt!).

"Train your mind, or it will train you!"

A friend of mine says 95% of what we do and think is on autopilot, and I think she's right. Another friend puts that number at 99%, and I think he's probably right, too! How many times do you drive somewhere and get out of the car without really remembering how you even got there? Who the heck was driving your car??? Autopilot.

Your brain has one mission: to keep you safe and happy. Problem is, "change" fits neither criteria according to your brain. So when you start changing stuff about what you do, where you go, who you hang out with, what you think about, and especially what you ask of yourself and your life, your brain basically freaks out and tries to do all it can to keep the status quo.

I've got this mental picture of my two dogs barking at the UPS man (poor guy). Let's say he represents change - and the pups are your brain. "INTRUDER!!!!! WOOOOFFFFFF!!!!" teeth bared, hair bristling (yet for some reason, tails still wagging?). Never mind that he's bringing you something you've been waiting for, that you really want, that you ordered and paid for!

Probably the smartest thing a UPS guy could do would be to carry a slab of bacon with him for dogs like this, and throw it somewhere they've got to run to in order to wolf it down. But he (and change) are not likely to be that determined... it's actually up to you to get them under control so you can take delivery.

Or, you could just heed the "Disaster!! Doom! Death and destruction!" warnings of your dogs (and your mind) and refuse delivery of the very things you desire, order, and pay for... whatever works for you. : )