Amy Blaschka On Pursuing Your Dreams, Writing And Creativity
Amy wears many hats. She is a ghostwriter, content creator, author and in a way a great life coach. She also has some amazing personal beliefs on goal setting and education. We talked a lot about her favorite things. Communication, storytelling, writing, creativity, emotional intelligence, leadership, and human behavior fueled a lot of our discussions.
On this episode of The Just Keep Learning Podcast, we talked about podcasting, productivity, business tips, nutrition and mindset. Interestingly we had a conversation about what it means to be a badass. Badass, in a good way means being slow to anger, increasing confidence and pursuing your best, most authentic self.
In many ways, the conversation was rooted in common sense. If you don’t know what you want to do, try something. If you know what you want to do, decide on the next step and do it. Understand what your message is, who you serve, and how you can reach them. Focus on surrounding yourself with people who want to see you succeed and spend less time with the people that aren’t helpful.
Since her main professional success path took her into the field of freelance writing, ghostwriting and becoming an author, we were able to talk about how to succeed as a writer. How do you get started without needing permission? How do you make progress to the point where you can get paid to publish your writing?
One of the best discussions in the episode was about whether or not people should monetize their audience, or simply create the content for free. Ultimately, Amy provided great reasons as to how we can really do both. And it starts with knowing the difference between serving and selling. We can create a ton of free content that truly delivers value. Not because it’s part of a funnel, or marketing plan, but because it actually helps. And then, we can also share the fact that we have a product, or service that can really help people out there.
When asked for her number one piece of advice for people, she provides a very helpful answer. She wanted to tell people to stop hiding. Step out into who you're meant to be, stop being passive in your own life. You know? Stop hiding, get out there and just start, right? Just try! The real-world learning that comes from actual experience is as important as anything we could ever learn in a textbook.
12 Steps To Own Your Dream Career
What you end up doing as a job, or a career may not even exist, or at least it will evolve. You could create something brand new. When it comes to a “career”, you may also pivot a bunch of times. Either way, it all starts with some self-awareness.
- The first question is what do you want? If you don’t know, don’t be afraid to try things out quickly. It’s better to learn sooner than later, and not spend decades in a career that you don’t like.
- Create a roadmap that could get you there, realizing it will change.
- Identify your purpose for doing this, “your why”, so you can stay motivated in tough times.
- Test it out, have conversations, ask for feedback, create surveys and discussions on forums, or groups. See if there is any interest for what you might create. There's no downside other than learning that maybe it's not the right time or it's not the right type of career for you.
- Don’t stay a secret. Set up your site, and profiles with clarity. When you share on a social platform, people will click back. They want to know who’s putting out this content. If they search and your work is confusing you will lose them.
- Start building your portfolio before getting permission to publish. No one can stop you from creating content. If you haven’t published anything, people won’t be able to reference your work. So start creating in that medium before people are willing to pay you for it.
- Own it. You can say you are a musician, writer, or painter, whatever. Once you are doing it, speak it in the present tense. Don’t say I want to be, say I am.
- Take an audit of your network. Relationships are the most important thing. Investing in relationships will lead to opportunities and efficiency in your life. All it means is being trustworthy, honoring your word, and putting service first.
- Take an audit of your time. It’s the most important thing to protect. How are you using your time effectively and continually improving habits to support your goal? It won’t be perfect, but over time you will get more and more efficient.
- Know your target audience. Who are you speaking to? What do they need? What do you want to say to them? Where are they? Create for them, where they are and before long you’ll have a community building.
- When it comes to making money, focus on a few things you do well. What are your core offerings and how can you make it crystal clear to others? You want the reputation of your products, and services to be clear so people know why to hire you.
- Feel free to ask for referrals, reviews and testimonials. Careers and businesses are built through trust and reputation.
Memorable Quotes
“Some people will say they’re successful because they made a lot of money. That's great, but it’s not in the long run going to fulfill you.”
“A leader isn't dictated by title. Everyone is a leader. Everyone can be a leader. Regardless of age, experience, or job title. It's really how you move through the world. If you step up, speak out and speak your truth, everyone has the capacity for leadership.”
“You not using your talents at their highest and best use is depriving the world of something. You not doing that can actually be selfish because the world needs what you've got. You're the sum of your experiences, and everything can contribute to this world in a unique way.
Guest Bio
Our guest today has a ton of experience in building business, content creation and writing. She’s published thousands of articles on LinkedIn, Thrive Global, Medium, and Forbes. If we had to identify two of her top strengths, one would be storytelling, and the other career decision making.
When it comes to storytelling, she is an expert at helping leaders craft their stories, so they can communicate better. Working with clients, she helps them expand their reach and impact. She is also excellent at creating content and writing for other people. Through the art of ghostwriting, she helps those that struggle with marketing to show up how it will serve them best.
She is also incredible when it comes to career decision-making. Her many articles include content such as “Stop Doing The One Thing That’s Sabotaging Your Career Growth” and “You’re Not Lazy, You’re Scared. How To Stop Procrastinating.”
She has her own successful newsletter called “Illuminate Me” where she shares more intimate, personal insights on her favorite topics—communication, storytelling, writing, creativity, emotional intelligence, soft skills, leadership, and human behavior.
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