After stumbling across a recently-released book version of Neil Gaiman’s 2012 Make Good Art speech, I decided it’s a must-share with all of you (transcript below in it’s entirety for those of you who don’t like watching video).

Even if you’ve already watched this speech, I highly suggest re-reading the transcript. It’s insanely good advice for all creatives, artists, recent grads, HUMANS.

Make Good Art — Commencement Speech for University of the Arts

{Full transcript via University of the Arts, bold emphasis mine}

I never really expected to find myself giving advice to people graduating from an establishment of higher education.  I never graduated from any such establishment. I never even started at one. I escaped from school as soon as I could, when the prospect of four more years of enforced learning before I’d become the writer I wanted to be was stifling.

I got out into the world, I wrote, and I became a better writer the more I wrote, and I wrote some more, and nobody ever seemed to mind that I was making it up as I went along, they just read what I wrote and they paid for it, or they didn’t, and often they commissioned me to write something else for them.

Which has left me with a healthy respect and fondness for higher education that those of my friends and family, who attended Universities, were cured of long ago.

Looking back, I’ve had a remarkable ride. I’m not sure I can call it a career, because a career implies that I had some kind of career plan, and I never did. The nearest thing I had was a list I made when I was 15 of everything I wanted to do: to write an adult novel, a children’s book, a comic, a movie, record an audiobook, write an episode of Doctor Who… and so on. I didn’t have a career. I just did the next thing on the list.

So I thought I’d tell you everything I wish I’d known starting out, and a few things that, looking back on it, I suppose that I did know. And that I would also give you the best piece of advice I’d ever got, which I completely failed to follow.

First of all: When you start out on a career in the arts you have no idea what you are doing.

This is great. People who know what they are doing know the rules, and know what is possible and impossible. You do not. And you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can.

If you don’t know it’s impossible it’s easier to do. And because nobody’s done it before, they haven’t made up rules to stop anyone doing that again, yet.

Secondly, If you have an idea of what you want to make, what you were put here to do, then just go and do that.

And that’s much harder than it sounds and, sometimes in the end, so much easier than you might imagine. Because normally, there are things you have to do before you can get to the place you want to be. I wanted to write comics and novels and stories and films, so I became a journalist, because journalists are allowed to ask questions, and to simply go and find out how the world works, and besides, to do those things I needed to write and to write well, and I was being paid to learn how to write economically,  crisply, sometimes under adverse conditions, and on time.

Sometimes the way to do what you hope to do will be clear cut, and sometimes it will be almost impossible to decide whether or not you are doing the correct thing, because you’ll have to balance your goals and hopes with feeding yourself, paying debts, finding work, settling for what you can get.

Something that worked for me was imagining that where I wanted to be – an author, primarily of fiction, making good books, making good comics and supporting myself through my words – was a mountain. A distant mountain. My goal.

And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from the mountain. I said no to editorial jobs on magazines, proper jobs that would have paid proper money because I knew that, attractive though they were, for me they would have been walking away from the mountain. And if those job offers had come along earlier I might have taken them, because they still would have been closer to the mountain than I was at the time.

I learned to write by writing. I tended to do anything as long as it felt like an adventure, and to stop when it felt like work, which meant that life did not feel like work.

Thirdly, When you start off, you have to deal with the problems of failure.

You need to be thickskinned, to learn that not every project will survive. A freelance life, a life in the arts, is sometimes like putting messages in bottles, on a desert island, and hoping that someone will find one of your bottles and open it and read it, and put something in a bottle that will wash its way back to you: appreciation, or a commission, or money, or love. And you have to accept that you may put out a hundred things for every bottle that winds up coming back.

The problems of failure are problems of discouragement, of hopelessness, of hunger. You want everything to happen and you want it now, and things go wrong. My first book – a piece of journalism I had done for the money, and which had already bought me an electric typewriter  from the advance – should have been a bestseller. It should have paid me a lot of money. If the publisher hadn’t gone into involuntary liquidation between the first print run selling out and the second printing, and before any royalties could be paid, it would have done.

And I shrugged, and I still had my electric typewriter and enough money to pay the rent for a couple of months, and I decided that I would do my best in future not to write books just for the money. If you didn’t get the money, then you didn’t have anything. If I did work I was proud of, and I didn’t get the money, at least I’d have the work.

Every now and again, I forget that rule, and whenever I do, the universe kicks me hard and reminds me. I don’t know that it’s an issue for anybody but me, but it’s true that nothing I did where the only reason for doing it was the money was ever worth it, except as bitter experience. Usually I didn’t wind up getting the money, either.  The things I did because I was excited, and wanted to see them exist in reality have never let me down, and I’ve never regretted the time I spent on any of them.

The problems of failure are hard.

The problems of success can be harder, because nobody warns you about them.

The first problem of any kind of even limited success is the unshakable conviction that you are getting away with something, and that any moment now they will discover you. It’s Imposter Syndrome, something my wife Amanda christened the Fraud Police.

In my case, I was convinced that there would be a knock on the door, and a man with a clipboard (I don’t know why he carried a clipboard, in my head, but he did) would be there, to tell me it was all over, and they had caught up with me, and now I would have to go and get a real job, one that didn’t consist of making things up and writing them down, and reading books I wanted to read. And then I would go away quietly and get the kind of job where you don’t have to make things up any more.

The problems of success. They’re real, and with luck you’ll experience them. The point where you stop saying yes to everything, because now the bottles you threw in the ocean are all coming back, and have to learn to say no.

I watched my peers, and my friends, and the ones who were older than me and watch how miserable some of them were: I’d listen to them telling me that they couldn’t envisage a world where they did what they had always wanted to do any more, because now they had to earn a certain amount every month just to keep where they were. They couldn’t go and do the things that mattered, and that they had really wanted to do; and that seemed as a big a tragedy as any problem of failure.

And after that, the biggest problem of success is that the world conspires to stop you doing the thing that you do, because you are successful. There was a day when I looked up and realised that I had become someone who professionally replied to email, and who wrote as a hobby.  I started answering fewer emails, and was relieved to find I was writing much more.

Fourthly, I hope you’ll make mistakes.

If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something. And the mistakes in themselves can be useful. I once misspelled Caroline, in a letter, transposing the A and the O, and I thought, “Coraline looks like a real name…”

And remember that whatever discipline you are in, whether you are a musician or a photographer, a fine artist or a cartoonist, a writer, a dancer, a designer, whatever you do you have one thing that’s unique. You have the ability to make art.

And for me, and for so many of the people I have known, that’s been a lifesaver. The ultimate lifesaver. It gets you through good times and it gets you through the other ones.

Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do.

Make good art.

I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn’t matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art.

Make it on the good days too.

And Fifthly, while you are at it, make your art. Do the stuff that only you can do.

The urge, starting out, is to copy. And that’s not a bad thing. Most of us only find our own voices after we’ve sounded like a lot of other people. But the one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.

The moment that you feel that, just possibly, you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself. That’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.

The things I’ve done that worked the best were the things I was the least certain about, the stories where I was sure they would either work, or more likely be the kinds of embarrassing failures people would gather together and talk about  until the end of time. They always had that in common: looking back at them, people explain why they were inevitable successes. While I was doing them, I had no idea.

I still don’t. And where would be the fun in making something you knew was going to work?

And sometimes the things I did really didn’t work. There are stories of mine that have never been reprinted. Some of them never even left the house. But I learned as much from them as I did from the things that worked.

Sixthly. I will pass on some secret freelancer knowledge.

Secret knowledge is always good. And it is useful for anyone who ever plans to create art for other people, to enter a freelance world of any kind. I learned it in comics, but it applies to other fields too. And it’s this:

People get hired because, somehow, they get hired. In my case I did something which these days would be easy to check, and would get me into trouble, and when I started out, in those pre-internet days, seemed like a sensible career strategy: when I was asked by editors who I’d worked for, I lied. I listed a handful of magazines that sounded likely, and I sounded confident, and I got jobs. I then made it a point of honour to have written something for each of the magazines I’d listed to get that first job, so that I hadn’t actually lied, I’d just been chronologically challenged…you get work however you get work.

People keep working, in a freelance world, and more and more of today’s world is freelance, because their work is good, and because they are easy to get along with, and because they deliver the work on time. And you don’t even need all three. Two out of three is fine. People will tolerate how unpleasant you are if your work is good and you deliver it on time. They’ll forgive the lateness of the work if it’s good, and if they like you. And you don’t have to be as good as the others if you’re on time and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you.

When I agreed to give this address, I started trying to think what the best advice I’d been given over the years was.

And it came from Stephen King twenty years ago, at the height of the success of Sandman. I was writing a comic that people loved and were taking seriously. King had liked Sandman and my novel with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens, and he saw the madness, the long signing lines, all that, and his advice was this:

“This is really great. You should enjoy it.”

And I didn’t. Best advice I got that I ignored. Instead I worried about it. I worried about the next deadline, the next idea, the next story. There wasn’t a moment for the next fourteen or fifteen years that I wasn’t writing something in my head, or wondering about it. And I didn’t stop and look around and go, this is really fun. I wish I’d enjoyed it more. It’s been an amazing ride. But there were parts of the ride I missed, because I was too worried about things going wrong, about what came next, to enjoy the bit I was on.

That was the hardest lesson for me, I think: to let go and enjoy the ride, because the ride takes you to some remarkable and unexpected places.

And here, on this platform, today, is one of those places. (I am enjoying myself immensely.)

To all today’s graduates: I wish you luck. Luck is useful. Often you will discover that the harder you work, and the more wisely you work, the luckier you get. But there is luck, and it helps.

We’re in a transitional world right now, if you’re in any kind of artistic field, because the nature of distribution is changing, the models by which creators got their work out into the world, and got to keep a roof over their heads and buy sandwiches while they did that, are all changing. I’ve talked to people at the top of the food chain in publishing, in bookselling, in all those areas, and nobody knows what the landscape will look like two years from now, let alone a decade away. The distribution channels that people had built over the last century or so are in flux for print, for visual artists, for musicians, for creative people of all kinds.

Which is, on the one hand, intimidating, and on the other, immensely liberating. The rules, the assumptions, the now-we’re supposed to’s of how you get your work seen, and what you do then, are breaking down. The gatekeepers are leaving their gates. You can be as creative as you need to be to get your work seen. YouTube and the web (and whatever comes after YouTube and the web) can give you more people watching than television ever did. The old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are.

So make up your own rules.

Someone asked me recently how to do something she thought was going to be difficult, in this case recording an audio book, and I suggested she pretend that she was someone who could do it. Not pretend to do it, but pretend she was someone who could. She put up a notice to this effect on the studio wall, and she said it helped.

So be wise, because the world needs more wisdom, and if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise, and then just behave like they would.

And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art.

Graduating this Spring? Check out the 3 Secrets of Highly Successful Graduates — Slideshow

For anyone graduating this Spring (or if you know a recent grad), be sure to also check out this awesome slideshow: The 3 Secrets of Highly Successful Graduates via Ben Casnocha based on The Start-up of You which he co-authored with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. Career professionals of all ages in transition will find the messages comforting and empowering.

Written by Jenny Blake

“Any other questions on your mind?” The doctor asked through a forced smile and subtly gritted teeth.

She must not have liked my ten minutes (just ten!) of health questions after I waited 45 minutes past my scheduled appointment time to see her.

The conversation, loosely approximated, went something like this:

“I’m trying to troubleshoot my breakouts, so I’ve eliminated sugar, gluten, dairy and alcohol from my diet. Can you help me test the nutrients in my bloodstream to make sure my levels are normal?”

“Okay I can run your testosterone levels.”

“Well, I…I’d like to know about all of my levels — iron, calcium, cholesterol — whatever is possible to test. I’m willing to pay extra.”

“If you’re eating leafy greens, you’re probably fine.”

“What I am trying to say is that, I’d like some precise data rather than making a wild guess or just assuming everything is okay.” **

**May the record state that I am not the one in the room who went to medical school! I am a woo woo yogi life coach and I have to convince you of my desire for data?!

She still looked skeptical. “You know, it could be the environment too. New York has a lot of pollutants in the air.”

“Listen, I’ve tried everything and nothing has worked. I am now paying very close attention to my food, and that IS working. But rather than just hoping or assuming my body is balanced and my hormone levels are normal, I would like to see some bloodwork.”

Sigh, “Ohhhh Kaayyyeeee, we can do that,” she said, almost as though she were appeasing a child by acknowledging an imaginary friend.

Are you kidding me?!

I report that I am exercising, meditating (to lower stress that shows up as cortisol), not drinking, not a smoker, and eating just about as clean as one can eat, and I have to make a case to get some basic facts about how those changes are reflected in my body?

I am a woman without wine, cappuccinos and chocolate (okay, still working on this one) — do you think I would give those up if I weren’t serious?!?!

We move on to the exam portion of the appointment.

“Have you seen a dermatologist? They can prescribe {long complicated name}.”

“Yes, I’ve seen dermatologists for the last 15 years actually.” And in fact, not one has ever asked me what I was eating.

I explained to her that I have tried every cream, pill and antibiotic, and beyond studies showing that many have harmful long-term affects, they weren’t working.

At the peak of my frustration, I figured maybe my body is trying to tell me something.

So instead of shutting it up with pills and prescriptions, I decided to listen and experiment and understand if I am doing something to enable the reaction (breakouts) I’m trying to avoid.

I started reading countless books, blogs and studies on how closely correlated diet is with acne. I gobbled up every bit of research and naturopathic remedy I could find. I now know that, in addition to stress and hormones, dairy, sugar, gluten and caffeine have all been known to aggravate (if not outright cause) acne.

Bottom line 1: Knowledge is power.
Bottom line 2: I will be switching doctors.

This whole experience was not all that abnormal. To the non-informed patient it was just like any other 20-minute annual exam. But to a frustrated and increasingly more educated one in the areas of health and nutrition, it was a wake-up call.

Sure, I could pay for a third-party to conduct all these standard tests for me, but should I have to? If the doctor was already drawing my blood for a routine exam, wouldn’t it make sense to tack on a few other nice-to-know benchmarks?

You just earned a new CEO title (and the responsibility that follows)

This experience was an important reminder that we need to learn to be our own health advocates. I say learn because this IS a skill. It is not something we are taught, and medical care can be quite intimidating and overwhelming . . . and I’m not even dealing with the big stuff.

You’ve heard me talk about how no one will hand you your career on a silver platter. Well, it takes the same dedication, work, research, eating/exercise experiments, and awareness to be the CEO of your own health and medical care.

There is no doubt that the practitioners you choose to see are important, as are regular check-ups, but they are nowhere near everything.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments: Have any of you had a similar experience? How do you approach the “CEO of your own health” mentality (if at all)?

Written by Melissa Anzman

Genius comes in every age – and I’m guessing that you are one of the smart ones at work. Being one of the smartest employees in the room, and also one of the youngest, can be a frustrating conundrum. You know you have value to add in the conversation, you are qualified to take on a challenge, but your perceived age is stopping others from taking you seriously.

That stops now.

Push Past Your Age and Be Taken Seriously at Work

1. Do your job really, really well.

This probably goes without saying, but unless you are delivering what they are asking at a very high level, nothing you do will change their perception about needing “more time in the job” or maturing. Deliver consistently, exceed expectations at every opportunity you get, and be reliable.

2. Stop telling people how old/young you are.

This is good advice for everyone, but there is a reason that age is a protected class. No one except for HR (and maybe your direct manager), should know how old you are. So stop going around and telling people that you’re only {enter a number in your 20s}.

If you don’t bring your age up, it’s a non-conversation. So while your accomplishments are amazing for your age, toot that horn outside of work with your friends and family… not to your coworkers.

3. Step away from any and all conversations about age.

I am always surprised when the question comes up during a meeting, but when there is one person in the room who looks young, someone always wants to figure out just how young that person is. If you are asked directly, “How old are you?” do not answer. For the love of Nancy.

Hedge around the question by changing the topic or making a self-deprecating remark such as, “I know Bob, I look young, but really, we’re both here to do a job. Come on buddy!” Regardless of the situation or fear of being “rude,” just don’t answer it. Once you respond, it will get around and you will find you will not be able to outrun your age from anyone!

4. Pop-culture references.

Lack of pop-culture knowledge is what usually “outs” people as being young. And it is also the thing that makes your older peers feel ridiculously old. What am I talking about? For example, when someone throws out a Def Leopard reference, or refers back to Spaceballs… you respond with a “what is that?” comment.

Please, don’t do that anymore. It’s extremely upsetting for the person on the other side of that question. Trust me – this is the number one “annoyance” that has been pointed out to me by managers, as being a “target” for immaturity. It’s not right, but it’s how it is.

Instead, either brush up on some 1980s and 1990s pop-culture trivia or simply be a part of the conversation instead of asking for clarification. Some resources to help you gain this knowledge: watch a lot of Pop-Up Video, Google pop culture trivia and start learning, or watch a ton of “cult classic” movies from the 1980s and 1990s.

5. Your outward appearance should match your peers’.

Appearance is everything, so make sure that your outside presentation matches that of your peers’. I’m not saying don’t be trendy, cute or styled; but instead, make sure that you are dressing the part. For example, if your female peers do not wear jeans to work – guess what, you shouldn’t either. Even if you style it amazing. If your male peers are not wearing sandals, you can’t either. See the difference?

You don’t have to be dull or blend in with your appearance, but you do need to keep the same standards that they have. Thus, eliminating the appropriateness conversation and instead shifting the discussion to one of style.

6. Be confident when you contribute, but speak up wisely.

You should absolutely contribute and speak up during group meetings and discussions. But remember that every time that you do, people will be listening – so do so wisely.

A common complaint about Gen Y’ers (hello – big generalization coming), is that they “think they know it all.” Totally NOT the case, but to help differentiate yourself from this stereotype, when you do speak-up, try and do it with care, finesse and value-add. Stand firm in your delivery, but also be engaging and inclusive with your remarks.

Make your contribution feel as though it’s from the whole team.

7. Stop referring to, “in school we did…”

Bad news here people, but school is nothing like the real working world. You have probably figured that out by now. So stop referring to all of the fabulous things that you did in school that you expect to work or resonate at work.

First, it makes your colleagues feel old – I mean, if you are still referring to school, you are giving away your age. Second, it negates all of the lessons you have learned and applied in the “real world.”

These references can creep up and maybe even deliver a good idea or two from time to time. Don’t stop using these learnings, but start positioning them differently. Present the idea without the introduction – and you’ll be awesome.

We’d love to hear from you below in the comments: What have you done that has helped you stand out at work, without your age being an issue?

About Melissa

Melissa Anzman is the creator of Loosen Your White Collar where she helps people get clarity, get ahead, and love their job. She is the author of two books: How to Land a Job and Stop Hating Your Job. Follow her @MellyMelAnz.

Written by Paul Angone

Do you ever feel like you’re spinning sixteen different glass plates at once? The question not if they will fall, but when? And how many shards of glass will be left lodged in your legs once they do?

That’s how I’ve felt the last six months. My spinning glass plates? Being an Author. Blogger. Speaker. Full-Time Employee. Husband. New Father. Friend. Son. Brother. Neighbor…The list just keeps on going and going…

Where should my time be spent? What comes first? Second? Or not at all.

How the heck do you balance sixteen different elephants all jumping on the same side of a teeter-totter – without being crushed in the process?

Over-Commit Much?

It seems in this day and age if you’re not over-committing you’re not being a true red-blooded-American. Like those weirdos who don’t eat meat or watch Nascar. Freaks.

We talk so much about the need for “balance” because we have so much over-commitment. An epidemic of over-commitment. This desire, daresay sickness to exclaim, “yes of course” when your entire schedule (and soul) is screaming, “please God no!”

I myself am an over-committer. And I think it’s for two reasons:

Insecurity and Fear.

Insecurity – That no one will ever ask me to speak, write, or help again…

Fear – That no one will ever ask me to speak, write, or help again…

So I smile.

I say, “yes count me in!”

I regret my “yes” about 3.4 seconds after it exits from my mouth.

Then I spend the next few weeks passively aggressively trying to avoid the person I said yes too. (If you’re reading this and I haven’t emailed you back about that thing we talked about two weeks ago, I’m of course not referencing you here. However, I just went on vacation for about two months on an island without Internet connection (crazy, right?) so it would just be a waste of your time to try emailing me again).

Balancing Act

That’s exactly what trying to balance the un-balanceable is – an act. You’re putting on a show and when the reviews of your performance start coming in they are going to be more rotten than rousing. Because when we take on too much, everything suffers. Even the things we used to do with ease and enjoyment are pulled down by the dead-weight of over-commitments.

So instead of life-balance, we need to work on something else — life-prioritization. What’s the difference between life-balance and life-prioritization, you ask?

Balance: Carrying too much on each arm then trying your best to walk across a tightrope without the net.

Prioritization: Strategic, specific, and planned — only carrying what is necessary so that the chances of falling are greatly reduced. And the chances of reaching the end successfully – greatly increased.

Life-prioritization is focusing, honing, and becoming very specific in what we will say yes and no to.

Prioritization makes finding balance extremely simple because instead of juggling fifteen balls, you’re holding tightly to a few.

Prioritization is simply, simplifying — it is saying yes only to tasks that align with your values, strengths, long-term plans, and passions.

How do we become intentional with life-prioritization? Maybe before committing to anything new ask yourself one question: Does this fit with my long-term vision of who I am and where I am going?

Of course, this means you have to actually have a vision. Preferably written down and thought-out. Where do you want to be in 20 years? Are the commitments in your life pushing you towards that vision or pulling you away? How do you commit or possibly even begin un-committing to things that are not aligned with where you want to go? Instead of trying to balance dead-weight, maybe it’s time to just cut it loose.

Start Becoming Confident in Where You Are Competent

Instead of finding life-balance lets find life-prioritization. Lets start growing confidence where we are competent so that we stop letting fear and insecurity say yes for us.

If any of this seems overwhelming and you don’t know where to even begin, start by getting Jenny Blake’s help! Seriously. It’s not too late to join her May Mastermind program with the deadline to enroll being Sunday, May 5. I’ve had the immense privilege of being coached by Jenny and it was invaluable in helping clarify my goals and take steps towards them.

Let’s start prioritizing. Because for every yes we are in turn saying no to something else.

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below:

What’s one thing you can cut that doesn’t fit with your long-term vision?

About Paul

Paul Angone is the creator of All Groan Up, a community for emerging adults searching for self, faith, and a freaking job. Snag a free copy of his ebook 21 Secrets for your 20’s and follow him at @PaulAngone.

I’m excited to share the story of two-time MSH Alum Ben Edwards today, whose big goal was to “help people get out of debt by publishing a motivational and informative book.” Ben’s book has had an incredibly successful run on Amazon, peaking at #2 among books in the personal finance category. At just $2,99 a pop, it’s a steal, so let’s see if we can help him meet his new über-goal of landing the highly-coveted #1 spot! Keep reading because he’s doing TWO awesome giveaways today . . .

May Mastermind Reminder

Before we get to the Q&A: for those of you who are considering the Build Your Business monthlong mastermind program for side hustlers and solopreneurs, it’s not too late to sign-up! You’ll get crystal clear on what you want to create, how much you want to earn and who you want to work with, and I promise to share my very best tips and tools for building a sustainable, profitable business.

What we’ll cover:
Mondays at 3:30pm ET, with recordings sent out within 24 hours

• May 6: Vision: What *does* your ideal business (and life) look like?
• May 13: The Financials, Ideal Clients and How to Find Them
• May 20: Profitable Platform-Building, Book Deals and Authentic Marketing
• May 27: Action Plan & Next Steps

The format includes 4 content calls, 4 open office hours, an accompanying workbook and an optional accountability group. Check out last week’s post for a full program overview and FAQ refresher. Enrollment is open until midnight on Sunday, May 5 and costs $75. We have an amazing group assembling, and I’d love to work with you if this sounds like just what you need!

Made Sh*t Happen: Ben Edwards, Author of Debt Heroes

ABOUT: Describe your goal in more detail — what did it involve? What inspired you to go after it?

My friend Jeff Rose is running something called the Debt Movement. It’s a challenge to help consumers pay off $1,000,000 dollars in debt in 90 days.

We were brainstorming about the movement and agreed it would be great to have something that would last even after the challenge was over. Jeff had a lot on his plate so he didn’t have time to put together a book by himself.

Not only did I want to contribute to the Debt Movement, I also wanted to learn about the world of self-publishing I offered to be the co-author and run with it.

VALUES: Why was this goal important to you? What purpose did it serve? What underlying values did it honor?

I’ve been blogging about money for 6 years now. The nice thing about blog posts is that they’re relatively short so that reduces the barrier to getting it done and published. The downside is that you feel like you’re not comprehensively covering a topic. I worry that people read my posts and are informed but don’t necessarily have enough there to take action. I wanted to put together something that was more comprehensive.

I hope we’ve done that with Debt Heroes. The book actually walks readers through their own “hero’s journey” to pay off debt and helps them figure out where they are in the process.

FEAR/DOUBTS: What were your biggest fears, doubts and insecurities before starting? What barriers (real or imagined) were in your way?

My two biggest barriers were finding the time to put the book together and my lack of knowledge of the self-publishing world. I was under a tight deadline so the time I spent learning about how to get a book out on Amazon took away from hours I really needed to be writing.

I had two main fears: 1) That I would put out the book and no one would read it 2) The book wouldn’t be any good.

To overcome those barriers and fears I had to spend money on training and experts. I bought Guy Kawasaki’s book, APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur and enrolled in two online courses about self-publishing to learn 1) How to get a book on Amazon 2) How to get people to read the book.

I hired a cover designer to start working on the “face of the book,” found an editor to help me make sure the quality of the book was up to par, and ended up hiring a PR lady to help me with a press release and to reach out to her contacts in the media.

I also relied on some of my readers to help define and refine the content of the book. I worked with the members of my email newsletter to help choose the best cover design and to get feedback on some of the earlier drafts of Debt Heroes. As a result of their feedback I added several sections to the book that I think helped make it a better resource for readers.

COURAGE: How did you build the courage to actually do it? How did you know it was time?

I did it by just taking one step at a time and tweaking as I went. I started by making a list of people who I wanted to be in the book. The next step was reaching out to see if I could get enough people to make a book of it. Once I had a critical mass then I started crafting the message of the book.

It was definitely an iterative process. After I sent the first draft of the book to the editor she politely told me I still had a lot of work to do. She gave me a lot of good feedback and I got back to work.

SUPPORT: Who held you accountable to your goal? Were friends and family supportive, or did they think you were crazy? How did you build your support network?

It really helped that I had a deadline. The Debt Movement was scheduled to begin January 1st so people with New Year’s resolutions of getting their finances in order could participate. I knew Jeff was depending on me to get it out for the Debt Movement.

I did have a lot of support. My wife put up with me working nights and weekends to get it done. I’ve built a close circle of blogging friends over the last 6 years and they were helpful in giving feedback. It was also nice having Jeff as a co-author to turn to for help with the direction of the book and to bounce ideas off of.

THE DIP: Was there ever a moment/period if time that you felt you had hit a dip (felt like a failure and/or wanted to quit)? How did you persevere and/or what helped you continue your goal & stay on track?

The biggest challenge in putting together the book was just finding the time to work on it since I have a full time job and 3 little kids. I never felt like quitting but I was definitely worried it wouldn’t be ready by the deadline. I wanted it to be quality so I didn’t want to rush through just to get it done.

After talking to my co-author Jeff about my time shortage we came up with an obvious answer. The first month of the Debt Movement was designed to let people know about the movement and to get them signed up for the challenge. Since the actual challenge to pay down debt didn’t start until the beginning of February, I could spend most of January finishing up everything that needed to be done for Debt Heroes – so I got a 1 month extension!

My darkest moment was actually after launching Debt Heroes, the evening when the book got it’s first 1-star review. I knew right away I needed to address the issue the reader had with the book so I stayed up all night working on plans to make the book better.

SUCCESS! How did you feel after accomplishing your goal? What did you learn about yourself in the process? What are you most proud of?

The thing I’m most proud of is what I hope the book offers readers. There are lots of good books on paying off debt but most of them suggest pretty specific steps. I’ve know people that followed one of these systems to but it didn’t work because the suggested steps didn’t all make sense for their situation. So sadly they were still in debt, but really discouraged and down on themselves because they felt as though they had failed.

We wanted to address this problem in the book. So Debt Heroes profiles 21 different people that got into and out of debt in various ways. Our hope is that people will read through all the profiles and connect with the “Debt Heroes” that were in a situation most like their own. The goal is that they’ll see what worked for those particular Debt Heroes and apply them to their lives.

So what I’m proud of is that the book offers readers a chance to find the debt reduction tips that best fit their life. In terms of what I learned about myself in this process, it’s that I need to get better at what Seth Godin has called shipping. I think one of my strengths is coming up with good ideas but in the past I’ve had trouble getting my projects out the door.

Having the deadline of the Debt Movement forced me to “ship” this book. Seeing it make an impact on people is a great example of what can happen when I bring closure to projects and will be a reminder to me going forward.

ADVICE: What advice would you give to others in pursuit of a similar goal?

I’ve learned two main things that I can share.

1) Make some progress every day.

You may have heard a variety of quotes about overnight success years that was years in the making. The premise is that the success stories we hear often leave out a lot of the work that happened leading up to the success.

That hard work doesn’t necessarily feel like a big success when you’re doing it. It’s not like you’re in movie where the screen goes to slow motion and plays the Rocky theme song when you publish a blog post. However, those small steps you take are still important and do add up over time. So when you’re feeling discouraged a good way to get out of your funk and move forward is to just focus on getting one positive thing done that day.

2) Community is huge.

The launch of Debt Heroes was pretty successful. It was ranked as the #2 Kindle book in Personal Finance books behind Dave Ramsey, the Godfather of debt reduction – which was pretty exciting for us.

But the only reason that the book was even created, let alone reached a lot of people, is that I’ve spent the last 6 years as part of the personal finance blogging community. I’ve seen it go from 8 guys in a online forum sharing blogging tips – to a collection of hundreds of blogs that meet annually at the FinCon conference. Being part of a community where you share similar goals, have shared meals and laughs, and share daily tips and encouragement is huge.  Your community can offer inspiration, encouragement, and support that make your project much better than it could ever be if you work on it solo.

Don’t limit yourself to one community. I drew a lot of support from my money blogger buddies but I also turned to the Make Shit Happen alumni group and to several Indie Author groups for advice and support.

Book Giveaway

Ben has graciously offered to give away 3 digital copies of his book AND one 30-minute jam session for a lucky winner who is interested in self-publishing on Amazon. Enter to win (no later than Friday) by answering one of the following questions in the comments:

For a copy of the book:
What are the biggest barriers you have faced in getting out of debt?
What strategies have helped you overcome them?

For the Amazon self-publishing jam session:
What are your biggest barriers to getting a book out on Amazon?
What would you most like help with?

More About Ben

Ben Edwards started the website Money Smart Life in 2006 to share his lifelong obsession with personal finance and now he’s the co-author of the Debt Heroes book, a kindle finance bestseller. You can follow him on Twitter @moneysmart.

I hereby declare May the Month to Get Moving, and to that end I’ve got a little something up my sleeve. 

I have the great fortune of delivering a few big speeches this year (with a keynote coming up in Ireland at my corporate alma mater Google next week), and I have been noticing two recurring concerns in my conversations with attendees: fear around finding meaningful work and overwhelm by the process, by their schedule, or by what is already on their plate.

Despite these obstacles, there is a way to move forward, and I care deeply about helping people find it. I’d love to see a world where we aren’t frozen into place by the media’s doom and gloom about the job market, where Gen Y or anyone who takes a stand for what they want in their career isn’t called entitled, but empowered and inspired.

It is time to move beyond burnout and claim the career that is waiting for you beyond the busywork. It is time to sink IN to the confusion of what’s next and come back up for air with clarity and a plan of action.

It’s time to focus on building a sustainable, dynamic career that suits your strengths; one that feeds your body and mind and allows you to give your best work in return.

In his book The Big Leap, author Gay Hendricks talks about how each of us has a zone of competence, a zone of excellence and a zone of genius. Where are you spending your time? And more importantly, are you happy about it?

Introducing the May Mastermind Program

I want you to feel excited to spring out of bed in the morning. I want you to have the opportunity to invest in yourself without breaking the bank, and to set time aside to figure out what’s next with the support of an uplifting community of others doing the same.

That’s why I am piloting a month-long May Mastermind group called Build Your Business for side hustlers and solopreneurs (though anyone is certainly welcome). I know that many of us are experiencing information-overload and course fatigue — these days there is a book, e-book, website or course for just about everything, and I know how easy it is to make a big purchase then do absolutely nothing with it.

So I’m switching things up and experimenting with a format that is interactive, straightforward, affordable and most-importantly, action-oriented.

How it will work

• Content Calls: The Mastermind will include 4 live video calls with me (with guest appearances from Melissa and Paul). Each call will be a mix of tips and best practices with some time for your own reflection, Q&A, and meaningful assignments to work on between each session. In the event that you can’t make the scheduled time, the calls will be recorded and notes and resources will be sent out afterward.

• Workbook: You will receive an accompanying mini-workbook with exercises and templates that aren’t available on the blog.

• Ask Me Anything: Each week I will also hold an open Office Hours session where you can call in and get direct, personalized support. If no one else is on the call, I’m all yours! If others call in, you can learn from their questions too.

• Optional accountability component: if you opt-in to this, I will pair you up with two other people and send a weekly reminder (three total) asking you to report back to your group on your progress. This is where you really get your money’s worth

• Ultimately, this mastermind group is about ACTION. By the end of the course you will have identified what your big next move will be, and will have chosen (and acted on) at least three major next steps toward your ideal side hustle or busines.

What we’ll cover

At the end of the program, you will walk away with:

• An optimized schedule: A clear vision of your ideal day and your ideal week, and a schedule that matches your energy (including how to fit a side-hustle in with a full-time job).

• A financial roadmap: how much you need to earn to meet your basic expenses, how much you would like to earn, and tips for how to get there.

• Ideal client clarity: you will have an understanding of who your ideal clients (or readers) are, how to find them, and how to serve them (including pointers on agile product and course development).

• An action plan for how to take your side-hustle or business to the next level, with tips for building an authentic online platform that helps bring in new paying opportunities (including Jenny’s 10-minute download on everything you need to know to start building a paid speaking career).

I’m also excited to share that Melissa and Paul will be making guest appearances!

• Q&A with Paul Angone: Paul will talk about how he built upon the momentum of his uber-viral “21 Secrets for your 20s” blog post (that garnered 80,000+ Pinterest pins) to create a free ebook, then how he leveraged that momentum to land a book deal. His book launches in just a few short months!

• Q&A with Melissa Anzman: Melissa will talk about how to know when it’s time to leave your job, and once you do — how to build an income bridge toward the work you love. She will share her own lessons about when to say yes and when to say no opportunities that aren’t your “ideal” client . . . without having to go back to work full-time. Huge congrats to Melissa, who is celebrating one full year of solopreneurship this week!

Date and time of the calls

Content Calls: Mondays at 3:30pm ET

• May 6: Vision: What *does* your ideal business look like?
• May 13: The Financials, Ideal Clients and How to Find Them
• May 20: Profitable Platform-Building
• May 27: Action Plan & Next Steps

Office Hours: Fridays at 1pm ET

• May 10
• May 17
• May 24
• May 31

What will it cost?

While I love working with my 1:1 coaching clients, that can cost upwards of $1,500/month, which is out of reach for many people.

This monthlong mastermind program is just $75, and I’ll be sharing many of the same systems and processes that I use in my 1:1 coaching.

I purposefully set the price low because I wanted to make it impossibly easy for you to say yes . . . which means no more excuses for not going after what you want!

What is your next move?

Right now, I want you to write down two things (yes, write, not just think) or tell me in the comments:

• What is one action you can take this week that will make the biggest impact on your life and happiness?
• To that end, what is one thing you can do in the next ten minutes?

Whether or not you sign up for this series, remember these two questions — they can propel you forward in any area at any time.

Massive shifts don’t have to be elusive miracles — if there is anything I have learned from coaching over the last five years, it’s that aha moments can be coaxed and encouraged by creating the space to think expansively, by asking (and answering) the big questions, and by brainstorming what actions would make the biggest difference.

It all begins when we decide to become the Creative Director of our own careers — when we drop the expectation that our job or business is supposed to MAKE us happy by taking the reigns instead.

So what would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?

I look forward to finding out and to working with many of you in May

Click here to sign-up!

Additional FAQ

What is the deadline to enroll?

Enrollment will close on Sunday, May 5, the day before our first call.

Will you be offering this mastermind program again?

I’m not sure — this is a pilot, so it will depend on how this first session goes. If you’re at all interested, I encourage you to sign-up now — even if I do offer it again I can’t guarantee that it will be at the same price.

What if I can’t make the calls?

No problemo! They will be recorded and you will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance to make sure that I can still address your questions on the call. You can also call in to one of the Office Hours sessions, even if just for 15 minutes.

What is your refund policy?

Once you make your payment via PayPal, it is non-refundable. If you are unable to make the live sessions, you will still receive all of the notes, recordings, workbook exercises and course materials, and can revisit them at any time.

How will the course be delivered?

• I am using course software called Ruzuku to deliver all the materials to you (those of you who participated in The Acorn Project will be familiar with this platform).
• The Content calls and Office Hours will be held using video webinar software called AnyMeeting.
• You will receive the workbook exercises and course notes via Google Docs.
• The checkout process is managed by E-Junkie and you can pay with your credit card via PayPal

Got a question I haven’t covered?

Fire away in the comments below, and I’ll answer ASAP!

Click here to sign-up — I look forward to working with you!