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What Can You Learn from a Successful Writer? · The Daily Writer

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, welcome to this episode of the Daily Writer Podcast.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is part three of our mini-series on dealing with jealousy as a writer.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: In the previous two entries in this series, we've taken a look at the destructive nature of jealousy and why you should focus on what you can do to make yourself successful rather than spending your emotional energy being envious.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Let's dive into three questions that'll help you focus on attitudes and actions that can spur you on to better writing success.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: We'll tackle the first one here today.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Also notice that each one of these begins with what?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: And the first question is, what can I learn from this person?
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: When you think of another writer who's successful, and if you're honest, another writer who you're jealous of, they have something you want.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: They might have better name recognition, they might have more income, more of people's attention, or more of something else.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: And to be honest with you, I can easily tick off two or three dozen writers in my own orbit.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, these are people that I know personally.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: I can think of two or three dozen people in my circle who fit this category.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's people who have more of something that I want who are really successful, and who, if I'm not careful on my bad days, I can feel a little bit of jealousy towards.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the thing is though, when we're jealous of somebody, we begin to think of them in a negative light.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: At our worst, we wish they weren't so successful, and on our really bad days, we want to kind of tear down their success a little bit.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's why jealousy is so insidious and so destructive.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Jealousy is less about wanting somebody else's success for ourselves, and it's more about wanting that person's failure.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got to flip this scenario around.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of wanting to take away somebody else's success, we should figure out how we can get to their level.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, in other words, instead of taking something away from them, how can we add something to ourselves?
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Who are the people and what are the books' habits and experiences that have helped them be successful?
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we're kind of gonna go into detective mode with this a little bit.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: If that person has a blog, then subscribe to it.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: If they've written some books, buy and read those books.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: If they have a Facebook group, then join the group.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: If they're on Twitter, ask them some questions.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: If they're in a if they run a paid group of some kind, try and join that group.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: This person has done some things that can help you be more successful.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: So set aside your own ego for a minute and humbly ask, what can I learn from this person?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever we focus on adding to ourselves and our own success, rather than trying to take away somebody else's, it really changes our attitude and it helps us to focus on tangible activities that are going to produce results for you.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's question: think of another writer who's more successful than you.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: What are three things that they have done that you can start doing in your own writing or business as well?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been listening to this show for any length of time, you know that one of the four practices of a great writer is creativity.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: And in order to stay creative, you've got to have great input.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where writing prompts come in.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: A writing prompt is a sentence or two that helps you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Writing prompts are an awesome creative tool for journaling, storytelling, creative writing, stress relief, social media posts, and so much more.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: But the great news is that you don't have to create these yourself.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: We've put together an amazing package of 365 daily writing prompts.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: So every day for the next year, you can have a shot of inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out at dailywriterlife.comslash writing prompts.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.