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In this guide, you're going to learn how to overcome the potentially crippling
fear of failure and train your mind to help you succeed in anything and
everything you do in life — even if it's not proofreading. Are you ready? Buckle
To your success,
Caitlin Pyle
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DISCLAIMER
The Mindset Mastery Guide is not intended to be a substitute for real business
coaching or training.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
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1. How to Get Over the Fear of Finding Clients as a Freelancer (pages 4-18)
6. Dealing with the Way Our Past Affects Our Present (pages 59–69)
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When you take my 7-day proofreading intro course, you have the
advantage of this invitation, which is wonderful not only for them but also for
One of the key questions that I pose within the course is "What’s standing in
your way of making it happen and creating the freelance life you want for
yourself?" Nine times out of ten, the responses are something like this:
● “I’m afraid to spend the money on a course and then not get any clients.”
● “I’m afraid I won’t get any clients.”
● “What if I can’t get any clients?”
● “What if I can’t find work at the end? Do you help?”
I explain that getting clients is 100% a result of your own actions, and not just
those within the realm of marketing. Within the courses, the actions you take in
the modules that come way before marketing is even mentioned deal with
doing the work: things like correct word use, punctuation, and how to use
specific software to proofread properly. These lessons must come first before
“Fear” is the new F-word. It pops up very predictably, and quickly clouds our
perspective. It keeps us from seeing what we’re capable of; it makes us think
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that someone or something else is responsible for our success. Know this: You
are not only capable of success, but you are also 100% responsible for your own
Success
In speaking with students from my various programs, I encounter the F-word all
the time, even when the word itself isn’t actually used.
about how her feelings and emotions had changed in the process of becoming
“Yes, it’s intimidating for me, trying to convince myself that I can go out on my own,
do what I know I’m good at (although I know I need to learn more) and succeed. It’s
hard going from a traditional job to something nebulous in a way. Can I do this? Will
I be successful? It’s not so much CAN I do this, it’s more, can *I* do this? Am *I*
going to be successful? I worked at my previous job for 13 years. This, this is
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completely different. I’m ready to make the change in my head, but my heart, that’s
where I need to gain more confidence.”
Most people are not fearful of whether or not it’s possible to find clients and
Usually what they’re fearful of is whether or not it’s possible for them. It’s an
internal battle, a self-doubt that gets in the way of success over and over and
over again.
Another student, Dee, responded to the same question with this affirmation:
“We manifest our own realities with our internal thoughts and feelings. If we dive in
and believe anything is possible, then anything is possible.”
I just can’t get over that statement — because it’s absolutely true.
We can face that feeling of insecurity and change our thinking. Keep in mind,
though, it definitely takes some effort! What you have to do is identify your
The more you’re able to do this, the more your subconscious will work with you
toward your goal, and it will give you subtle but powerful momentum in your
client search, or anything else upon which you choose to set your focus.
The reverse is true, too. If we set our minds to believing that we’re not going to
attract any clients, then guess what? Our subconscious will not allow us to
attract clients. It’s a dangerous trap — and one that many of us fall into. Lisa, a
success:
“Success comes from perspective. If you believe you will be successful, you will be.
If you believe in what you do and how you do it, you can offer that service to
ANYONE.”
That is so true! It’s also why mastery of your chosen craft is vital. You need to
know what you’re doing — and know it well — in order to be confident. Mastery
The people who are scared of not finding clients are jumping ahead before
they even know what they’re doing. They have not yet realized that their fear will
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dramatically dissipate as soon as they master their skill. Mastery cannot help
The answer? You learn and you practice! You take classes, find mentors, do
research. And you do it over and over again until you can do it in your sleep.
Then, and only then, can your focus land on finding clients. Once that happens
(and it will), you’ll know for certain (if you didn’t already) that you’ve totally and
My point here is to show you that the antidote to fear is mastery. Once you get
there, you’ll have all the confidence in the world to go out and find your clients.
If you’ve been focused on the end-stage hurdles when you’re still in the
beginning or middle of training, put your head back down and keep studying.
Do the work and trust the process. When you get to the end, you’ll be ready.
Everyone
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Starting something new in life can sometimes mean you will begin to identify
This is the feeling you get when you’re not merely about to try something new —
something big — but when you’re about to become something new. If you’re a
newcomer to the freelancing world and learning about the various ways you
can make it work, you may think it’s just as simple as studying up and doing it…
Sometimes these tricky human emotions pop up, things we’ve spent years
repressing, and they can make us quit before we even start! Fear is one of
those emotions. Fear attacks our confidence and holds us back. Fear is not a
We humans have a high tolerance for fear and a low tolerance for change. We
like to know what we’re dealing with, and change means we don’t know what’s
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dangerous.
Fear will do whatever it takes to stop you from heading into that “dangerous”
territory, even if doing so is actually the best thing you could do for yourself.
If you’re reading this guide, then I already know that your answer to that
question is a resounding “No.” The good news is that you’re in the right place.
The even better news is that you can take charge of your life and kick your fear
to the curb.
You already know that it takes effort to overcome your fears and create the life
you want. Fighting our instincts isn’t natural. But it’s possible. And sometimes
necessary.
FEAR IS EVERYWHERE
Here are some more thoughts from students on the various uprisings of
nervousness and fear that they’ve faced, both before and after deciding to
Kimmie says:
“I think most of my fear comes from past experiences. I’ve started and stopped
several home businesses before. I’m just not a pushy salesperson, and I take the
rejection personally. This I am working on because it isn’t personal most of the
time.”
Megan contributes:
“I think for me, this proofreading deal makes the ugly perfectionism come out in me.
That causes fear and trepidation.”
Alicia adds:
“Although I want my life to change, it can be really scary to think about moving from
a safe (albeit boring) career to something much less structured.”
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Alicia makes a good point. We may want our lives to change soooo badly, but
the fear can come out and bite us HARD… to the point that we retreat to our
safe little corner and never find out what might have been. The fear of the
unknown is massive, and it will rule your life if you let it.
If fear of getting clients is the top issue plaguing would-be proofreaders, then
at this point you should know the #1 thing you can do to quash it is to master
the art.
Do the time.
Don’t just be good at what you do; be excellent at what you do.
It requires hard work! Some people are intimidated by hard work and prefer the
easy route. There are a lot of scams out there that have duped people into
believing it’s simple to start a new income stream and break free from the
corporate world. All you have to do is find a few friends to sign up first, right?
Nope.
The reality is harsh for some. Creating a new and steady income stream is NOT
work that this path demands of those who walk it can diminish one’s
Maybe you’ve expressed your fear to me at some point — of whether you can
do it, of finding clients, or of whatever else might be standing in your way. And I
understand. The funny thing is, however, that many of the folks who’ve admitted
to their fear have also shared that they have all kinds of degrees from various
higher education programs. My first thought is, “So you’re worried about not
getting clients after investing in my course, but you already dropped $100,000
on a master’s degree… and you weren’t worried then about being able to find a
job afterward?”
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Too often people don’t consider that proofreading is an art that needs to be
mastered before clients even become part of the picture; they just don’t want
to “waste money” on a course if they can’t “get clients.” Naturally that makes
sense, but you don’t take a course just to learn how to “get clients” — you take a
My courses teach you both sides — mastering the art and getting clients — but
I know it may turn prospective students off to learn that you actually have to
know how to do something before you can get clients to pay you for it but, if I
weren’t up front about it, I’d get incessant emails from people begging me to
help them find work… work they don’t even know how to do yet.
A note about degrees: The problem with many degree programs is that people
shell out tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to find that they only
receive the skills to do the work -- sometimes not even all the skills -- but in
almost all cases, no one learns how to market those skills and get work.
I believe there should be a mandatory course for every college student on both
social media marketing and personal marketing. That is the missing puzzle
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piece in most degree programs today, which is why I take so much care in
building my courses to include the full gamut: doing the work and getting the
work… because it won’t matter how good you are if you can’t market it.
But BEWARE — I’m sure you’re sensing a theme here at this point — the reverse
is also true! Who cares how many clients you get if you haven’t mastered the
clients before we worry about “getting” them? Here’s the truth: Getting clients is
one thing, but keeping them is a different story. This is where excellence —
There’s a very real reason that I teach students everything they need to know
about how to do the work before I teach them how to get clients. But there are
still those who may be too excited about the potential income that they won’t
In this case, it really doesn’t matter how many clients they can get. If their
communication module, or they didn’t carefully comb through the practice jobs
because maybe they think they’ll “know it when they see it” — they’re setting
themselves up for failure. And this turns in upon itself because failure is what we
fear in the first place, which is why we are aiming for excellence.
You can’t hide a lack of mastery forever. If someone races through the training
just to learn how to get clients because they THINK they already know it all, sure,
they may be able to rack up a few clients and make some money. But for the
long term? It’s not gonna work. They’ll get a bad reputation fast, and a
Theresa, student and 18+ year veteran in general proofreading, has some
She offers:
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“So how do you go from ‘I suck at this,’ to ‘Hmm, I’m getting good at this,’ to other
people saying ‘He/she is a great proofreader’?”
First, you need to care enough to improve. This cannot be overstated.
Second, you need to invest time every day to bolstering your weak spots.
Third, make constructive criticism and feedback your best friend.”
This will mean forgetting about your number of pages per hour, or how many
benchmark for a newbie. Give yourself some grace and focus on quality over
As a business coach and freelancing instructor, I receive emails ALL the time
The truth: I can’t guarantee anyone’s success. What I can do, however, is teach
you the traits (I like to call them “pillars”) that are practiced by, quite literally,
You are 100% in control of your success. You oversee the building of your
foundation (e.g. training) and the pillars we’re about to go over for achieving
“Success is not owned; success is leased, and you have to pay rent every single
day.”
This can be scary; some people have lost the notion that success isn’t a
guaranteed part of life. Many of us seem to think we’re entitled to a good life
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just because we’re human. I’ll go into more of this later, but just know for now
From working with all kinds of students and going deeper with the many who
have succeeded, I’ve been able to determine that those who succeed (and
All three. Never just one. Never only two. ALWAYS ALL THREE.
Why all three? Because these traits act as pillars. They’re what’s holding up your
success as if it were a building. If you only have two pillars, you’ll be shaky at
best. And if you only have one pillar? Good luck managing that balancing act.
You must have all three of these pillars to find true and lasting success, no
matter what you do in life. This goes for freelance proofreading, and everything
else.
What are these pillars? Confidence. Optimism. Persistence. And they all rest
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Excellence — the mastery we’ve discussed — is the root of all lasting success. If
you stink at proofreading, then you can’t catch errors… and you’ll also exhibit
shifting sands.
How do you cultivate Excellence? Can you buy it? Yes and no. Partly yes
education may or may not be your thing. In the case of proofreading, some
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people just aren’t cut out for it. Some people are, but they need to invest in
some education first in order to expand their skill set beyond a basic ability to
spot errors.
True Excellence means knowing the ins and outs of your work as a proofreader.
You’re not just winging it, hoping that being an English teacher will get you by.
You’re committed to being the best you can possibly be — all day, every day.
PILLAR #1: CONFIDENCE
You will have a hard time convincing clients to work with you if you don’t show
them that you know what you’re doing. Think about it: If you are looking to hire
someone and they act uncertain and a bit too humble, it doesn’t matter how
good their reviews are… you won’t feel sure that you’re in good hands.
So know that you’re a rock star. Know that you’ve got this. It’s OKAY to believe in
yourself. And when you’re confident in your skills, your clients will be, too.
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You have to expect a positive outcome. Maybe it’s kind of hokey, but the whole
self-fulfilling prophecy thing really does hold some water. As we covered earlier,
when you believe you won’t get any clients… you set yourself up to not get any
clients.
Sorry, but it’s true. Going into “this proofreading thing” thinking someone else is
going to do the work for you or that simply paying your tuition fee will magically
turn you into a fantastic proofreader is not the best form of Optimism.
The right sort of Optimism is achieved through recognizing and shedding old
belief systems that may be holding you back. Those old systems may sound
like a broken record of “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll never be able to do this.”
Once you acknowledge these negative thought patterns, you can work to
master at this!” Actively replace the lies with new truths, and your whole world
starts to change.
What Optimism gives you is the ever-present belief that you are limitless. That
you can literally do anything you set out to do. Combine Optimism with the
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solid foundation of Excellence and the pillar of Confidence, and not only are you
Optimism and Confidence are both strengthened by Excellence. The better you
are at something, the more confident and optimistic you feel about your
abilities.
But these together are still not enough. You’ve got to take action.
What if you were the best freaking proofreader the world has ever seen
(Excellence), you felt amazing about it (Confidence), and you knew you were
What if you had the first two pillars in the bag… but you never took any action?
Or you took action, but you didn’t follow up. You didn’t keep going. You made a
few contacts, sent out a few business cards… and then you gave up in
Now think about this: You’re the best proofreader to hit the scene in decades,
you feel amazing about your skills and abilities, your positive expectations are
through the roof, and you use Excellence, Confidence, and Optimism to fuel
yourself every single day as you build your business… Well, add in the third pillar
All three pillars on their foundation will work together to propel you forward.
happen overnight. It means you know that timing plays a role in expanding your
clientele. It means you know that taking action isn’t just a one-time thing — it’s
an every-single-day thing.
The pillar of Persistence goes far beyond simply taking action. Anyone can “try.”
You must DO… and then you must never give up.
These pillars can’t hold up your success alone, or even in pairs. They must all be
present together.
You must believe in yourself. No matter how Persistent and Optimistic you are, if
you don’t feel like you can do the job, then your clients will pick up on that. They
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will sense your uncertainty and move on to someone else who makes them feel
You must keep a positive mindset. Confidence and Persistence will get you
You must never give up. Confidence and Optimism are useless if you don’t take
action… and keep taking it. Are your clients on vacation, slowing down your cash
flow? So what? You’ve got the ability, the tools, and the support to go get more
work to fill in the gaps. Don’t wait for opportunity to knock when you could be
And above all, you must master your skill. Sure, you might be able to get clients
if you’re Confident, Optimistic, and Persistent. But over time? Clients won’t
appreciate your poor quality, and they won’t hire you again. You may get poor
My goal will always be to provide the highest quality training that proofreaders
need: how to do the work and how to find the work. But we don’t stop there! We
also teach you how to harness and cultivate these three pillars of Confidence,
The way I see it, my job is to give you the tools to succeed, and your job is to
pick them up and do the work. No one is going to do it for you (nor should
they). You are 100% responsible for what you do with the tools you receive.
awesome life just for the simple act of being. We somehow get it into our heads
that other people are in charge of making us happy, giving us a great job,
building an awesome family for us, and making relationships worthwhile… just
because we exist.
But the truth is, the only person responsible for the quality of the life you live is
you. If you want to be successful, you have to be the one to step up and say,
That means you’re responsible for mastering your craft, taking charge of your
mind, and putting in the effort… in work, in life, and everything in between.
And the results you get — how good your relationships are, how fit you are, how
much money you make, how much debt you're in, how you feel every day — all
We've grown up in the habit of blaming other people and all kinds of things
outside of us for what we don't like about our life. Our parents made us this way,
we had a crummy boss, our friends are jerks, the weather is bad, the economy
No matter what, we'll find somewhere else to pin the blame. We never seem to
want to look in the mirror, but the mirror is usually where the real problem is.
Instead of blaming everyone and everything around you, look inside yourself for
the reasons why you haven't created the life or produced the results that you
want.
Said another way, YOU are the only person who can create the life you want to
lead. If you really want to be successful in life, if you want to make things
happen that are super important to you, then you have to take 100%
And you have to give up all of the excuses that keep you from doing so.
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change, or the weather to warm up. No more waiting on the external, period.
Waiting is for people who never go anywhere. You’re better than that.
There’s always a story for why something isn’t the way you want. But any stories
you tell that make you the victim, any reasons you give as to why you can't do
or haven't done X, Y, and Z so far in life, and any blame you place on other
Throw away every last one of those stories and excuses. They’re only holding
you back.
Just like Glinda told Dorothy: You have always had the power. It’s true! You have
always had the ability and the strength to create the life you want, to do the
right thing, to get the results you crave. Your ability to choose is your pair of
ruby slippers. And what you choose decides where they take you… home or
otherwise.
When you realize this, you also have to admit that, while you had that power all
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along, you chose not to use it for some reason… whether it was out of
ignorance, fear, laziness, or something else. You might not even know why.
But that doesn't matter. The point is this: You chose not to use the power you
Hold on! Don’t let that get you down! Don’t turn this realization into another
reason you don’t get what you want. Because once you admit it — once you
admit you’ve had the power all along — you suddenly take your power back.
Now you can make a new choice. You can decide that, from this point forward,
you ARE going to exercise the very real power that you have over your own life,
Then when something negative happens, you don't blame other people.
Instead, you'll ask yourself, "Well, what did I do to end up here? What was I
believing about myself? What did I not say? What could I have done
differently? What made the person in front of me react that way? How can I get
the result I want next time?" This is where your power lies!!
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Part of this whole responsibility thing is that we also have the power to change
our responses to the outcomes we get in life. See, when we respond to one
What you might not realize is that everything that happens today happens as a
result of a choice you made yesterday, or last week, or the year before.
Say you win $1,000 on a lottery ticket. Congrats! That's an outcome that
happened as a result of the lottery ticket you bought two days ago. Now you
have a couple different things that you could do with the winnings.
Maybe you respond by going out and spending it all on clothes at the mall. The
outcome of that decision is that you end up with no money left. Then maybe
you complain that you're broke again, that things are too expensive, and that
retirement's so far away. But at least you have some nice clothes.
Now let's try another option. If you take that $1,000 and invest it in the stock
market, or in building a business, or in training to get to the next level, then your
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outcome will be totally different. You won't be broke. You won't be upset that
you don't have any money. Your response to the winning ticket was smarter, so
the outcome turns out better. By this time next year your net worth will be up, or
you’ll have a new skill to leverage for more money at work. Either way, you’ve
Your response to the initial outcome of the winning lottery ticket was well
They say you have control over only three things in life: the thoughts you think,
the images and expectations that you conjure up in your mind, and the actions
you take (your behavior). How you choose to control these three things
Maybe you’re interested in learning new skills so you can change your life for
the better. Maybe you want to fire your boss, make more money in less time, or
you just don’t want to set an alarm ever again. It doesn’t matter why.
Instead of sitting around and complaining about your job, you decide to take
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from a negative one (hating life and wallowing in misery) to a positive one
The key is to transmute that negativity. Find a way to take your negative
thoughts and turn them into positive ones. If you daydream about frustrating
things, or you worry too much, it’s time to change your habits. Change the
books you read. Change who you hang out with. Change how you talk to
yourself in the mirror in the morning. And, ultimately, change the thoughts you
think.
I'm sure you’ve also heard the old adage, "If you always do what you've always
done, then you’ll always get what you've always gotten." Likewise, it’s said that
If you keep saying you're going to save money, or you keep saying you're going
to go back to school, or you keep saying you're going to lose weight… but you
don't change anything about your behavior, you don’t sign up for classes, you
don't start exercising more, you don’t eat any differently, you don’t seek out new
skills... then your life isn’t going to change. You're not going to see those results,
The day you decide to change the things you've always done — and move
from saying to doing — is the day you're going to see your life start to get
better.
If what you're doing in your life right now was what it took to make your life
better or to get you what you want, then those things would have already
then what you’re doing in your life right now is not what it takes to get to where
you want to be. That means change is necessary to get there. If you want
something different than what you already have, then you have to do
Remember: It was you who made the choice, did the thing, thought the thought,
and/or acted upon the emotion that got you to where you are right now.
You’re the one who created your reality… and you are absolutely 100% capable
We’re about to go even deeper, y’all, so heads up. Going through this stuff may
It hurt a LOT for me. But what hurt me initially ended up changing my life
drastically in the long run. It was like getting a dislocated joint repaired — hurts
Most of us live our life thinking we know ourselves pretty well. Then, especially as
we get older (and hopefully wiser!!), things change. You start to wonder, “How’d
I, for example, used to be the family “daredevil.” I loved all kinds of roller coasters
and thrill rides — anything that looked insane, I had to try it. Now? Well… I hate
even flying in an airplane. I’m cool once we’re in the air, but the takeoff and
landing always make me an anxious mess! This has only developed in the last
few years and, honestly, I’m not even sure how it happened.
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The point is this: Things can change within us without our knowing or
understanding it, and it can happen on both large and small scales.
I also have to confess that, even though I’m a huge action-taker now and have
built a business helping people make money, I’m not that much of a people
person.
This always surprises new friends because I’m very energetic and “out there”
when I’m at a party. For years I considered myself an extrovert because of this.
But later in
life I started noticing how drained I’d feel after a party or gathering.
It’s quite possible that I used to be a true extrovert, but I have evolved to greatly
relish my time alone on the couch with a glass of wine and a book, and even
get excited when my husband (who also works from home) tells me he’s going
Time alone is important! If you love it, don’t feel bad for wanting it. For some
Our “old ways” often hold us back without our awareness — just like how quick I
business coach.
“No one would hire me!” really meant “I don’t believe in myself, and neither does
anyone else.”
Months went by before I was able to translate these thoughts and realize what I
was really saying to myself, and that the things I told myself weren’t actually
They’re deeply rooted, false thought systems we establish in our minds, usually
for long periods of time, that constrain us in some way. These beliefs keep us
You can have a limiting belief about anything: your personal rights, your duties/
role at work or at home, your abilities, the acceptability of doing the things you
quality of life.
These false beliefs hold us back from what we are truly capable of
accomplishing.
Although I don’t like to do so, I can imagine what my life would look like if I’d
I used to be a person who, deep down, truly believed that no one liked me, that
no one valued what I had to say, and that, if I tried to do what I actually wanted,
In the beginning, I wasn’t aware that these were limiting beliefs — I considered
them facts of life. So often we find ourselves with these falsehoods in our heads,
posing as truths. They’re things that we’ve believed for a long time, and we are
convinced that everyone else thinks the same way. The brain registers them as
Looking back now, more than two years later, it’s mind-blowing how far I was
The cool part is that I never made any conscious decision to stop believing
those limiting beliefs. In fact, it wasn’t until my blog and the original
proofreading course started taking off that I even realized I had limiting beliefs
at all.
Changing those beliefs was basically like repainting the walls of my mind.
When you want things in life to change, you focus on taking steps in the
direction of achieving that goal. What do you do when you want to repaint the
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walls in your house? Do you waste time chipping off all the old paint first, or do
you just buy a new can of paint and paint over the old stuff?
Exactly.
You don’t spend time focusing on undoing what you think is wrong with you.
Just grab a new can of paint and take action. Figure it out along the way. Zig
Ziglar once said, “If you wait until all the lights are green before you leave home,
Keep in mind, however, that there is still a ton of value in the memory of the “old”
you — your old identity and the way things used to be can serve as a reminder
of where you started. That way you get to say, further down the road, “Hey! Look
Limiting beliefs can prevent you from enacting positive change and keep you
By identifying these limiting beliefs, rewriting the script, and taking action toward
That’s the theme of this entire guide. Whether your goal is to build your
proofreading business or something else entirely, taking action will get you
there.
You’re also 100% responsible for how you behave along the way.
If you’re held back by limiting beliefs — and all of us are, at one point or another
Start paying attention to what’s going on every time you talk yourself out of
doing something. Whether it’s simple procrastination or a big fat “You don’t
have what it takes” internal monologue, just start noticing. What’s going on in
your mind? What are the stories you constantly tell yourself about the world,
It can be helpful to keep track of your thought patterns and recurring mental
you’re serious about doing this life-changing work. Try jotting down your
thoughts (especially the negative ones) every 30–60 minutes every day for a
week. Any time you don’t want to do something — whether it’s washing the
dishes, going to work, or doing this exercise — write down why, and how you’re
This might be tedious, but it will give you valuable insight. Once you start
noticing trends in your thought patterns, you can begin to identify your limiting
beliefs. And once you’ve done that, you can start rewriting them.
Here are two questions you can ask about any limiting belief you might come
For example, if your limiting belief is something like “I’ll never be a proofreader
because I’m too lazy to do the coursework,” then take that underlying belief of
Are you really, actually, truly lazy? What other areas in your life would validate
the idea that you’re lazy? (Chances are, there aren’t many.)
Now flip it around on its head; take the thought that you’re lazy and turn it into
something empowering. Instead of “I’m lazy,” try “I’m diligent” or “I’m completely
An important thing to note here: Keep all of your words positive and
empowering. Avoid the word “not” because our minds don’t recognize it. For
example, saying “I’m not lazy” won’t have as potent an effect as “I’m a hard
Now every time you feel that limiting belief crop up, you can combat it with your
It takes effort and a solid sense of personal responsibility to make this kind of
change… no one else is going to do it for you. This work is yours, but so are the
rewards.
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The more you start paying attention to these tendencies, the more you’ll realize
that every thought you think and every word that comes out of your mouth has
a direct effect on your life. It’s these tiny little statements that you make, day in
and day out, that shape the big picture of who you are and who you become.
Don’t believe me? Try this little experiment: Stop complaining for just three days
and see what happens. (Hint: Your Optimism pillar is probably going to get a
little sturdier.)
Complaints do nothing to serve you. In fact, complaining will work against you
more often than not. You need to eliminate this behavior if you’re going to break
Complaining is rooted in the assumption that there’s something better out there
than what you currently have. If that weren’t the case, why would you be
complaining in the first place? There must be some kind of reference point,
But here’s the real kicker: By complaining, you acknowledge that there’s
something better out there and that you want it, but you’re also acknowledging
Some people complain about money. Others complain about health. Trappings
of life, behavior of your spouse, crummy job… all of those things are common
See… if we didn’t believe there was something better out there, we’d hardly
notice that other thing’s existence. But we create this image in our minds of
something better, knowing we’d prefer that to what we already have, and still
we find ourselves unwilling to take the risks that are required to attain those
The point here is, if you (like me!) are guilty of running on this silly hamster
wheel of complaining, we have to admit that it isn’t very effective for getting
what we want. Clearly. Life is too short to waste time complaining, running
The funny thing is, people always seem to complain about things they could
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have any control over, like gravity. But why don't people complain about
gravity? If it weren't for gravity, nobody would fall down the stairs, planes would
never crash, dishes would never break. But nobody complains about gravity.
And it's because gravity simply exists. Nobody can do anything about its
playgrounds so we can have fun. We use drains in our showers to take away
waste water. Every sport we play uses gravity (skiing, high jump, discus
throwing, playing basketball, golf… all of them take full advantage of gravity).
Anything that we complain about is a situation that we can change, but we’ve
We could get a better job, find a better partner, make more money, move to a
new city, live in a better house, eat healthier food. But all of these things would
pressured by someone else, quitting the crappy job, trusting our gut, going back
to school, attending that seminar, taking better care of ourselves, asking for
help, or selling all the stuff we don't need. So why don't we just do these things?
Change involves risk. Risk is scary, and these are some big, life-altering
changes on the roster. It invites that old friend Fear over for lunch, and suddenly
you’re completely stuck with some undesirable company. Company that likes to
talk and talk and talk some more about all the things that could go wrong.
other people. There's a risk of failure, of being wrong. Maybe your mom, dad,
Taking these risks might require effort, money, or time that you don't want to
making any changes. But if you want to get from where you are to where you
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Step One is to eliminate complaining. Get off the hamster wheel. Make the
decision to stop complaining, stop hanging out with people who complain, and
start making moves toward creating the life you actually want. Get that
In case you need an extra kick to get going, here’s the other element of
because it’s safe. Because it ensures the survival of our comfort zone. So even if
there were a chance that complaining might bring about change, we make
We go to work, and we complain about our spouse. Then we come home, and
we complain about our coworkers. When you complain to someone who can’t
It takes guts to tell your husband that you're not happy with the way things are
at home. But it doesn't take that same courage to tell your coworkers. It takes
guts to tell your coworker that they’re patronizing or they’re sloppy. It’s far easier
So Step Two is naturally to take your concerns to where they matter. If you can
learn to take that energy spent complaining and replace it with making
requests of the right people and putting out the effort to get what you want or
need in life, you’ll see better outcomes. You’ll get closer to what you really want
This is what successful people do, and it's what works. If you find yourself in a
Don't just sit around and complain. Do something about it. You have 100%
responsibility for your own life. Nobody else is going to change your life and
make you happy… nor should they. You have to do it for yourself.
Remember: The world doesn’t owe you anything. Whatever you want, you have
to create. This means that your actions are what cause something to happen in
your life. You take the action, you get the result.
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People who do this effectively are people who look at the facts square in the
face. Even if it's uncomfortable, they'll take steps to create their desired life. They
don't blame anybody or anything else for any problems they have.
This might seem a little too easy. It’s simple, sure, but it’s not easy. It requires
you to be aware of what's happening, what you're thinking, what actions you're
taking or not taking, and why you're taking or not taking those actions. You also
have to be willing to experiment and take risks. It requires you to confront your
fear and choose to make the change (and make progress) anyway.
One key element of making the change is getting feedback. Take a long, hard
look at yourself and see what comes up. Ask your family, friends, coworkers,
teachers, or clients for feedback on how you could be doing things better. See
what resonates. The areas where you feel the most resistance are the areas
A lot of people hesitate to ask for feedback because they're afraid of what the
other person will say, but objective feedback relays the truth. It can burst your
bubble, but you're better off knowing the truth than living in the dark. Only once
you gain awareness of the truth can you then take action on it.
Feedback doesn’t just come from others, though. You'll always get feedback
from your decisions by looking at the outcomes. Slow down, pay attention to
what you're doing, and think about why you're doing it. If you're not getting any
clients, if your kids are mad, if you're not losing weight, if your house is a mess, if
you're just not happy… this is all feedback, and it is telling you that something
isn’t working.
If you find yourself in this situation, ask yourself, "What am I doing or not doing
that's causing this to happen? What is it that I'm doing that's working or not
For business issues: Should you practice more? Market more? Take more
For personal issues: Should you ask more questions? Is it time for more
feedback from your peers? Should you cut carbs? Start exercising more? Go on
It’s time to quit complaining and start taking action on the things that aren’t
working in your life. Believe it or not, simply paying attention is the easiest and
fastest way to find out where the issues are. You just have to give up your
excuses and justifications for where you are right now, and finally face the
problem head-on.
Sometimes this means changing what you’re doing in the present. Sometimes it
All the uncomfortable emotions come pouring in and, before we know it, we’re
convinced we’re not good enough. We might tell ourselves it’s too much work,
it’s too hard, or we won’t be able to deliver when the time comes to prove
ourselves. Some of us might get frustrated when we find out it’s not as easy as
we want it to be.
Others among us might be afraid of what could happen if we succeed. How will
our friends and family react? Will they be supportive? What if they try to stop
us? What if they’re not proud? What if they think we can’t do it?
Do you ever wonder why those emotions and doubts sneak in so readily? How
and where do we even learn to think that we’re going to fail before we even try?
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matters more than being true to ourselves? How did we ever learn to believe
Remember how I said I’d uncovered my own limiting beliefs that no one liked
me, that no one valued what I said or did despite them saying otherwise, and
that any time I’d step out to try something, I’d just get squashed by someone
else?
Those beliefs were learned way back in middle school — over 15 years ago.
When I was a student at Corner Lake Middle School in Orlando, Florida, it was
since 6th grade, and right from the start I’d planned to “run for office” once I
reached 8th grade. I was great friends with the girl who was president when I
was in 7th grade, and we were even on the basketball team together. When she
I worked my butt off the entire summer before 8th grade, planning my
But kids that age are cruel, and as convinced as I was that I was the ideal
candidate, middle school elections are usually nothing more than a popularity
contest — and being the straight-A super-nerd that I was, let’s just say I wasn’t
Fast-forward to election time. A girl who, up until this point, hadn’t even been
involved in student council at all decided to run against me. Although she was
part of the straight-A super-nerd crowd right along with me, her younger sister
This popular sister somehow managed to get almost the entire 7th and 8th
It was humiliating.
For so long, I was certain I was going to win. I truly was the most qualified
The worst part wasn’t actually losing, though — it was when people (even some
I called “friends”) realized I was going to lose, and that made me a “loser.” Many
of them took it upon themselves to rub it in my face. One girl even had the
nerve to tell me one night at a school event, “No one likes you.” Obviously that’s
not true, and I know that now, but at age twelve those words cut deep.
From then until about the end of 2014 (15 years), I let those feelings impact my
life, and up until a short time ago I wasn’t even aware of it. The underlying
current of shame and frustration was masked by the periods of time when I
Overall, despite being always popular but never “cool,” I was a pretty resilient
kid.
Throughout the rest of my secondary school and college years, I slowly began
to do things my own way — but other people’s opinions still mattered so much
to me that I constantly worried about what everyone thought of me. That may
have been, at least in part, because I had a friend with a habit of sticking her
for a year.
One night before I left, a friend sat me down on her couch to tell me she didn’t
I don’t even remember how I responded. But a small part of me resented her
the entire time I was abroad. I still love this particular friend very much, and
while I have forgiven her for saying it, I will never forget that moment and how it
made me feel.
So, side-note lesson: Life is short — when someone wants to follow a dream,
don’t tell them not to. Ever. Even if you know they’re going to make mistakes.
And guess what? I did make mistakes, big ones, and at age 20 living on my
own in a foreign country, I did things that scarred me. But I don’t regret for a
second the decision to follow my heart and live in Germany for a year. That
When I got back from Germany in July 2008, I held on to the fire of life for a
while.
from UCF in December, and started dating Ben around the same time. We got
Right before our wedding, my friend Lea from Australia came to visit for two
weeks, and I got to take three unpaid weeks off from my job (which they loved
along with getting married and our awesome honeymoon, was enough to
about so much more than sitting in my lame job for 45 hours a week and
The thing is, if I HAD just refused to go back to work after the honeymoon, I’d
probably have been just as lost as I was when I got fired five months later (yup,
I got fired).
Those last five months, though, were hell. I hated that place more and more
each day.
But I learned.
That is one extra thing I hope you take with you as you read this guide: That you
have the power to live your life on your own terms. Sometimes new knowledge
“Getting Fired” story published on my website, and I’d get emails about it on a
daily basis from people who resonated with the way I felt in that job — just tired
Perhaps your scarring incident didn’t involve horrible bosses or being harassed
by classmates.
Maybe it was your parents or other family members who made you feel like
I do find, however, that much of our scarring happens around the middle school
years. I believe it’s true what they say about that being a very impressionable
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age… but when you’re the one in middle school, you don’t consciously think of
when less-than-fun things happen that make a lasting impression on you, you
Looking back, I feel like my mind has subconsciously blurred the memories of all
three years of middle school. So many weird, awkward, confusing, and even
humiliating moments. I know I’m not alone. If it wasn’t middle school for you,
But for most people, middle school is a time of life where you are really figuring
yourself out — you’re discovering who you are and realizing that you deserve
When people don’t give it to you, for whatever reason, you start to think you
It’s a very personal struggle and can be damaging if you don’t know how to
navigate it (and most of us don’t). For me, I was left with a sense of inferiority,
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like I was never good enough to do what I really wanted to do. And I picked up
a strong paranoia that, if I tried, I’d be quickly found out and shut down.
Those feelings of inferiority and paranoia followed me for more than 15 years
Impostor syndrome.
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I spent 28 years completely in the dark that there was an actual name for the
way I’d felt for so long, until one day a transcript proofreading student emailed
speech at the University of the Arts class of 2012. She sent this video to me in
response to something I’d shared openly in our Facebook group about my fears
That video was the first time I’d ever heard the phrase “impostor syndrome.”
this:
accomplishments to luck rather than to ability, and fear that others will
If you’re thinking, “Well, I’m not a high achiever, that can’t be me” — you’re not
In the face of tons of external evidence to the contrary, you just can’t accept the
fact that you’re a success. The success may be small according to the world’s
success nonetheless. And instead of accepting and reveling in it, you deny it.
It’s automatic.
don’t actually have that, I’m just looking to use it as an excuse so people won’t
find me out!”
Crazy, right? That’s how bad it was for me. My imposter syndrome was denying
it. Recognize it. Know that those feelings are not real. You’re an intelligent human
You’ve got what it takes. You just have to take action. One day at a time, one
step at a time.
your keys to success in this business and any business you may start in the
future.
“Every time I was called on in class, I was sure that I was about to embarrass
myself. Every time I took a test, I was sure that it had gone badly. And every
time I didn’t embarrass myself — or even excelled — I believed that I had
fooled everyone yet again. One day soon, the jig would be up.”
- Sheryl Sandberg
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If you’re reading this guide as part of a course, great! I hope this content has
opened your mind to the power you have to create your life exactly how you
want it.
If you’re new here and would like to learn more about proofreading as a career,
and resources.
You can find blog posts and FAQs on my website. Dive into my posts about
proofreading and the freelance lifestyle, check out some expert interviews,
Head over to Proofread Anywhere on Facebook and “Like” us for more useful,