Hello Everyone,

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail newsletter that actually caught my attention. It was from Beth Erickson of Filbert Publishing. With all the marketing and writing classes I’ve had, the ones about crafting the best headlines and titles remain the most significant. It was the very reason for my reading further; plus, she wasn’t selling me anything. Beth was telling her Truth. She tells a story of applied spirituality natural & simple, as it pertains to Beth Erickson returning Home to her Self. I urge you to read it with your Inner Ear open to receiving the message that your True Self is calling to you home to live your Real Life.

Beth writes with great humor and self deprecation which tells me this lady is self aware and awake. Her e-mail starts off with her asking if we missed the last edition of her newsletter?  “Did you notice? I’ll bet you didn’t. After all, you get a ton of e-mail.”

No matter to her, she was busy happily re-discovering her Self which is the topic of her article.

In the beginning, Beth was a writer with lots to say, dreams to weave and a master of her craft. Then, she looses her way, as we all do along the path of “real life”. She starts writing freelance – selling her craft, writing articles for others’ needs – for the money, of course. For 10 years her novel sits on the back burner awaiting her return. Still, “real life” is so obnoxiously demanding and in her face, she continues down that pseudo writing career road until something shifts within her.

I am not going to rewrite Beth’s story here. She’s a magnificent writer, and she tells it beautifully for herself. In fact, it was so beautiful to me – an actual story of applied spirituality natural & simple – that I wrote her and asked if I could use it in my blog. With Beth’s permission I am including the full text of her article for you here.

“What if My Whole Writing Career Has Been Wrong?”

Beth Ann Erickson

I’ve been writing professionally for nearly 15 years. I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs, triumphs and disasters.

As an industry, freelancing has transformed more times than I can count, the big-wigs of yesteryear have been replaced and today’s big-wigs will invariably be a fond memory someday.

Overall, freelancing has been good, helped me achieve many of the objectives I set out to achieve.

One thing I didn’t expect, however, is how easy it is to fall off track. I share this story with you in the hopes that you don’t fall into the same trap(s) I did.

Back when I was working with my Creative Mindset Group, I always emphasized the importance of Polaris. If you’re unaware with this concept, here’s a quick explanation: Sailors worldwide could navigate earth’s vast oceans (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) because they fixed their heading based on the position of Polaris, our North Star.

Polaris is positioned directly above the North Pole. This means that despite the earth’s continual rotation, Polaris is the only star that doesn’t appear to move across the night sky. Instead, it remains fixed in its position, allowing reliable ship navigation.

So, theoretically speaking, no matter where you are (in the Northern Hemisphere), if you can’t find your way, all you need to do is look up, find Polaris, and you’ll be able to navigate your way back on track. Cool, eh?

Now, time for my quick story.

I begin my writing career with a message in my soul and a song in my heart. Along the way, I discovered that making a living as a freelancer was a little more challenging than I expected. Turns out, I’m not only expected to know how to write, I must spin a great yarn, I must persevere in a tough profession, and most horrifying of all, I must learn to sell my writing.

It’s a tall order.

So, setting my ultimate dream (my Polaris) aside, I embarked on the long process of perfecting my craft (still have a ways to go on that count, I’m sure), keeping my mindset strong, and mastering various components of the persuasive process, i.e. marketing, just to name a few challenges.

That’s about the time things started going a bit amok for me.

While I rather enjoy exploring these techniques, they are mere tools to propel me towards my ultimate goal… my Polaris. However, none of them are my “official” Polaris.

Sadly, for far too many years, my life rotated around these exact activities. I studied writing, I immersed myself in mindset issues, I lived, breathed, and ate everything I could get my hands on when it came to mastering marketing techniques. In fact, I even became a professional copywriter for a time.

Ah, the incredible detours we take.

Bad part was that my ultimate dream, my Polaris,languished, patiently waiting for me to come to my senses.

And here’s where it gets really interesting.

I firmly believe that we’re born with in in-born navigation system, a way we can instantly know when we’re on a path contrary to our Polaris. Whenever I’m working on a project that is in harmony, something that is leading me closer to my ultimate goal, I feel great. I’m in the creative zone. I love it. Challenges hardly feel like challenges because I find the whole process so invigorating.

When I’m working on a project that isn’t in harmony with my Polaris, I feel a resistance, an annoying niggling feeling that makes it hard to write. I have to force myself to the computer to get moving. The whole process has a dark pallor about it.

When I experience these negative sensations, I know I need to reevaluate the project and examine whether it will enhance my ultimate goal, or whether I should pass the project on to another writer who may find joy working on it.

I know. Easier said than done.

It’s hard to turn down projects. It’s only the daring who have courage to run after their own dreams, especially when you’ve got a few dollars at stake.

My theory is that talented people are capable of a lot. However, just because you have the ability to do something doesn’t mean you should. We have a finite amount of time per day. How will you spend that time; writing something truly heart felt and empowering, or slaving over a project you took on for the sole purpose of earning a few bucks. The old adage is true: You earn every cent when you take on a project solely for the money.

Somewhere along the line, you’ll have to decide whether you’ll follow your personal Polaris, your life purpose, or allow yourself to be side tracked by the myriad of possibilities that could, in essence, be valuable, but may leave you wondering at the end of your career, “What if my whole writing career has been wrong?”

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Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of numerous titles as well as the Creative Mindset Newsletter. Pick up the first seven copies today here. She’s also a busy copywriter, speaker, and publisher of Writing Etc., the free e-mag for writers.