5 Lessons Rob Severson Taught Me about Success as a   Freelance Writer

I’ve been   reading a lot of books lately:

Books on   marketing, business, psychology and anything else that can help me become a   better person and a better freelance writer.

I recently   had the opportunity to read Connecting   Peace, Purpose & Prosperity A Survival Guide & Memoir   by Rob Severson

It’s Rob   Severson’s memoir, written for and addressed to his children.

What made the   book particularly interesting to me was the fact that Rob is 65 and, being   18, I knew I could learn a lot from him.

Also, the   concept of writing a book to one’s children and grandchildren is something   that interests me, and I couldn’t just resist the fact that everything was   based on Rob’s life history.

In other   words, it was a story. And I love stories.

I gained a   lot from reading the book and here are the 3 most important lessons I learned   from Rob about being a more successful freelance writer and, most   importantly, a more successful person.

1.   Nobody is to be blamed for My Failure: I’m interested in successful people.   Even if I don’t agree with their approach or what they do, the fact that they   are successful – financially, socially or otherwise – makes me pay special   attention to them to see what they’re doing right and what I’m doing wrong.

One thing   I’ve noticed about successful people is that they blame nobody for their   failures and as a result are able to move forward.

From   constantly observing my life, I’ve also noticed that the more I focus on how   to solve my problems and become successful instead of dwelling on the fact   that someone or something is responsible for my failure, the more breakthroughs   I make in life.

Instead of   blaming the society, the government or even my environment, I learnt to focus   instead on what I can do to make a change.

You might not   be able to control who your parents are or what your background is, but you   can control what you make of it.

2. It   is Important to Always be Positive: This is especially important in   business. Here’s an excerpt from the book:

“I have heard that drinking alone is   comparable to wetting our pants in a blue suit. At first, we feel warm   inside, but no one notices it. Then it starts to smell and makes us   uncomfortable, and maybe crabby. Hate and resentments are the same way except   you do not feel warm inside—just angry. The people we resent usually do not   even notice it; they just leave us alone. Then others notice it, but avoid us   because of our griping and the negative attitude we adopt.”

There’s so   much happening around today to make one negative, but positivity is always   important. By being positive, it becomes easier to communicate with my   clients, those I constantly work with and even my friends.

It’s easier   to be negative, but then it almost never ends. Positivity has its own rewards,   though.

3.   Getting to Know others is Very Important: It’s easy to get   judgmental of somebody else, especially if they are not as “sophisticated” or   as “experienced” as we are.

I could   relate to Rob’s story about his experience working with a superior who he   believed didn’t really understand how things would work. Except in Rob’s   case, he was able to figure things out by getting to know the fellow (while I   just blew it in my own case).

I didn’t   really see anything wrong with this until I read Rob’s book.

This concerns   my conversations with a potential client few months back. I didn’t really   like the approach the potential client was using while were in the   negotiation stages, and it got to a stage where I got angry and decided not   to reply to his emails again due to some of his remarks.

I felt I did   the right thing then but, thinking about it today, that is someone else I   could have gotten to know and who could have been my client. I estimate that   cost me thousands of dollars compared to if I had worked with him for a few   months.

I’m also   learning similar lessons via the   challenge I started over a month ago and my relationship with clients;   sometimes, you just have to get off your high horse and get to understand the   other party.

This is   especially important when a business relationship is involved. Who knows, the   client you didn’t agree with earlier could end up referring others to you.

In Rob’s   case, he ended up becoming a friend of his.

Get “Connecting Peace, Purpose &   Prosperity a Survival Guide & Memoir”

There’s a lot   to be learned when it comes to marketing, sales, negotiating or succeeding in   business.

Attitude is   one thing a lot of us ignore, though, and this often costs us more than we   could imagine. Whether mentally, emotionally or physically; most of the times   we don’t even notice it.

Get Rob’s   book “Connecting   Peace, Purpose & Prosperity A Survival Guide & Memoir” today; I read it in   a sitting. It’s a good weekend read and can give you great insights on   getting the best from life, especially from someone with 65 years of   experience on earth.

By Bamidele Onibalusi <info@youngprepro.com>