Money Is Not the Enemy and the Habits of the Rich

Dogs Are Smarter Than People: Writing Life, Marriage and Motivation

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So apparently millionaires have habits that us non-millionaire people don’t have.

These habits don’t include taking a bath in $100 bills even though that would be cool. The habits aren’t quite that sexy.

So before we get started, we just wanted to remind you that prosperity doesn’t equal merit. The richest people sure as hell aren’t the best people, the kindest people, or the most ethical people. They are the richest. That’s it. Some of them are nice. Some are douchebags. Some are in between.

But prosperity is super intriguing right now because a lot of us are a bit struggling to figure out how to survive and if that’s you, we get it. But we want you to do more than struggle, we want you to feel secure.

In Lifehack, Dr. Carol Morgan has an article entitled “8 Ways of Thinking To Make You Become Rich.”

Her ideas are mostly about belief mindsets.

I AM A ROCK STAR

So some of these ideas are pretty chill. Like “believe you are worthy.” Presidents are very good at this – presidents from both parties, actually and all the candidates.

The rest of us humans and especially writers? Not so much.

Don’t think about how you suck or how you aren’t a YouTube star or J.K. Rowling or whatever. You need to believe in yourself and that you have something to offer this damn world. What you offer is what will make you wealthier.

Writers have a hard time with this.

I’VE GOT THIS.

Then you have to go another step and believe that you can actually do it. Yep. You have to believe you have worth and then believe you can make things happen.

HAVE A GRATITUDE ATTITUDE

Be grateful that you are alive still. Hopefully, you have some food. So don’t only focus on what you want, but be delighted by what you have. Delight is a much cooler word than gratitude one of my author friends just said. I believe her.

THE RICH ARE NOT NECESSARILY EVIL

I feel like the doctor who wrote this article might be saying this because she’s rich. But socio-economic status should never be a deciding factor in why you think someone is evil. How they act or don’t act? Those are better reasons.

IMAGINE WHAT YOU WANT

Make a vison board or say happy mantras or make a Pinterest page or something. All last year I wrote down the things I wanted. I did this every day in the morning. Some of them are coming true.

MAKE OUT WITH YOUR MONEY.

Not really, but don’t hate it. That hate-attitude isn’t going to attract the money. Plus, like Dr. Morgan says a lot of people go around saying that they hate money, but “That doesn’t mean that they really HATE money. They just hate the LACK of money.”

PAYING YOUR BILLS SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL SEXY.

Okay, she didn’t say it this way, but instead of being negative about it, think about how freaking lucky you are to be able to pay those damn bills and not having the creditor come or your car repo’d. Baby, that’s sexy.

PUT A RING ON IT.

Yep, that’s right commitment phobes. You want to commit to lining that bank account with the green and gold. Be focused. Go after it. Commit.

How about some slightly more practical advice?

Make a budget. Know the money coming in and out.

Chip away at your debt. Because that interest rate is pulling you down and making you cement.

Don’t have all your income coming in from one place because crap like pandemics happen.

Be cool with spending money on yourself to build skills.

Do What You’re Good At.

Remember even the biggest things can fail and that’s okay. But what’s not okay is stasis, not trying.

“I have had many struggles through this coronavirus experience — but the areas where I have not struggled are the places I have rehearsed what might happen.”
Tim Ferriss

Writing Tip of the Pod

It’s hard when you get rejected to keep believing in yourself, but you have to. You have to keep trying. And deep down in your core? That’s where you know it’s going to happen. Make it happen.

Dog Tip for Life.

Get your stuff wherever you can. Trash cans. Litter boxes. Begging. Don’t depend on one source.

SHOUT OUT

The music we’ve clipped and shortened in this podcast is awesome and is made available through the Creative Commons License. Here’s a link to that and the artist’s website. Who is this artist and what is this song? It’s “Night Owl” by Broke For Free.

RECENT EPISODES OF AWESOME AND BONUS INTERVIEWS

Last week’s episode link.

A bonus interview with Dr. J.L. Delozier, Pennsylvania doctor and writer.

A bonus interview with poet and coach Fiona Mackintosh Cameron.

A bonus interview with Jose De La Roca, podcaster, writer, comedian, actor, dad. Link to Jose’s interview.

Carrie’s NEW BOOK OF AWESOME

I have a new book out!!!!!! It’s an adult mystery set in the town where we live, which is Bar Harbor, Maine. You can order it here. And you totally should.

And if you click through to this link, you can read the first chapter!

And click here to learn about the book’s inspiration and what I learned about myself when I was writing it.

IN THE WOODS – READ AN EXCERPT, ORDER NOW!

My new book, IN THE WOODS, is out!

Gasp!

It’s with Steve Wedel. It’s scary and one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Buzz Books for Summer 2019. There’s an excerpt of it there and everything! But even cooler (for me) they’ve deemed it buzz worthy! Buzz worthy seems like an awesome thing to be deemed!

ART NEWS

Buy limited-edition prints and learn more about my art here on my site.

WHAT ELSE?

I’m still revising ANOTHER NOW, which is a big time travel story. It is killing me.

AND FINALLY, MY NEW PATREON STORY

And over on Patreon, I’m starting a new story this week! It’s a chapter a month if you want to check it out. It basically costs $1 a month to listen to my story and $3 a month to read it. There’s a new chapter every week. It’s super fun; I promise. Here’s an excerpt.

Author: carriejonesbooks

I am the NYT and internationally-bestselling author of children's books, which include the NEED series, FLYING series, TIME STOPPERS series, DEAR BULLY and other books. I like hedgehogs and puppies and warm places. I have none of these things in my life. View all posts by carriejonesbooks

Jason Gallaher, author of WHOBERT WHOVER, OWL DETECTIVE

Writing Coach of Your Dreams

Carrie is the writing coach I always dreamed of having. She has such a great balance in her feedback between singing your praises at what is working and giving you honest criticism at what still needs development. Carrie goes above and beyond in her editorial letters, giving very clear and detailed feedback, and her eagerness to answer any questions makes the whole experience of critique—which can be a very vulnerable experience—make you feel like you’re with a trusted friend that you’ve known for years (even though you just met).

Nancy Stone

Stellar Writing Coach

Carrie is not only whip-smart, savvy, and insightful, she is kind, generous, and real. A stellar writing coach and human being, she gives me priceless creative and professional guidance, but most of all she gives me hope. Her joyful, honest approach to writing is a bright and guiding light.

Michelle Ames

Stellar Writing Coach

Julie Herman

Encouraging Feedback

I met Carrie through an online course offered through the Writing Barn. She was a thorough reader of our work, giving both positive and encouraging feedback. Any fixes she offered were on point and gently given. I felt that my writing grew significantly during the time I spent under her wing.

Stefanie Chou

MAKES IT EASY

I’ve worked with Carrie on multiple novels and she is a wonderful mentor! She is a great teacher and provides excellent feedback with examples, allowing me to learn and grow as a writer. She usually responds with feedback quicker than the agreed time, which is always nice. The best thing about Carrie though is that she is so encouraging. Sometimes it’s hard to have your work critiqued, but Carrie makes it easy. She is so good at heaping on praise while also giving constructive feedback, so it makes you excited to revise, rather than want to give up. I highly recommend her!

Lauren Haynes

EXPLORE YOUR STORY’S SOUL

It is a blessing Carrie is willing to share her insights and talents with others, because she is a powerhouse of a coach who pushes you to be the best writer you can be. There were times where I was so frustrated with my novel I felt like quitting, and Carrie pulled me from the bog of eternal revisions and dead-ends into a place of hope. She invigorated me to write and write better. Carrie inspired my growth as a writer and a person. She showed me it’s okay (actually, it’s great) to embrace my quirkiness. She tore down walls I didn’t know I had built and gave me the foundation to be a confident writer with direction.

Her feedback centers on developing your authentic voice. She doesn’t try to make you write like anyone else and applauds your uniqueness. She encourages you to push boundaries and explore the soul of your story. She is extremely attentive to character development and plot structure, as well as how those elements resonate with the intended audience and reveal the author’s purpose. She celebrates powerful writing with specific feedback on what works and why it works just as often as she advises on revisions to improve the story. She asks meaningful questions, offers clear examples, and supplies diverse resources to provoke the author to transform their stories in ways they may never have otherwise. She has an innate sense of the heart of a story and digs into its core as if the writing were her own.

I could not more strongly recommend Carrie as a writing coach, because she cares fiercely about your writing, works tirelessly to improve your story, and nurtures you as a writer. She is the coach, the cheerleader, and the team all in one. If you want to get out of your rut or become a better writer, Carrie is the person you want to have by your side.

Wendi Kepplinger

Shrinks Fear

Carrie has a gift of encouragement in its truest sense–she searches for what is good in a writer and grows it, she provides perspective that shrinks fear back to size, and she nourishes the kind of confidence and hope so vital for a creative work. Even her criticism is gently done. She is also unfailingly funny! Her comments keep discussions fun and light and create a safe space for people to share and grow. It is clear that she cares and wants our books to succeed.

Cathy Carr

Gentle Encouragement and an Occasional Kick in the Pants

One of the things I enjoyed the most about working with Carrie is that she helped me write the book I wanted to write, not the book she would have preferred I write, or the book she would written in my place. She was vested in helping me express my vision as a writer and as a human being.

One special thing about Carrie as a writing coach and teacher is her understanding of writing psychology. She’s well familiar with the pits of uncertainty and the swamps of despondency a writer can step into, and seems to know just the right thing to say to get the struggling person going again, from gentle encouragement to straight-ahead course correction to even the occasional kick in the pants.

Trista Wilson

A Light for Other Writers

When working with Carrie, I can feel that she is genuinely invested in helping me make my writing the very best it can be. She freely shares her own writing experiences, including the struggles, which helps me not feel alone in those tough moments. She is so positive and encouraging while also giving very specific and thoughtful feedback to help my writing shine. Carrie is truly a light for other writers.

Patti Brown

Positive and Uplifting and Funny

I have known Carrie Jones for many years, and I’ve now had the pleasure of working with her in a professional capacity. Carrie was my writing coach through the WRITE, SUBMIT, SUPPORT program at The Writing Barn.

As a coach and support person, she was phenomenal. I greatly appreciated Carrie’s enthusiasm towards me and the other students. She took the time to know each of us. She was positive and uplifting in her messages, and funny, too!

Carrie is also a skilled writing teacher, honing in on the subtlest of details while also keeping the big picture of the story in view. She found the deficits in my story and was able to provide suggestions for solutions without being negative. She understands the difficulty writers encounter in this business and is always ready to help–whether by lifting our spirits or providing resources. I enjoyed having Carrie as my coach and I would highly recommend her to other writers.

Sara Crawford

By Far One of the Best

I was in the Write. Submit. Support class from The Writing Barn that was led by Carrie, and it was exactly what I needed. I’ve worked with a lot of different writing teachers and mentors in college classes, my MFA program, a playwriting apprenticeship, and various workshops and residencies, and Carrie was by far one of the best. Her feedback on my writing was extremely helpful but also encouraging and uplifting. She gave us a lot of thought-provoking and beneficial information in the monthly classes that helped me to see my writing from a different perspective. Every month, after our classes or after I received notes from her, I was inspired not only to write and improve my craft but to create in general–to write fiction, to write songs, to write plays, and to write content that would help other creative people and artists.

I also love how supportive Carrie is. She takes the time to really listen to you, encourage you, and support you, no matter where you are in your writing career or what your goals are. I also appreciate that she understands that everyone’s publishing path is different, and I was so grateful that I could turn to her for advice and support as I had to make some difficult decisions about my own career. I miss WSS now that the class is ofter, but fortunately, Carrie continues to produce informative and uplifting content for creatives every day–from her blog posts to her podcasts to her motivational thoughts posted alongside adorable dog photos on social media–and she inspires me to do the same. For anyone looking for a writing mentor/teacher/coach, I can’t recommend Carrie enough.