How to Market Your Small Business Effectively

As a small business owner, you know how important it is to invest in marketing. You want your company to stand out from the competition and attract new customers. But how can you do that without breaking the bank? 

Here’s a look at some of the best marketing strategies for small business owners that won’t cost ya an arm and a leg.

Make Use of Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are all excellent tools for promoting your business. Not only do they allow you to reach potential customers directly, but they also offer a wide range of advertising options that can help you target potential customers more effectively. Best of all, social media platforms are free to use! All you have to do is create an account and start posting content regularly.

Also, making the most out of your social media marketing allows you to continually improve so the things you share are even more effective.

Let’s break this down into 6 steps

1. Do customer research

2. Set a clear goal

3️. Analyze competitors

4️. Create relevant content

5. Design graphics and/or add photos 

6. Decide when to post

7. Look up the best hashtags to add to your posts (3-5 hashtags at max)

Focus on Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating content such as blog posts, articles, videos, and podcasts with the goal of engaging potential customers and driving traffic to your website. This type of marketing is especially effective for small businesses because it allows you to connect with your target audience on a deeper level while also boosting your search engine rankings. Plus, it doesn't require any additional expenses beyond the cost of creating the content itself.

Some good content marketing strategies can be:

• Hosting a social media competition

• Produce video tutorials

• Collect and make a case study from testimonials/customer feedback

• Collaborate with other small businesses

• Jump on trending topics

• Share relevant topics from other small business owners

• Start a weekly IG/FB live

• Start a community group

Utilize Email Marketing Strategies

Email marketing can be one of the most effective ways to promote your business, if done correctly. By building an email list of subscribers who have opted in to receive updates from your business, you can stay in touch with them on a regular basis by sending out newsletters or promotional emails about upcoming events or special offers. This type of marketing is cost-effective since there are many free email service providers out there such as MailChimp or Constant Contact. 

Here are a few ways to build an email list FAST - 

• Run a 3-day or 5-day challenge

• Host a workshop

• Create a free guide

• Be a guest on someone’s podcast

• Write a blog on someone’s blog site

• Make CTAs on your social media videos and posts to join your newsletters 

• Do 15-min. connection calls with other business owners and tell them about your email list at the end of the call to stay in touch with you!          

Marketing is essential for any small business looking to make its mark in today's competitive landscape. The good news is that there are lots of affordable options available for small businesses who want to get their name out there without breaking the bank. By making use of social media platforms, focusing on content marketing strategies, and utilizing email campaigns effectively, small businesses can effectively market their products or services without spending too much money. With a bit of hard work and patience, these tactics will help any small business owner get their brand noticed by potential customers!

Want weekly marketing tips? Sign up for my newsletter by grabbing these free promo email templates: www.heytoriautumn.com/gift 

Making the Most Out of Your Nonprofit’s Marketing Strategy

When it comes to marketing for nonprofits, there are lots of strategies you can use to get your organization the highest, best exposure. While traditional forms of advertising are still effective, online marketing tools like social media and email campaigns offer a great way to reach out to potential donors as well as members of your target audience. 

Here are some top tips for making the most out of your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with potential supporters in an engaging and personal way. Not only does it allow you to reach people across the globe with just one post, but it also offers ample opportunity for interaction with your current followers. Take advantage of this by creating content that resonates with them and encourages conversation. You can also use social media to share news about your organization and upcoming events or fundraisers.

Other ways you can maximize your social media presence:

• Create reels to do 1-2 min. Strong storytellings

• Promote upcoming events, Galas, volunteer opportunities, and job positions

• Tease upcoming announcement

• Run a giveaway contest

• Create social media hashtags that relate to your organization and use them on each post

• Promote free resources

• Provide statistics for causes related to your nonprofit

Email Campaigns

Email campaigns are a great way to create a personalized connection with current supporters as well as prospective ones. Use emails to keep donors updated on the latest news from your organization, such as any new initiatives, publications, informative data, social updates, major organizational updates, or successes you have had recently. Additionally, using email campaigns allows you to segment your audience into different categories so that you can tailor messages specifically for each individual group—for example, sending separate emails to new donors vs existing donors or directing emails based on age range or location.

Working with the Earned (Paid) Media

Speaking in the media is an effective way for nonprofits to inform potential supporters about their mission in an engaging manner while also providing valuable information about their cause or industry in general. Topics should be tailored specifically for each platform in order to maximize engagement—so think about reaching radio stations, podcasts, local newspapers, magazines, and TV stations.—and should have an interesting angle to increase your chances of getting in the “yes” pile. Additionally, you can then repurpose those interviews as content, which should then be optimized with keywords so that it appears higher up in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Need help with pitching? Read this blog I wrote about effective pitch writing. 

There are many different avenues when it comes to creating a successful marketing strategy for nonprofits—from utilizing social media channels to crafting content-rich email campaigns—but they all share one common goal: getting people excited about your cause and raising awareness around it! By taking advantage of these various tools available at our disposal today, we can ensure that our organizations will remain relevant in today’s digital world and make sure our messages reach far beyond traditional means of communication.

With thoughtful planning and creative execution, any nonprofit will be able to develop a successful marketing plan that helps build more support and further its mission!

How to Pitch Your Podcast Like a Pro

Podcasts are an incredibly powerful marketing tool. As a CEO or Founder, you can use podcasts to reach new audiences and establish yourself as an authority in your industry. But how do you get started? The key is in the pitch. Crafting the perfect podcast pitch is essential if you want to land those coveted interviews and grow your audience. 

There are 464.7 million podcast listeners globally as of 2023. It is predicted that there will be around 504.9 million podcast listeners worldwide by the end of 2024. The United States has the most podcasts in the world! Needless to say, there are so many opportunities to get your brand, business, and messaging in front of your target audience —and bring in lots of revenue, too.

Here are some helpful tips for crafting a successful podcast pitch.

Do Your Research

Before you can craft a successful podcast pitch, you need to do your research. Podcast hosts can quickly realize if you’ve been a listener of their podcasts or you’re just sending out pitches left and right, so take out the time to listen to an episode before pitching. This will also get you familiar with their interview/speaking style.

Find podcasts that have a similar audience to yours and take note of what topics they cover, who hosts them, and when they air. Also, make sure to check out the show’s website so you can read up on their content guidelines and submission requirements. Knowing what topics the show covers and following their submission guidelines will go a long way in helping you craft a successful pitch that stands out from the rest.

Make It Personal

No one likes generic emails—especially podcast hosts! When crafting your podcast pitch, make sure it’s personalized for each show you apply to. Don’t just copy/paste the same generic email; instead, make sure it speaks directly to the host and why you think your topic would be a great fit for their show. Also, don’t forget to include relevant links back to your website or social media pages so they can learn more about who you are and what kind of content you create.

Be Concise & Professional

When pitching podcasts, always ensure that your emails are concise yet professional. Don’t ramble on about yourself for more than two paragraphs; instead be direct about who you are, why this particular topic would be great for their show, and why now is the best time for it. Keep it short (no more than four paragraphs), sweet, and most importantly: professional! This isn’t the time to use slang or casual language—make sure everything is written in proper English with no typos or grammatical errors! I use grammarly.com to edit all of my words before sending it out --it’s a free chrome extension and it has saved me from so many spelling mistakes.

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Pitching podcasts can seem like a daunting task at first, but with these helpful tips any CEO or Founder can become an expert at crafting successful pitches that stand out from the rest! Do your research before submitting any pitches so that you know exactly which topics will work best with each show, then tailor each email so that it speaks directly to each host while still maintaining professionalism throughout. With some practice and patience soon enough every CEO or Founder will find themselves getting invited onto some of the most popular podcasts around! 

Need help with successfully pitching podcasts so that your pitch ends up in the yes pile? Check out my podcast and cold email outreach templates. 

Inside these podcast and outreach templates, you’ll get:

• A general breakdown of a cold pitch

• Actual pitches I’ve used to help me gain clients

• Actual pitches I’ve used to help me get on podcasts

• A video training to tie the pitches all together

• My secret strategy to getting previous clients to help create a referral system for you

Check out these podcasts and cold outreach email templates today.

How To Create a Highly Engaging Webinar

As technology continues to evolve, webinars have become an increasingly popular way for businesses to engage with their customers and prospects. Not only are webinars cost-effective and convenient, but they also provide invaluable opportunities to learn from industry experts and build relationships with potential customers. But how do you ensure you’re running a highly engaging webinar?

Let’s dive into my top 3 tips on how to plan and run the PERFECT webinar!

Planning Your Webinar

The first step in running a successful webinar is planning. Set goals for what you want to achieve with your webinar and determine how you will measure success. If your goal is to educate your audience, consider what topics are most relevant and make sure that the content you present is timely and up-to-date.

Additionally, consider which format best suits the needs of your audience; will it be a panel discussion or a Q&A session? Will it be an hour of training or workshop style…or both?

Also, here are a few things to consider:

• where to host the webinar

• reading a script or just notes

• your pitch at the end of the webinar

• weaving in your audience’s pain points throughout the webinar

• finding points to give examples and stories

Once you’ve determined these details, it’s time to start promoting your webinar!

Creating Content That Resonates

When it comes to creating content for your webinar, quality trumps quantity every time. Make sure that the information you present is relevant and interesting so that viewers stay engaged throughout the entire presentation. It’s also important to diversify the content; if everything is presented in text form, people may lose interest quickly…or worse, log off!

Include visuals such as infographics or videos whenever possible to keep viewers engaged.

Finally, be sure to include plenty of breaks throughout the presentation so that viewers can take notes and digest the information before continuing on with the presentation. Think of your webinar as another way to create a human connection. How can you make them feel entertained while also learning from you?

Engaging With Your Audience

Webinars should not be one-sided conversations; rather, they should be interactive experiences that allow participants to ask questions or provide feedback in real-time. Encourage engagement from the very beginning by asking open-ended questions or polling attendees about their opinions on certain topics related to your presentation. During Q&A sessions, try not to move too quickly through questions as this could create confusion among attendees who are trying to follow along with the conversation. Finally, make sure that all participants feel comfortable engaging by providing an inclusive environment where everyone can voice their ideas without fear of judgment or ridicule.

Running a successful webinar takes careful planning and dedication—but when done correctly, it can help boost engagement with customers and prospects! Start by setting clear goals for what you want out of your webinar then create content that resonates with your target audience and encourages interaction between them and speakers/hosts throughout the event. With these tips in mind, you’re well on your way toward creating an engaging webinar experience!

Got an upcoming webinar, event, training, or masterclass coming up? Let’s prepare for this event in advance with emails to invite your audience, show-up emails to get your audience to attend, and a high-converting webinar essentials guide to help you craft a refreshing presentation.

The webinar invite and show-up email templates come with:

• 5 webinar invite template emails

• 5 webinar show-up template emails

• A high-converting webinar essentials guide (including ways to get the most visibility for your webinar!)

• A video training to tie it all together 

You can purchase the webinar templates using this link.

3 Ways to Increase Visibility for Nonprofits

In today’s digital world, it can be difficult for nonprofits to cut through the noise of both not-for-profit and nonprofit organizations and gain visibility. With limited resources, it can seem like a frustrating, uphill battle. The good news is that there are lots of ways your organization can be seen by your target audience and potential donors. Here are a few marketing strategies that can help you increase your reach and spread awareness of your nonprofit. Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

Strategizing How Your Org Uses Social Media 

Social media is a great way to get people engaging with your nonprofit quickly. You need to select the right social media platforms for your organization. For example, if your mission has a visual component such as photography or art, then Instagram would be a great platform to focus on. If you are looking to engage in more of an open dialogue with people, then Twitter would be better suited. Strong storytelling via video - TikTok is a great platform to try out. It is important to understand the nuances of each platform and create content appropriate for each one. Additionally, you should always include calls-to-action (CTAs) in order to drive action from potential supporters. 

Some CTAs can be

• Click the link in our bio to learn more

• Sign up to receive weekly newsletters

• Register for this upcoming webinar using the link in our bio

• Got a question for us? Comment below or send us a DM

• Donate using the link in our bio

• Become a sponsor by filling out this form using the link in our comments

• Read our most recent blog on [name of the website]

Build Your Content Marketing Strategy

Content marketing is also essential for nonprofits looking to gain visibility online. Through content marketing, you can share stories related to your mission and provide valuable information about any upcoming events or campaigns. These stories can be shared across various mediums such as blog posts, videos, podcasts, webinars, video series, newsletters, etc., which will help expand your reach and increase engagement with potential supporters over time. Content marketing also helps build relationships with other organizations that may want to collaborate with yours in the future—increasing cross-promotion possibilities and gaining more visibility over time. 

PROTIP: Make a list of nonprofit organizations you’d like to collaborate with on content.

Invest in Paid Advertising Strategies

Paid advertising is another great way to get exposure quickly when trying to gain visibility for a nonprofit organization. Leveraging paid advertising allows you to target specific audiences that are likely interested in what your organization does rather than just randomly broadcasting messages into a void where no one may ever see them. This strategy also helps ensure that potential supporters actually receive the message and TAKE ACTION rather than nodding and scrolling. Paid ads also allow you to quickly test different messages and target different audiences so that you know exactly what works best for reaching new people interested in supporting your cause! Paid ads’ metrics can help you decide which messaging resonates the most with your audience.

Gaining visibility as a nonprofit organization isn’t easy but it is possible with strategic planning and thoughtful execution of key tactics such as social media campaigns, content marketing initiatives, or paid advertising campaigns carefully tailored toward specific target audiences who may be interested in learning more about what your organization does! When done properly these strategies can help increase awareness of your mission while providing valuable exposure that could potentially lead to increased donations or volunteer opportunities down the road! So don’t hesitate—start leveraging these strategies today! 

Also, let us know how these strategies work for your organization. Shoot us over an email at support@heytoriautumn.com so we can chat.

3 Common Website Mistakes to Avoid as a Small Biz Owner

As a small business owner, your website is the first impression you’re making to potential customers. Having a professional, well-designed website is essential for building credibility, driving conversions, and improving customer service. Unfortunately, many small business owners make crucial mistakes when it comes to their websites. 

These mistakes can lead to prospective clients:

• not booking a call or signing up for your webinar

• being confused about how to buy your service

• feeling unsure if you’re the right person to help them

Let’s dive into 3 common mistakes and how to avoid them so that your website helps you make a higher impact and sales!

Poor Navigation Structure

The navigation structure includes your main menu and your footer menu. It is one of the most overlooked aspects of website design, yet it can have a huge impact on user experience. Your navigation structure should be clear and intuitive so that visitors can find what they need with ease. Otherwise, they will give up and move on to another site. The goal of the navigational structure is to make your clients feel like they’re on a journey for taking action.

Try using breadcrumbs or other navigational tools to help visitors find their way around your site quickly and easily. Additionally, create an easy-to-find search bar so that people can find what they are looking for without having to navigate through pages of content.

Most visitors will expect to see on navigational structure some or most of the following:

• Homepage

• About me

• Work with me or Services

• Blog/Podcast/Free Guide/Resources

• Speaking (if you’re branding yourself as a speaker/public figure)

• Testimonials/Client Love

• Page for your book/store/courses/community group

• Contact

No Mobile Optimization

Almost 80% of internet users now access the web from a mobile device. That means that if your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, you are losing out on an enormous number of potential customers! Make sure that your website is responsive and looks great regardless of which device someone is viewing it from – desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. Additionally, ensure that all text is easy to read on smaller screens and page loading times are quick – no one likes waiting for a page to load!

If you get stuck with optimizing your website to look nice on your tablet or phone, reach out to the support team associated with your website. Many websites, such as Squarespace or Wordpress, have hundreds of help articles and those can be helpful to refer to.

Lack of Quality Content

Content is queen/king! Quality content helps you build your brand identity while also drawing in potential customers with relevant information about your product or service. Keep in mind that content marketing isn’t just about written words; you should also consider including visuals like photos or videos as well as infographics or podcasts in order to engage viewers more effectively than just text alone can do. Of course, no matter what kind of content you choose to include on your website, make sure it accurately reflects the values of your business and appeals to the right target audience.

Quality content is informative, engaging, and encourages your audience to take the next step with you.

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Building a successful website requires attention to detail and dedication from the very beginning stages of design, all the way through post-launch maintenance. But by avoiding these 3 common mistakes – poor navigation structure, lack of mobile optimization, and insufficient quality content – you will be well on your way toward creating an effective website for your small business! With careful planning and continual evaluation of analytics data after your website launch, you will have all the tools needed for success at your fingertips.

Also… need help with writing or rewriting your website? 👀I can help you with that! ✨

The high-converting website template was created to get your website written so that you can start building an email list and showcasing your services right away. You can purchase the full high-converting website template for just $147.

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If you’d like to chat more about having a professional and high-converting website 100% written for you by me, you can book a call using this link.

How Nonprofits Can Add Strong SEO to Their Websites

As a nonprofit organization, your mission and values are super important and the world needs to see (and believe in) your message. Having a website is essential for any organization - but I’d argue that it’s even more critical for nonprofits.

It’s the primary way that you can reach:

• Donors

• Volunteers

• Prospective employees

• Interns

• Sponsors

• Board of Directors 

• and other stakeholders

And while you may have a great website with resources, upcoming events info, and engaging content, if no one can find them, then all the time and resources put into them are wasted. One way to solve this problem is to make your website more easily found. That’s why having strong SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on your website is so essential. SEO means the process of improving your website to increase its visibility in Google, Microsoft Bing, and other search engines that people use to find things.

Read on to find out how nonprofits can add robust SEO to their sites so that more visitors can easily find them!

Improve Your SEO Strategy

The first step in improving your nonprofit’s SEO is to create a strategy. A good SEO strategy takes into consideration 3 key things: current market conditions, competition, and long-term goals for your nonprofit. This will help you prioritize which keywords are most important and how much of the budget should be allocated toward SEO efforts. Once you have an SEO strategy, then you can move on to the next steps of implementing it.

Select the Best Keywords

Once you have outlined an overall SEO strategy, then you can start researching relevant keywords for your website content. Researching keywords should be part of your overall marketing plan since targeting the right words will increase your chances of appearing prominently in search results (which is the goal!). This also ensures that people searching for services related to yours will actually find what they are looking for when they land on your site instead of being disappointed by irrelevant content or leaving quickly because they don't see what they are looking for. Some of my go-to tools for keywords are Ubersuggest and Keywords Everywhere. 

Create Content Quality

Finally, once you have chosen keywords that match both the interests of potential donors/volunteers and meet your organizational objectives, it's time to create content around those keywords. Content should be informative and engaging with an emphasis on quality over quantity; this means creating content that resonates with readers and encourages them to stay on your page longer than just a few seconds (which Google tracks). The more quality content created around these targeted keywords, the better chance there is for improved search engine rankings - plus it provides valuable information about what services, trainings, resources, or products your organization offers potential partners or customers!

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of having a successful website – especially for nonprofit organizations that rely heavily on donations from individuals or grants from organizations in order to achieve their missions. By creating an overall SEO strategy along with researching relevant keywords and creating high-quality content around those terms, nonprofits can ensure their websites appear prominently in search results while still providing relevant information about what services or products they offer potential patrons or customers. Your website aka your organization’s digital home deserves to be seen by everyone it can heavily impact. Investing in strong SEO will help secure donations now while also laying a foundation for future success by boosting visibility online!

Free Email Templates + Training

Imagine writing your promo emails like an expert copywriter.

(without pushing it to the bottom of your to-do list)

Picture this. You’re up late at night, wondering what your soon-to-be clients are up thinking about late at night. The irony.

Except, we can’t be in their rooms with a notepad to talk to them at 3am.

Well, we shouldn’t… that would be creepy!
There’s a better way.

If you want to sell your program, course, or services through email…

You need copy that’ll do the selling for you so that you can:
✔ Connect with your audience through storytelling
✔ Press *send* on done-for-ya emails
✔ Celebrate the new clients and $$$

And if you’re a coach or a course creator who’s not yet ready to work with a copywriter, I’ve got good news for you!

How to Offer Value in Your Cold Outreach to Potential Clients

With many businesses learning more ways to become virtual, it’s still highly important for service providers to lean into the power of cold outreach. Taking into account your capacity, this can be done by either you or a virtual assistant to reach out to clients or companies that are a perfect fit for your services. 

Here are some ways you can build trust, credibility, and make the most out of each pitch.

1. Connection first, ALWAYS. Establish a connection with your potential client. Tell them how you know them. This can be how you’ve subscribed to their newsletter, bought their program, followed them on social media, met them at a conference, heard them speak on a podcast, etc. If you can’t do this, choose someone else to pitch until you can. The goal to keep in mind is to make them feel like you’re a part of their community.

2. Establish your credibility. Share something that you’ve written for a similar client (but not a competitor). Add links. More on a confident tone and less on a desperate or needy tone. 

3. Focus on the value that you can offer. Let them know how your work will give them something they don’t have now—they’ll get more engaged email subscribers, more sales using your emails, they’ll get more leads, whatever. Another option: you could share a piece of content that is applicable to their position or industry if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your work yet.

4. Ask something that’s easy to say yes to. This can be something simple as, “Would you be interested in checking out a few of my case studies?” “Would you like to have a 10-15 minute chat on zoom?” “Would you like to learn more about how we can potentially work together?”

5. Inject humor whenever you can. Think of this less as pitching for a project and more like the first step in building a relationship. Be human. Or funny. Be conversational. Or relatable when you can.

6. Keep it on the short end if you can. However, if you know the person or know that they value long-form emails, then go all out. But keep it relevant to them (have each paragraph serve as a “what’s in it for them?” purpose).

7. Practice sending out as many outreach emails as you can. And follow up after 7-10 days.

8. People love to be flattered. Starting off with something flattering and ending it with something lighthearted is always a great tip. Use flattery to your advantage. :)

9. Sometimes, outreach doesn’t have to be email-only. Experiment with reaching out to potential clients in their social media DMs. No audio messages though if it’s your first encounter with them. Nobody wants to open an audio message from someone they don’t know yet!

10. Rejection or no-response is a part of the journey. Don’t get discouraged. I can’t promise it’ll get easier over time, but you can detach yourself from the outcome by sending pitches at a high volume.

11. Spell-check can make a difference from making $0 - to thousands of dollars. Grammarly is a great free tool that can be added on as a Google Chrome extension to check your grammar in emails and in Google Docs.

Hopefully, with these tips in hand, you're able to take away the uncomfortable feelings that come with reaching out to other business owners. You have services that you've spent lots of time crafting and improving. Now it's time to go from draft to send so that other people can experience them.

Hi! If we haven't met before, I'm Tori Autumn--website and email copywriter. Aside from helping my clients grow their audiences and sales, I teach how to grow your visibility and how to be engaged with your audience for the long run.

If you'd like to know more about being more engaging with your audience, you can grab my complimentary checklist here: https://bit.ly/3NxxgLh

22 Habits to Give Up + Cultivate More Self-Love

Wanna cultivate more self-love? Try giving up these 22 habits into your lifestyle!

1. Let go of people who you cannot share good news with! Think about how quickly our parade can get rained on when we share something with somebody who is not in a state to receive our win. Instead of wishing that they would change, remove the expectation for them to celebrate with you. 

2. A subpar living situation. Rearrange your living situation to be your dream living. For many people, traveling isn’t a realistic option right now. But until it is, what’s something that can be added to or removed from your space to make it feel renovated, luxurious, or more YOU? Or perhaps it’s time to move away altogether (that’s my solution, at the time of me writing this!)

3. A bad habit or a ritual. Find one ritual throughout the day that you can change. Everything the way we do it is a ritual. The way we get ready for the morning, the way we work, the way we set boundaries, blah blah blah. What’s one thing you could change that would make your day feel more exciting. Cooking in the AM? Starting work an hour earlier and then finishing an hour earlier?

4. Giving others your advice before you use your own advice. We tend to think we can fix others before we fix ourselves, but it’s actually the other way around.

5. Feeling guilty for putting your needs first. Yeah…no–let’s make this the year we unlearn this.

6. Excessively working/ not taking off time from work. Sometimes we do it because we need the extra coins, and sometimes we do it because we’re avoiding something, we have nothing else better to do, or we tie our self-worth to our work. Take off time and enjoy more of this year (this is something I’m currently working on myself). 

7. Giving a reason why you don’t want to do something. When we go into the reasoning, it’s sort of like apologizing or trying to prevent someone from being mad at you. Sometimes, people will get mad at you for your decision no matter what, and you have to be OK with that.

8. Constantly saving pleasure or fun stuff for the future. Why wait until your birthday to celebrate you? Smell that new candle now or wear that outfit. Try a new color for your hair or nails. You don’t ever need a reason or to wait until the future, you’re worth it now.

9. Repeating your point again and again. Some people can meet you as deeply as they've met themselves–and repeating the point until they “get it” will only drive you insane. Show better than tell. 

10. Beating yourself up for not being able to complete your long to-do list. Girl, it’s too long. Cut it in half. We live in a society that expects us to do it all in 24 hours, and then we feel so bad when we get behind. Prioritize, delegate, and decide what should go on your to-don’t list.

11. Using apps that don’t make you feel better about life. I’ve been limiting my time spent on social media because of the negativity and because it’s a time sucker. I’m not saying that social media is all that bad, I just don’t spend hours and hours a day on it. I use other apps that feed my mind and soul like “Insight Timer” for meditation and “I am” for positive affirmations throughout the day.

12. Waiting for others to join you on something before you do it. If we constantly wait for others to go to the gym with us, go out to eat, read a new book, we’ll keep having someone else to blame for why we couldn’t do what we want to do. Do it, and watch them follow suit.

13. Excessive worrying. Worrying is where you have the least amount of faith in yourself, God, the Universe, etc. Instead at that moment, try sending someone else love. Or even better, yourself.

14. Thinking that you don’t have enough. “I don’t have enough love, money, clothes that fit well, purses that make my outfit look good, an attractive and educated partner. I don’t have enough time, support, friends, creativity, strength, sexiness, etc.” The game of “it’s never enough” keeps us away from receiving more and not appreciating what we have.

15. Pushing yourself to get something done when you really don’t have the energy to do it. Sadly, we don’t get rewards for being strong all the time, love. Can it get done after you rest? After you eat something?

16. Stopping everything to *constantly* emotionally or financially rescue others. Taking on other people’s problems, panic, and permission is a learned behavior that very much can be unlearned too! 

17. Looking for instant gratification or short-term rewards in your self-love journey. Sometimes, it does work that way and then it doesn’t. Remember that you’re in the long run for this journey. 

18. Being the responsible one all of the time. Your inner child needs to be taken care of too. Honor her for all of the times you’ve dealt with feeling abandoned or disappointed.  

19. Blaming other people for your lack of not getting where you want to be. Taking full responsibility puts you in the perfect position to change the situation.

20. Being afraid of your feelings. Your feelings are the gauge of your life. Emotions remind us that we are alive, we are human. As uncomfortable as it may get, it’s a good thing to honor your feelings.

21. Resist the urge to beat up on yourself when things don’t go as planned, you feel stupid for mistakes, or regret what you’ve said or done. You can’t love yourself and hate yourself at the same time–pick the better feeling emotion, always. And if love feels too strong at the moment, what do you like about yourself?

22. When in doubt, tell the whole truth to yourself. The truth about who you love, what you can get done, what you’re not good at, what’s important to you. It’ll give you so much clarity and confidence in being honest with yourself.

“You don’t have to meet certain qualifications to be loved. You do not have to do anything special, in a certain way to get love. The only thing that is ever required of you is to be who you are and feel good about it. Love is not a reward or a prize. Love is not something you can use to trap or be trapped. Love is not even yours to give, nor can it be withheld from you.

Love is the omniscient flow of life. It is every breath you take. It is the involuntary function of the organs, systems, and parts of your body. Love is your skin, your hair, the way you hold your head, the unique way you laugh or cry and move through the world. Your Creator has never asked you for credentials you don’t possess. Anyone who expects more from you than God has a great deal to learn about love.”

A passage about love from a book called “Faith in the Valley.”