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How to Motivate Yourself [6+ Tips & Tricks]


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You set an alarm to wake up in time for your “new day new me” daily routine and then hit the snooze button. 

You sign up for a new online course to broaden your horizons and never make it through the first lesson. 

You set yourself “achievable” work project deadlines and then delay them again and again.

If this sounds familiar or too close to comfort, don’t worry. We’re not personally calling you out here (and no, we’re not waving the shame bell either).

It can be incredibly tough to motivate yourself! Virtually everyone has fallen victim to laziness at some point in their lives. 

Working from home has made it more difficult for some people to have a good balance between work and personal life. It can be difficult to properly prioritize your work, home life, and other commitments when they’re all under one roof! 

Motivation loss is a normal part of life, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to tackle it. In this post, we’ll share helpful motivation tips that our Proofread Anywhere team members have found beneficial.

Why Do I Feel Unmotivated?

The image says "motivation may fade.... but it's just a symptom, not the heart of the issue. Uncover the root cause of your demotivation and watch how easily you can conquer it"

Is your motivation just not there? Feeling stuck in a rut is normal, whether it lasts for days, weeks, or months. Even the most successful people in the world struggle with motivation throughout their lives. Franz Kafka, a famous writer, wrote about his struggle with demotivation, showing his greatness as a creative writer:

How time flies; another ten days and I have achieved nothing. It doesn’t come off. A page now and then is successful, but I can’t keep it up, the next day I am powerless.

Franz Kafka, quoted by David Stuart Davies

If you’re feeling unmotivated, remember that a loss of motivation is just a symptom, not the root cause of the problem. Understanding the underlying cause of your demotivation will make it easier to overcome.

People who work from home or have a 9-to-5 office job may feel unmotivated and unhappy. This can be attributed to factors such as mental health, professional growth, and social well-being:

  • Goal-related factors: These factors involve setting realistic, attainable goals, which can provide a sense of direction and purpose  
  • Career-related factors: Lack of growth or advancement opportunities in your job can make you feel stuck and unmotivated.
  • Mental and emotional factors: These factors include burnout, isolation, fear of failure, low self-confidence, and feeling overwhelmed or unappreciated. These can significantly impact motivation levels.
  • Environmental factors: These factors refer to the work environment, such as distractions, which can hinder focus and productivity
  • Self-care and well-being factors: Not taking breaks and not caring for oneself can lead to feeling tired and losing motivation.
  • Passion and fulfillment factors: These factors relate to a lack of passion or enjoyment in one’s current career, indicating the need for exploring new options that align with personal interests 

If you’re ready to start a new career and start doing the things you enjoy, check out our General Proofreading Workshop to see if proofreading is right for you

Do any of these resonate with you? Regardless of the underlying cause of your demotivation, our tips below will still be helpful, especially when it comes to motivating yourself to meet those tight work deadlines.

Self-Motivation Tips

While it’s normal to experience the issues above at some point in your life, there are some effective tricks that can relight the motivational spark within you and ramp up productivity. We’ll discuss them all below.  

While we can’t promise that every tip will work for you, they offer valuable insights depending on the root cause of your demotivation. We sadly also can’t perform magic to instantly bring back your motivation and make you produce your best work (although we wish we could!). What we can assure you is that by reading this post, you’ll gain specific measures to give your motivation the best possible opportunity to thrive again.

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    Change Your Environment

    The image says "Create an environment conducive to who you want to be"

    External factors such as clutter, a cramped room, or blaring music outside can seriously mess with your mood and motivation, no matter how hard you try to brush them off! To combat this, it’s crucial to have a work environment that is both comfortable and distraction-free. This space should be solely dedicated to work, helping you easily slip into the “at work” mindset while establishing a clear boundary between your home and work life. 

    Ready to boost your productivity? Here are some quick and easy changes you can make to create the perfect work environment:

    Remove Clutter 

    Clutter not only occupies physical space but also clutters your mind, leading to distractions, stress, and ultimately, a lack of motivation. Having a clean and organized workspace can alleviate stress and enable you to focus on the task at hand. Make it a habit to spend 10 minutes tidying up your desk each morning before you start work or after you’ve finished for the day. 

    If you are sharing your office space with storage for your home, take advantage of local storage unit that may get some of those rarely used items out of your way. Don’t have a way to move it? You can rent a small van or truck and do it yourself or hire a local moving company to move your office clutter and personal items to offsite storage.

    Lessen Distractions

    When distractions are minimized, you can devote more attention to your work, leading to greater efficiency and a sense of progress, which in turn fuels motivation. Ensure your workspace is located in a quiet spot where you won’t hear blaring TV sounds or clashes and bangs from the kitchen. 

    You should also set boundaries with household members and kindly ask them to respect your workspace during working hours. If that’s not feasible, consider investing in noise-canceling headphones. An added benefit is that you can play productivity-boosting background music while you work!

    Remember to also switch your phone to silent or “do not disturb.” If the temptation is too much and you find yourself endlessly scrolling through social media, download a dedicated app that blocks distractions and helps you focus. 

    Switch Things Up

    If your job is fairly monotonous, consider regularly switching up your external environment. This simple change can introduce a touch of novelty into your daily routine, revitalizing your perspective and making your work feel fresh again. 

    You can vary your workspace by altering the view, decorations, colors, or even something as small as your work coffee mug. If you work from home, consider visiting a cafe or library to experience a different environment.

    Additionally, it’s worth exploring ways to diversify your work. As a freelance proofreader, for example, you could take on projects in different niches. This approach ensures that you continually encounter new topics, fostering a sense of ongoing learning and engagement in your day-to-day work life. 

    Add Things That Inspire

    Adding inspirational elements to your office can be highly effective. Consider including motivational books, favorite artworks, or posters of your role models. 

    One of our team members even decorates their walls with sticky notes featuring positive client feedback! This customization is especially beneficial if you struggle with self-confidence.

    Try a Productivity Timer

    The image says "Going from one thing to another can mess with your focus and productivity. You know, when you're trying to get stuff done but end up getting distracted? Super annoying, right?"

    Do you often catch yourself spending hours staring at your work without making progress? Do you feel reluctant to take breaks, only to end up reaching for your phone every 20 minutes? Contrary to common belief, taking breaks actually boosts productivity instead of hindering it!

    As amazing as your brain is, it has its limits when it comes to sustained focus. Without giving it time to recharge, you’ll become easily distracted, irritable, and stuck to your couch (which explains the phone scrolling habit).

    To ensure regular breaks, try using a timer as a reminder. Step away from your screen and break up the time with activities that bring you relaxation and joy, such as reading your favorite book, going for a walk, or exercising in your home office

    Experiment with our favorite timer methods: 

    • Pomodoro: Breaks down tasks into 25-minute time chunks with 5-minute breaks in between. Helps prevent dawdling and ensures you don’t overwork yourself
    • Flowtime: Work on tasks until you feel bored or distracted, then take a quick break and repeat. Helps you stay focused and easily track time spent on specific tasks
    • Eat The Frog: Identify and work on the most important task of the day first until it’s completed. Helps you prioritize effectively and doesn’t involve context-switching.

    Join a Community

    The image explains the benefits of joining communities when working from home.

    Feeling isolated in your day-to-day life can often lead to feeling less motivation. You’re more likely to feel this way if you’re a remote worker, a stay-at-home parent, studying online, or in any independent role like proofreading, where you may lack a natural community around you. 

    If you’re feeling lonely don’t hesitate to reach out to a community for support. It’s perfectly normal and healthy to seek and offer support from colleagues, parents, classmates, and professional contacts throughout your journey. 

    Even if you can’t find a local support network, you can actively seek out and join online communities of like-minded individuals who inspire and motivate you. At Proofread Anywhere, we’ve established various community groups to ensure our students and graduates stay connected on their career paths.

    Another option is to join a dedicated coworking space, where remote workers, freelancers, and independent professionals come together in a shared work environment. Coworking spaces not only boost productivity but also provide access to a diverse range of talented individuals who are often willing to help since you’re not in direct competition with them. 

    It’s also a lot easier to stay motivated when you’re surrounded by passionate professionals who truly care about their work. Remember, you’re not alone, and reaching out to a supportive community can make a world of difference in staying motivated and inspired.

    Break Down Large Tasks

    The image explains how to break down large tasks.

    Going slowly and taking baby steps can help to start larger projects and avoid stress. This trick is effective and can keep you motivated. When faced with big tasks, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, intimidated, and even convinced they’re impossible to accomplish. These emotions can seriously dampen your motivation.

    Creating a to-do list is our way of taking manageable steps toward a big goal. Lists act as external motivation that inspire you to keep going. There are several methods you can use to divide your work day, tasks, or long-term plans: 

    • Task blocking: Schedule work tasks in advance, allocating specific time blocks based on priority
    • Time batching: Divide your work day into distinctive blocks of time, which lessens context switching. Each time block is dedicated to tasks that are similar in nature, such as “meetings,” “checking messages,” and “writing newsletters”
    • Day theming: Devote an entire day to a specific task

    These time-management techniques are designed to enhance productivity and enable you to accomplish more in less time. Each method has its unique approach and is suitable for different needs, so experiment with each one to determine which works best for you.

    Treat Yourself

    The image explains how to self-motivate.

    Remember those moments from your childhood when you were praised and rewarded for your hard work? Whether it was a gold star for an essay or the admiration of your DIY project, those moments made you feel valued, happy, and inspired to do even better!

    But as we grew into adulthood, those gold stars seemed to disappear. Rarely do we receive recognition for our time and efforts, especially if we’re independent freelancers, parents, or students working from home. The lack of recognition can take a toll on our self-worth and completely deflate our motivation. 

    While you can’t exactly force those around you to notice your efforts, you can still actively reward yourself and provide the extrinsic motivation you deserve, whether it’s celebrating a task completion, finishing a big project, or simply surviving a particularly tough day. 

    Some great external rewards are:

    • Take a hot bubble bath 
    • Have a meal out with friends
    • Buy yourself flowers 
    • Have a picnic
    • Buy your favorite snacks, cheeses, or chocolates 
    • Check out a museum 
    • Have a wine-tasting session 

    Finding a reward that motivates you takes practice. Consider activities that bring you joy, and analyze your motivation when you use them in your projects. You have the power to recognize your own accomplishments and fuel your motivation from within. 

    Ask for Help

    The image says "It's totally fine, and actually good for you, to ask for help when you're going through a hard time"

    Don’t forget, you don’t have to deal with tough times all by yourself. It’s absolutely normal, and actually good for you, to ask for help when you’re going through a hard time. You can turn to your colleagues, family, or friends for support, and even your local community can provide amazing help and chances for you to achieve more than you thought possible. There are moments when we all need some extra support, and that’s absolutely okay.

    If the stress or anxiety (work-related or not) is becoming too much, don’t be afraid to seek help from a professional, such as a licensed therapist or doctor. They’ll listen to your concerns without judgment and provide you with the tools, coping strategies, and knowledge needed to navigate this difficult time. 

    How to Improve Motivation

    Feeling motivated about motivation? There are plenty more motivation tips, tricks, and resources out there that can help you keep your spark alive, such as:

    • Create a diary that documents your achievements to remind yourself of how far you’ve come
    • Improve your sleep schedule. A lack of sleep can leave you irritated, exhausted, and unmotivated
    • Go out for a walk or daily run. Exercise has been known to boost endorphins (the “feel-good chemicals”), which can help with mood and energy levels 
    • Check out Colleen Welsch’s inspiring interview on how she built a successful career as a freelance writer
    • Avoid people that put you down, distract you, or hinder your goals. Surround yourself with motivated people instead 
    • Learn how to change the way that you view money and success with the Mindset Mastery Guide
    • Try these 17 motivational worksheets, exercises, and activities 
    • Use a habit tracker app to build good habits and reach your desired goals 
    • Find an accountability buddy to give yourself extra motivation 

    If you need some more inspiration, check out what some of our students have said about proofreading and changing their lives. 

    When you feel unmotivated, it can be difficult to carry out everyday chores in real life, such as meeting work deadlines or fulfilling family commitments. These feelings happen to all of us, but that doesn’t mean you have to combat them alone. It’s okay to seek help from friends, colleagues, family, or professionals when things become too much.

    With the right support network, and by using our various tactics above, you’ll soon be able to rekindle your motivation and passion again. And the next time you feel unmotivated? You’ll know exactly how to give yourself the best chance of overcoming it!

    Think proofreading might be for you? We’ve put together several motivational tips about How to Become a Proofreader from home! We’d love to support your journey!


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    1. Oh my gosh, Caitlin!!! This post is EXACTLY what I needed!! After I finished proofing all the transcripts I stopped because I didn’t think I would be able to pass the test. You suggested I buy Margie’s workbook to get more practice with the grammar rules that were new to me. I’ve managed to put that off for several months now by telling myself that I’ll just fail in the end, that it’s too difficult to do at my age, and that I only want to work in addition to my “regular” job to prep for retirement four years from now — so what’s the point? I did finally order the workbook a few days ago, but this post came at the perfect time for me! Thank you soooo much for the help you keep giving us!!

    2. When it was clear I wouldn’t/couldn’t finish the transcripts in 60 days, I bought the rest of the course, which bought me time, which made me relax perhaps too much. However, since the New Year, I have made time each morning for about an hour–occasionally less time–of proofreading and studying. The end is not in sight, which takes the pressure off so that I can absorb the information at my own rate.

    3. What a great post and very timely! So much what I needed to hear!

    4. I really needed to hear this today !!! I have so many areas that I need to fix! Weight, getting through PT1, decluttering my house, you name it!
      Thanks for sharing this!

      1. Pick ONE thing and do just that. Then tomorrow, pick another thing. Get in the habit of doing one thing over and over no matter what.

    5. Very powerful post! Such truth! I’m the girl who does tons and tons of reading and research before I just launch out and DO something. I want to make sure I have dotted every “i” and crosses every “t” and that it seems safe to go ahead and take the leap. But a lot of times I do so much research that I become easily discouraged or so overwhelmed with information that I just stop in my tracks! I’m making the effort to stop researching so much and just DO! Thanks for the post!

      1. We do that to be safe, right!?! And we forget that by “DOING” we learn… sometimes a lot more than we learn when we research, eh?!

        1. Yep, perfectionism (infamous euphemism of “fear of failure”) is a culprit to action much of the time. I, too, am a culprit of it. ??‍♀️

      2. Yep, that’s me, too! I research myself into a tizzy and get “analysis paralysis” with everything! And I end up stuck in the mud with my wheels spinning but getting nowhere. This post is what I needed to hear today. I’ve got a huge amount on my plate right now, and I need to stop analyzing and getting side-tracked. As the Nike ad says. – Just Do It!!!

      3. This is me too! Thanks for this comment. I found myself in it.

      4. You've just described my problem to a 'T'! I'm so worried about failure that I want to have everything perfect and ready to go before I start. The problem is perfection never arrives, and I get discouraged by that. It's nice to know I'm not alone in that!

        Thank you, Caitlyn, for sharing your wisdom with us and helping so many people get past the fears we put in our own way.

    6. That is one great blog post! I really appreciate your words, and it is so true. Thanks for sharing your struggles and results, and for the paradigm shift is has given me.

    7. hey Caitlin i’m also struggling to loose the unwanted fat so i’m going to try to commit myself everyday thank it really helps.

        1. I love Jessica Smith. She has a youtube channel that I watch. She has some free videos on it.

    8. Getting up in the dark to work on my creative practice five days/week! Believe me, this morning I wasn’t feeling it at all. But when my timer went off, I was so pumped and didn’t want to stop. That feeling of accomplishment first thing fires the rest of my day! Thank you so much for this post, Caitlin. You hit the nail directly on the head–not motivation, but self-discipline!!

    9. What a wonderful post!! Motivation is so over-rated (as a first step) and I agree 100% that self-discipline is the way to go!

      I read your Facebook post and think you’ve hit that nail bang on the head as well 🙂 Dieting rarely works in the long run – it’s got to be a lifestyle change with the expectation that it will last forever & slow and steady wins the race in body & business changes 🙂

      Thanks for sharing!

      1. I’m moving sooooo slowly right now, but I don’t hate my life and the changes are so sustainable. That is so important!!

    10. My sentiments exactly!!! I greatly appreciate you willingness to share your vast knowledge of this subject. I have looked forward to your daily lesson. I can’t wait until I am able to take the full course! I too am trying to plan ahead for retirement. Your introductory course has been the plan of action I need to get me started in the right direction. Again, that you for allowing me to see what your program entails!

    11. I recently quit my job after 10 years with no new prospect in sight. TERRIFYING! I can’t afford to be unemployed, I have a family, and mortgage, car payments, etc., and I have no large savings account to fall back on. My goal is to create a working atmosphere for myself that is both profitable, and good for me. To work from home. I did always believe that motivation is where it all began. I love this new insight, and plan to implement it for as many things as I can. Instead of thinking of myself as unmotivated, I will turn that way of thinking around; I will think of myself as self disciplined and self responsible. I have always tried to motivate myself by saying things like “I can do this”, now I will say to myself “I am doing this”.
      I am doing this.

      1. YEEESS!!! We can just forget motivation for the most part. Appreciate it when it shows up… but when it’s not there, we do not mourn. We MOVE 😀

    12. Thank you so much! First thing on my self-discipline agenda is to stop limiting myself to only observing and start participating. I always read the comments on blogs, articles, etc, but never contribute myself! Maybe because of sheer laziness or thinking my thoughts are unimportant, but time to start moving forward with something. Thanks for the “motivation” to start cultivating self-discipline and along with that conquer the fear of failure or rejection.
      Thanks again and “here I go”!

      1. What an awesome step!! I am glad you left this comment. I need to get better about commenting on content myself 🙂 I don’t do it enough, probably for the same reasons as you 😉

    13. No Caitlin, I’m afraid that is not my problem. I lost 150 pounds in 6 months by walking. I weighed over 300 pounds on my 5 ft frame and woke up on my 61st birthday unable to walk. God told me to “get up and walk” I said but I can’t. God repeated it twice more so I dragged my body out of bed and walked around the bed. Each day I walked a few more steps until I walked out for six miles and came back. I didn’t that each day for six months and weighed less than 150 pounds. I’ve stayed there because I’m comfortable at that weight and look like a cadaver at less so motivation and procrastination are not my issues. I am now manic and over stimulated by my active mind. I work at putting the lid on daily.
      I loved your story but that is not mine. I am reading a great book called. Brain Rules. I highly recommend it. By John Medina I think. You will like it a lot. Let me know.
      Peace and Blessings,
      Judybell

    14. Perfect timing, Caitlin! I find myself drowning in a cesspool of inaction these days. I am behind on my part time desk job and feeling like it doesn’t matter if I follow up on that complaint because they won’t be happy anyhow. I haven’t touched my sewing business because I don’t have time. I have to find a new doctor for my husband. Guess what I haven’t done yet – because Workers Comp just runs in circles. I haven’t looked at a single email from the “black hole” job sites I signed up with. I need a full time job or a viable way to add enough income for medical insurance and filling the paycheck gap when my husband retires in July. I picked one thing to do to pursue the job hunt last week and didn’t do it for fear of failure. I am pretty much not showing up to life right now.

      The list is overwhelming, but, thanks to this post, I will – pick one thing, write it down, do it before the end of the day, and make a big fat check mark next to it. Then I will repeat the process until I am back on track.

      1. YES!! Awesome. I sometimes call it my (pardon my French…) “bare-ass minimum” for the day. I will do that ONE THING. ONE THING. And if I get nothing else done, that will make a difference.

      2. Barbara, I constantly fight the paralysis and overwhelm you're describing. I also deal with moderate depression and anxiety. Breaking projects into tiny pieces keeps me moving forward. You have my heart, sister.

    15. There is actually a difference between discipline and commitment. Discipline says “I know I should do this.” Commitment says “I am committed and will do it.”
      Commitment is key to making things happen. Discipline is the knowledge you should do something but there’s always the question of should I do it?

    16. Hi,

      I really enjoyed reading your post. Sometimes, we are aware of the facts but just not able to make up our mind to accept it and follow. We need to hear the same from others. While reading this post, soon after the start, I was about to shift to something else, but then it sounded true and I wanted to complete it, I decided to read it all in one go. I am feeling very positive now and this gave me a target to complete.

    17. Needed this today… I flew through the course up to the practice transcripts and then got overwhelmed, as we were in the process of moving. Haven’t gotten back on track, and I really need to start earning some additional income. I need to make a commitment to working on the practice transcripts every day and get this done! Thanks!

    18. Boy, did I need to read this today!
      You are absolutely right. I have been waiting for motivation to “strike” me; it really does not work that way. When you talked about exercise, you hit me between the eyes. For years I worked out at a specified time about 5 days a
      week even when I didn’t want to because it made me feel so good
      Discipline and action made it work for me. Why I haven’t used the same principles in the proofreading course is beyond me. Thanks for your timely article!
      Mary Richmond
      I

      1. So glad it was helpful, Mary!! It is so crazy how our minds work for one thing and convince us it’s different for others… it’s really all the same when it comes to getting things DONE, isn’t it?!

    19. I definitely needed this reminder. This method has been working for me since the beginning of the year, in regards to yoga and meditation, even if it’s only a quick meditation and one pose. But I’ve stuck with it, and often I do more. Now, if only I can apply this to the rest of my life and build my committment muscle!

    20. Preach it, sister!
      I had the ridiculous idea to go back to school and pursue a masters degree a few years back…with a full-time job, newborn child, legit commute, and a household to run. You know what finished that degree? It sure as hell wasn’t motivation that got my @$$ up at 5am every morning to study during the only free time I’d get in a day. It was my own SELF-discipline 😉

    21. Hey, Caitlin! Great article. Personally, I am definitely afraid, but my biggest challenge is internet access. I live outside of the US and sometimes, at my home, the internet is down for weeks at a time!
      Yesterday, I came up with a plan of checking the internet early in the morning. If it is not working, I have friends who are allowing me to use theirs while they are at work. Why don’t I go to a cafe? My finances are seriously limited and I have to conserve as much as possible.
      In a few months, I will be returning to the US. With a completed course, I will be prepared to make money right away. That’s my motivation.

      1. Good for you!! I know how being abroad with crappy internet can seriously affect my work mojo — you have great friends!!

    22. Self discipline is easier said than done. It is certainly key to success, though. For me, I need less distractions so that I can get a grip on self discipline. And yet, compensating for distractions is part of self discipline. We’ll see how I do.

    23. I really appreciate you writing this post. It is motivating (pun intended)! Thank you!!!

    24. Hi Caitlyn,
      This article hit the “nail on the head” for me. I have things I want to do and pursue. Zilch action, making up all these excuses in my head.
      I will definitely take heed and live the life I’m supposed to. SMILE
      Thanks so much!

    25. Crap. You hit the nail right on the head with this one. And thank you for doing so. Now that I see what is really happening I will be able to “do it anyway”. This removes the cycle of excuses.

      Thanks for this timely post!

    26. I feel like you wrote this post about me. I have to really work at not procrastinating. I find it helpful to keep a schedule for things that I need to do (exercise, school, work). On the days that I stray from my scheduled blocks of time, I will always find something that I’d rather be doing, and I run out of time for my “need to do” tasks. I know that I will always feel bad about not exercising, working enough, or spending enough time on school, and keeping that in mind helps me stay disciplined/committed.

      I am going to save the link so that I can come back to this post at times where I might feel like giving up.

    27. Great post! Hard work = success. It’s showing up and doing the work, whether you feel like it or not, that gets results. That’s self-discipline. The only way to fail is to quit showing up.

    28. Gah, I SO NEEDED THIS TODAY, CAITLIN!!!!! I NEED to get past the inaction and get my butt into GEAR! I need a schedule where I chip away a little bit every single day no matter what. I have goals, #stlucia2018, and I refuse to miss out when I have this sitting in my lap waiting only for for me to make it happen.

    29. Your post is just what I needed. I tell myself all the time that I’m not motivated and that’s why I don’t exercise or try making new recipes or even start your course. It’s almost like I’m justifying it to myself that I can’t get it done because I’m not motivated. So much negativity in that thought process. Now, I might say I’m not motivated, but I AM SELF-DISCIPLINED and I will get it done. My negative thinking has been holding me back from enrolling in your course. Not anymore! Thank you for your enlightening post! I can do this!

      1. Right there with you!! Make a sticky note or even a full sheet of paper and post it where you’ll see it every day to remind yourself of that fact 😀

    30. Hey Caitlin…Hope you are doing great!

      This post was awesome!! It was just perfect for me. The one thing I am gonna start doing right away, is, reading more books to help me move forward in life and career. I must say, this post certainly gave me a lot of useful insights. ‘Showing up’ is certainly yielding results for me, as I am also working out everyday for the past 6 months and am feeling great! So, I can understand your thoughts perfectly.

      Thanks a ton for the time you invest in churning out wonderful articles like these!

    31. Perfect timing, thank you Caitlin! I’m one of those who got going in the course, then stopped about halfway through the PTs. I felt overwhelmed with a full time job, a part time job, and other studies. On top of that, we were planning our leap into location independence starting the end of November. Now that we have achieved that, and I only have a part time job commitment, there are no more excuses, no more stories to write in my head. Just yesterday I re-committed to finishing the PTs and the rest of the course. This is the perspective I need to have. Just take action and I will see results. Simple.

      1. Yessss! So awesome. Sometimes it’s hard to see the possible results beyond the obstacles/work it takes to get there. They block our view. But the reality is simple… do the work to overcome those barriers, and you’ll see results!!

    32. I’ve been meaning to ask you, Caitlin, if we might have been twins separated at birth ?
      You certainly got the best stuff (I can only wish that I had had your wisdom when I was your age 30 years ago), but I have to say that your self-talk is an echo in my life script.

      Reading your article just now, I was reminded of a recent conversation with my very wise yoga instructor. I had been sharing with her my doubts about my ability to successfully complete the PA course and launch my own freelance PA business. She said, “Listen to and inwardly digest very carefully, Treesie, this Buddhist mantra: “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” I have framed that mantra and hung it next to my bed so that it is the first thing I see when I open my eyes every morning.
      I have another copy of that mantra hanging next to my computer (I’m looking at it even as I type), and as I work through the units of Module 2, my eyes read and digest it as often as my flagging confidence needs to.

      What you think, you become, Treesie.
      What you feel, you attract, Treesie.
      What you imagine, you create, Treesie.

      I CAN do this !

      1. I feel quite silly asking this, but are y’all able to see my comments in this section of the course units?
        I’m just a tad concerned since I’ve never received any replies to my comments/questions.
        Please don’t think that I’m the student raising her hand and waving it wildly in order to get the teacher’s attention or that of my fellow students.
        Truly, there is no need to respond here other than to figuratively nod your head.
        I’m really not channeling Horton in Whoville town square!
        Treesie

        1. We do see them 🙂 And I love all of them. I’ve just trained my support teamsters to have laser vision for the question mark, and since your comments don’t contain questions, it probably didn’t flag for ’em. I certainly appreciate your comments and I know the other students do too. There’s an option to subscribe to new replies, so if the other students to whom you’re replying don’t receive those notification emails or didn’t subscribe when commenting themselves, they may not see your comments.

          1. Thanks, Caitlin !

            I thought I’d asked a question somewhere, but either I must have been dreaming, or I saw an answer to my question before posting mine!

            I will check the options to subscribe to new replies!

            Thanks again for your response as well as for this course.
            I am enjoying it immensely !

    33. I want to add something to this excellent post. This Vox piece (link below) about self control really hit me because this is what separates the people who say they will do something from those who actually do it. Caitlin, your post reminded of this piece and I hope this is a useful addition to your train of thought and not a derailment. 😀

      In short: to accomplish goals we should set up habits so we don’t have to employ self control and we have to find ways to make the process fun:

      http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/11/3/13486940/self-control-psychology-myth

      For example, when I get up in the morning I put on my gym clothes and I walk to the gym. I do this every day. I may be too sore to do much more than gentle stretching on a particular morning, but I don’t give myself the option to opt out. Life will force me to opt out due to illness or injury enough as it is. In this way I don’t have to muster motivation because this is a life habit. No self control required.

      I believe that this is what you mean by showing up and doing instead of waiting for motivation?

      It’s also important to remember that when we slip up it’s not a moral failing and not a reason to give up!

      1. Yes — HABITS! I had to get up eeeearly for a dentist appointment this morning and did not get my morning workout in. I missed it and found it SO HARD to do any activity in the afternoon. I realized I’d built up a habit I enjoyed in the MORNING… but not one I’d enjoy in the afternoon. Lol.

    34. GREAT post! This definitely applies to my life right now. I’ve been on Weight Watchers and have been learning this lesson for the past couple months. You’re only going to see results when you take action. It’s funny how it seems like a simple equation (1+1 = 2), but we turn it into a calculus problem! Lol 🙂 My action has caused me to be down 13.8 lbs in 2 months, and I’ll never stop. Now this program is getting me excited in a whole new area of my life. Thank you for your supportive posts! This program is awesome!

      1. That is AMAZING!! More than 13 lbs — that’s a LOT!! Congratulations 😀 I am so glad you’re enjoying my program and your new lease on life 😀

    35. Thank you for this post on motivation. This is what I have been needing. It’s something I’ve known in the back of my mind but not something that I’ve really taken to heart and examined.

      And it tells me that, though I am capable of doing legal proofreading and transcription, what really gives me joy is writing fiction. Writing fiction is what I plan to do every day, to one extent or another. It’s what I think about every day, throughout the day. But I am not consistent with it, and your post was the kick in the butt I needed. Now I know what to do and the attitude I need to have. Many, many thanks.

    36. Motivating post! I made goals for just January this year, all intended to be done daily. I do find it easier to commit to daily goals instead of random ones or only on certain days. The main one I’m focused on currently and will continue after this month is writing 500 words per day, every day.

    37. Thank you so much Caitlin! It’s like you knew exactly what I needed to hear. I have been stressing over no motivation , no desire and wondering if I’m good enough to do this work. Thank you for the virtual kick in the tail! It made me realize I’m not the only one who feels like this!

    38. You nailed it Caitlin. Your post and blog is helping me overcome my fears for the first time in years. This is an eye opener. I’ve always wanted to be translator, interpreter and am good at proofreading. Never dared to pursue my dream. Thank you!!

    39. Hi, Caitlin!

      Wow! What a wonderful lesson. I have actually been terrified of success because it will be a huge change and I have a hard time with that. I took a message you sent to me to heart and went ahead with publishing my novel. I didn’t stop there, either; I set it for release in mid-March and it’s been selling quite nicely already.

      You are absolutely right about motivation. I can have all the motivation, advice, well-wishes of by support system, and even my own get-up-and-go as soon as my eyes pop open in the morning, but it is my action that makes me feel like digging in and doing more and keeping it going for good. It’s opening my emails, learning my lessons and writing every day that makes me happy. I love being productive because then I haven’t wasted a day.

      Thank you, thank you, thank you! I wish you well in all of your endeavors as you have helped me in mine!

      Nelli

    40. Great article. This is the second article I’m reading this week that talks about self-sabotage, so I feel like I’m getting a message! 🙂 And I agree with what you said about picking one thing. That’s been something that’s always worked for me. Honestly, I’m having a bit of trouble picking one thing right now because there seem to be so many things! But if I had to pick one, at the moment I would say giving time for creativity. I’m now off to do some writing! Thanks for the post!

    41. It’s definitely hard to pick one thing! Good luck with your writing! 🙂

    42. This is a terrific article and very true. For a time there, I found myself watching motivational videos on YouTube to help get me going, but I never did. Finally, after feeling down and out, I realized I needed to make a plan, stay focused and execute the plan. The hardest challenge, that I’m still learning, is accepting set backs that happen along the way and continuing to push forward. It all comes from within. Belief, hard work and consistency.

    43. Thank you so much for this post, Caitlin. I needed it. I’m desperate to quit my soul-crushing job and work from home. Sometimes I feel so paralyzed by fear and indecision that I can hardly get anything to work toward that goal. Thanks for reminding me that it’s up to me to take action even if it’s scary or hard.

    44. Thank you for this post. I retired from my 8-6 job in Dec 2016 and had a plan to relax for six months while I researched options for a home business. I have researched the heck out of MLM and DS brands. I found your program a couple months back and worked through the introduction. I am still researching, procrastinating, talking myself out of any opportunity. It’s time for me to kickstart my plan, jump into your program and use self discipline to get me to my goals. Thank you again for this timely post!

    45. I loved this post! This is what I needed to get me going. I have been soooo unmotivated. I am going to make posters and put them up in my bedroom(work area).

    46. Show up! I absolutely loved reading. I also looove that it’s so practical! Thank you

    47. I felt the same way when I read this post! Simple + practical = RESULTS! 🙂

    48. Thank you so much for this post, Caitlin. This is exactly what I needed to hear! I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I have a HUGE issue staying motivated to accomplish things in my life, and I am often so afraid of failing that I don’t want to really try. If I don’t try, then I didn’t really fail, right? Like you said, it doesn’t take feeling constantly motivation. It takes a conscious choice EVERY day. I just got married in December and still am in the process of unpacking boxes… upon boxes. I am going to commit to unpacking 3 of those boxes before February 1st AND to doing a little bit of work on the general proofreading course EVERY day until it’s done.

      1. Setting goals and accomplishing them makes you feel so good! Sometimes I put even the smallest tasks on a to-do list just so I can cross something off and feel accomplished. 🙂

    49. This may sound somewhat peculiar, but I felt as though Caitlin was literally standing at her pulpit before a wide-eyed congregation and delivering an outright rousing sermon! I kid you not.
      Frankly, as I absorbed every word of her “sermon”, there it suddenly appeared: the bare-naked truth as to why I’ve been so lackluster with a lot of my goals and I really appreciated the way she conveyed her advice which struck such an awesome chord. Her tone was resounding and the message was spot-on! The paradigm shift literally struck me like lightning. And trust me, I am a big consumer of self-help and motivational content, so I was doubly impressed with her simple , but powerful message. Kudos to you Caitlin! I had it wrong all this time, but now it’s so brilliantly clarified…thank you for sharing this with all of us!

    50. Thanks so much for sharing your story. For me, my hindrance is coming home from work and sitting down on the couch. I’ve decided to use my DVR and watch my shows in the morning as I’m getting ready. Hopefully that will help me stay focused on the evening so that I can complete my courses.

    51. I haven’t stopped my studies. I take them with me to work. So I can work on them there, when I have free time. My issues are that my mom was in a nursing home/rehab for rehab. She got sick and has been in the hospital for several days now. I’m not making excuses. These are just facts. I work on the average sixty hours a week in the emergency room at a local hospital, when I get off work i go visit my mom, then I go home to sleep for a few hours. I study on my days off and will continue steadily moving forward. I have no doubt that I will succeed. I need to hear words of encouragement as well. I appreciate the posts and all the guidance that you provide. Life will always sends obstacles to overcome, With determination, I know I will succeed. Thank you for all you do.

      1. I’m sorry to hear that your mom has been sick. Kudos to you for persisting with your studies during your free moments. Any movement forward is better than no movement forward — you’ve got this! 🙂

    52. Oh man, this was exactly what I needed to read today. I just sat down to (finally!) get back to work on your proofreading course (which is amazing, btw) and decided to search your blog for a little motivation/procrastination first. Low and behold, I found this post. Your insights are so right, and just what I needed to hear. I’m committing myself to working on your class a little bit every weekday. Thank you so much!! now, onto action …

    53. You are so wise, Caitlin. What I like about this most is that it makes me take responsibility. I am so good at being accountable to other people, but when it comes to being accountable to myself, I let it go. I have to say, in my normal daily life, I am usually fairly self-disciplined overall, BUT if something is new in my life, —- a class, an exercise routine, a volunteer project, etc — it’s easier to brush off when it’s NEW, . Nobody likes changes or challenges, even when they lead to great things — the very things we desire! I need to remind myself that the new things in my day that are leading to the achievements or goals I desire are only going to happen with my commitment to them. Does that make sense? It’s almost like i tell myself, “Well, it is okay because I wasn’t even doing this a week ago…”. You are absolutely right… I have to commit at the onset, AND it has to be with specific goals. (Daily, and at least 30 minutes, an hour, whatever…). Thanks for making me stop and think about this!

    54. Wow, how did we become convinced that motivation was the first or the key or the only thing that we needed to reach whatever goals we set for ourselves? I’m so glad to know that I can throw away this false horse-carrot-stick belief. Thanks for this, it has made my day.

    55. So. Many. Things! There are so many excuses! I’m glad, but also saddened that I’m not alone in this. Can everyone imagine how amazing the world could be if everyone in it would keep SHOWING UP and DOING IT ANYWAY?! Ugh… So much fail that doesn’t need to be there!

    56. This is an amazingly simple yet hard to grasp concept, and you have hit the nail on the head!!! I love this. I have tried so many things, with such fear of failure, and this is just what I need to succeed. I have tried to find the secret to success – I knew I was missing the key,and you have given it to me. Thank you so much.

    57. This is genius. You hit the nail squarely on the head as concerns me and most of my adult life, which is a field scattered with the fragments of unfinished projects, inclusive of a website I have been working on (and off) for years and three musical instruments which I own, but cannot play. In your piece, you pinpoint the problem very precisely; I have always relied on motivation, and motivation solely. To exacerbate the problem, I am not even a passionate person; I do not have passions, I have interests. I am attracted to those things that pique my interest, I get off to a strong start, then, inevitably, at some point, an obstacle presents itself, the pique peaks, and I am left holding the pieces (or dusting them off, in the case of my electric piano).

      This is where your article has been a major revelation for me. It was not so much an “Ah-ha!” moment, as an “Of course!” moment, which causes you to scan your past and realize that that was OBVIOUSLY the problem the entire time, but you were blind to it. (It could have been a “kick myself” moment, too, but I do not like to kick myself, because it hurts.) For someone like me, it is a message of great hope, Caitlin. Hope of being able to finally finish things once started and to complete new projects undertaken. The first one being your General Proofreading course, of course! I do not need to rely on motivation or “the spirit to move me”. I can substitute self-discipline for that. I can do self-discipline. I mean, I am by no means a master at it, but I can do that. This is very empowering.

      I just wanted to sincerely and truly thank you for this gift.

    58. As a recently retired teacher after 29 year of teaching, I totally agree with you, Caitlin. Self-discipline is definitely necessary for success. The regular planning and assessment of instruction (taking consistent action) in order to get the desired results (increase in student achievement) was not always something my fellow teachers and I felt like doing, but testing data consistently showed it helped produce the desired results. I love how you explained what it takes to be successful in such a clear and simple way. Thank you! I plan on taking action to do some type of exercise every day in order to become more physically fit.

    59. I consider myself pretty disciplined in nearly every aspect of my everyday life EXCEPT when it comes to running a business. It's not about discipline for me or that I don't do the work involved; I like work. But I'm afraid to ask people for their business (crazy, right?!). I want to be more financially independent but I'm afraid of putting myself out there publicly on social media or contacting potential clients personally. Again and again I will put that off fearing they will say 'no'. I firmly believe that if you don't ask the answer is always 'no', but the asking…yikes! So, when I complete your course (not 'if'), conquering that fear and developing the discipline it takes to market myself will be my greatest challenge!

      1. I can relate to this so much! You’re not alone, Diane — I can promise you that 🙂 Conquering fear has been a daily battle for me over the years. Identifying it, though, is the hardest part. Knowing that it’s fear standing in your way — and that fear usually isn’t reality at all — has helped me a lot. The course is designed to improve your confidence through practice and implementation. That doesn’t mean you won’t ever experience fear, but you’ll have the confidence to push through it.

    60. I went from working a full-time job in retirement and long-term care to having no job and being on EI…tough times and I had to move cities. However, the one thing I do pride myself on is my self-discipline. I am highly motivated to become a stay-at-home, work-from-home employee just for me. I am done working 11 to 7 and 10 to 6….and taking orders from people that have told me I would make a better boss. I have a true love for reading and art so I decided that I needed to change things for myself. Every morning even if I don't feel like it, I get up walk my dog, grab a coffee, tour a little email and Facebook…and then I study for at least 3 to 4 hours….I am done before noon and have the rest of the day…but I still feel like I am not doing enough to get myself where I want to be. I feel like I should be doing more each day…and yet I know also I need a tiny break! I am on this wonderful adventure of learning how to proofread and maybe some data entry skills! My typing is getting much better! But I think proofreading is where it is at for me. You, Caitlin, are a true motivator for all of your students or just the people like me who are trying really hard to become a student! I am really enjoying your book, Work from home, you have a way with words that make me want to learn so much more. Thank you

      1. Thank you so much, Tanya!! Your comment motivates me 😀 I can totally relate to not feeling like I’m doing enough. Our society brainwashed us into believing we have to be “human doings” vs. human beings! Somehow I managed to attach my perception of my own worth to what I accomplish instead of having inherent value just for being me. It’s a daily battle to “unlearn” those things as we grow… and it’s not easy at all!

    61. This is awesome advice! I’m going to use it to ensure I finish the course soon, but also need to do my transcript. I recently retired, only because I literally couldn’t be there anymore. Micromanager boss ran me off. Even though I’m thoroughly enjoying the course, I need to quit being inactive and do my resume so I can have $ rolling in, as we can’t afford to lose most of my income.

    62. Building my proof reading business by doing the course work, encouraging others in the FB group and reading other relevant material.

    63. Taking 30 minutes each day for self-care….meditation, deep-breathing, stretches, etc. As a mom, it is hard to put yourself first at times. I need to make "me time", and not feel guilty.

    64. I am going to take action, I am going to commit to 30 minutes of exercise daily and at least 1 hour a day studying and doing course work to finish this course.

    65. I can't help but laugh! We came to the exact same conclusion. Castle Murdock, my new company, has six values. Discipline is one of them! I was writing the script for my first ever YouTube video and I said just about everything you did before I even read your post. Discipline will continue to push forward even when hope, courage, and, yes, motivation fails you.

      When I got fired from my last job (dishwasher at Thanksgiving Point), I wanted to break down and cry. But I didn't. There has always been a part of me that is constantly pushing. I call it The Dragon. In that moment I thought I was doomed because that job was my last hope of survival, but before despair could take me, I felt The Dragon beating the drums of war, telling me this was not the end. It was a beginning! The beginning of my life as a freelancer who calls his own shots. The beginning of a much more fulfilling life.

      Since the day I left my old job behind, I continue to use discipline to find success. I made a commitment to not sleep in past 9 a.m. I started a new diet. This diet does not focus on weight loss, but energy conservation. I have ADHD, so doing a detail oriented task for long periods of time takes a lot out of me, but this diet helps with that. I eat a keto breakfast, then a low carb lunch, and whatever I want for dinner. That ensures I don't get sleepy from heavy meals. And I do a small workout every morning–again to get a boost of energy to start the day. It's worked wonders so far.

    66. I have three things I tell myself when I don't want to face something:
      Suit-up and show up!
      Do the next right thing.
      You promised yourself that you would . . .

      These are three very helpful mantras!

      1. I love that! Especially " you promised yourself you would". Going to use these 3 to get me out of my funk. Thank you!

    67. This post is just what I needed to see. I love how REAL you are, it makes everything so relatable!
      I plan to show up every day, for this course, for my future success, and for my family. I also plan on continuing my daily yoga/workout routine. It's what gets me going in the morning, whether I want to or not. 🙂

    68. Every time i tried to do something but i stopped because of failure of success. While reading this article i realized that i should try everything that i want because action leads to success. Thank you for motivation.

    69. I have been told in the past that I was one of the most focused students that one of my professors had ever seen. The main problem right now is that I have to get up so early to go to my job, I am afraid that it will slow down how well I do in the course.

      1. The General Proofreading course is designed for you to go at your own pace on your schedule! So don’t worry yourself! You’ll do great!

    70. I am going to finish what I start no matter what obstacles come my way.

    71. Get out of bed every day no later than 8:00am.

    72. This post was exactly what I needed today. I arrived at the public library to use a computer and I started to not go in. I thought I could put working on the course until tomorrow. But then I told myself I was right here and all I needed to do was walk into the library and begin work. That's exactly what I did and now I'm seeing results. Thanks for the encouragement.

      1. Starting is always the most difficult part!! The momentum is what keeps us going and we don’t get that UNLESS we start. Good for you, Judy!! And remember it’s about progress, not perfection <3

    73. A very true blog post! I go through this over and over, that when I try to do the thing that feels immensely difficult everyday (because of fear and insecurity), I just stop and do not continue at all. Thank you for this opportunity to keep going. Hopefully, on the near future, I will enrol in your course as I am highly interested in becoming a proofreader, and am going crazy just thinking how am I am going to get myself out there, get clients and have work from a part time to a full time career! Thank you ????

    74. Caitlin, Thank You so much for this post. Today has been an extremely stressful day for me, but after reading this post(which I almost didn't) I was reminded of why I wanted to become a proofreader.

      What I have decided to do, is to work on the General Proofreading Course at least once a day Monday through Friday until I have completed the course.

    75. Very informative; HOWEVER, my fear is NOT fear of failure — it's fear of SUCCESS!

      I have done some very mean things in my younger self before I was able to understand that I was actually suffering from PTSD because of both of my abusive parents; however, my children suffered.

      Despite my children's forgiveness and acceptance of me, me accepting me is very hard to do.

      1. Low self esteem is really hard to overcome. I will fight for others but rarely for myself so I understand where you are coming from.

    76. My future is what I will take action on even when I’m not motivated

    77. This is the first time reading your blog! It's amazing and perfectly timed.

      Drinking more water. My goal is a gallon a day. Discipline is definitely the key! I've been successful before and reaped the benefits of better sleep, feeling more alert, and multiple other things.

    78. I find myself completely relating to this. Before I read this, I did realize I need self-discipline and can achieve doing a task every day, proving to myself that it is possible. Currently, I have consistently done Duolingo for 1 year except for 2 days and I am getting back into working out every weekday.
      After reading this blog, I realized this is exactly what I have done. I start something, but then tend to stop and get frustrated with myself for not continuing. I need to stop making excuses for the other "goals" I have in mind. I am going to keep doing Duolingo and work out every weekday. 2 new tasks I am adding to the everyday list are to read a chapter in a book, and do 2 hours of coursework.
      I just feel relieved seeing this post. Everything you wrote is something I have felt and gone through. Proofreadanywhere is something I was nervous about, yet felt right. I am excited to learn more and grow. Reading this is seriously just perfect as I start on this new journey!

    79. Thanks for the reminder. ???? These are all things I've heard before, but when I get into a slump, I definitely need to be reminded! ????

    80. Wonderful lesson! Thanks so much!!
      I’m taking action first on going to bed at 10pm and getting up at 7 am. Second…I’m taking action on this course….to work on it every day Monday through Saturday… doing a module or so each day, working 4 hours a day on it.
      I’ll keep you updated on how it goes!
      Thanks again!! Alicia

      1. I LOVE THIS! There is no way you can’t succeed with that kind of discipline and dedication. Super excited for you, Alicia!

    81. Wow! This is a super potent piece of writing, and I wouldn’t want to say it’s motivational; I’d rather say it is absolutely compelling.
      I would commit to every step of the training to becoming a successful proofreader.
      Solomon

    82. Your words are so true – and timely for me. I need to earn some money to help pay for my husband's residency in Memory Care. I look forward to taking action and increasing my self-discipline – exactly what I need! Thank you!

    83. I have just started your course but I am also finishing up my working from home job next week. I set my hours to work each week and got up even when I wanted to hit the snooze button – because it was my job.

      This course is now my job so I will keep on with the hours set by each day. This way I plan to set up my own business in the shortest time possible. I am about to write my business plan and will factor this course into the setup time frame.

      Thanks for the great blog!

    84. Wowowowow! I love every thing I just read.

      This is really what I need right now because I am going through a little bit of a transition in life. The part that really spoke to me was when you said, “You can’t trust motivation, but you CAN trust self-discipline.” Holy guacamole, what an amazing line.

      Something that I would like to take more action on in my life is yoga. I have the time to spend at least 10 minutes a day on my yoga mat, all I need is the action!!

      Thank you so much Caitlin for all of this lovely information.

      1. You are SO welcome, Cara!! I know that the transition times are the hardest to stay motivated, too, because we aren’t used to the new circumstances that don’t exactly come with a user manual!!

    85. The synchronicity of this post. Wow! I was just talking with someone earlier today about this very topic, motivation. Now I know its just discipline, self-discipline that I need. Taking action will get me results. And seeing the results of my actions will help me to stay focused & motivated. Motivation to continue taking actions is the self-discipline.

      Thank you so much for this reminder Caitlin.

    86. Read my emails. Sometimes it is very hard, especially when I'm tired, to walk through the living room (with its couch and soft pillows and tv) down the hall to my office where my computer is set up.

    87. Thanks for the encouraging post. I have a fear of the technology aspects of proofreading and am afraid I will not pass my test to graduate. I also have a fear of not being able to secure clients. I will continue to study. How do I send my proofread essays to you to be able to take my final exam?

    88. Many things to add to this list that get shoved to the side because i don't show up! Including this proof reading class. I'm going to reread this daily and start showing up! I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for hitting the nail on the head in my life too!

    89. Thank you so much for this post, Caitlin! I am definitely in the vicious cycle of inaction, but I didn't want to acknowledge it until I read this. One of my biggest goals is to lose weight, but I keep making excuses about not feeling like it, or I'm too scared to face my asthma even though I know there are exercises I can do without triggering it. I'm also scared to "stick my neck out" into the world to get my voice heard and face seen to make money from home. I'm hoping that as I go through the proofreading course some of that fear will go away, but I also know that I need to take my own action. However, knowing and doing are two different things. I also want to create art for people, but I'm scared that I'm not good enough even though I'm currently in the process of getting an art degree. So thank you again for this post! I will most definitely do the best I can to switch to the Cycle of Success!

    90. This is exactly what I need to hear today. Now, it's time to take action.

      Thank you!

    91. Thanks, Caitlin! I was stuck in my cycle of inaction, losing motivation in the midst of 'being busy' and planning but never actually 'starting' and 'doing the work.' Tonight I decided to break that cycle and show up every day to get started! That email was the catalyst I needed!

    92. I could not have read this at a better time! I’m just starting the proofreading course, and doubts were creeping in. Motivation is/was a huge concern of mine. Thank you very much, Caitlin!

    93. Wow! Did I ever need this! I have been in positive thinking groups, motivational groups, and read all sorts of motivational posts, but this is truly what I have been missing. I'm ready to show up, EVERY day!

    94. I am taking a scoping course and this proofreading course. I will show up by studying one of the courses on alternate days.

    95. I'm going to SHOW UP! I have wanted to lose weight for a while. And you are right about being afraid of failure. I am a 30+ year legal assistant with great skills. I can do this.

    96. I think for me, I have always known the importance of self-discipline, but I perpetually beat myself up for failing at consistency and, ultimately, my self-discipline. There are several things I have told myself I would do and have "started over" time and time again. Learning Japanese, working out, stretching, and a general overhaul of my health, starting my own business so that I no longer have to be an easily replaceable cog in someone else's machine are only the top nagging desires. Although the items on this list of my dreams are all tangible, the one thing I am going to take action on is the conscious effort to silence the barrage of contemptuous slander I unleash on myself daily. That in itself requires a great deal of self-discipline because although logically I know that inaction causes me more stress, I am still easily deceived by my fear-filled lies about myself. As I just purchased this course yesterday, I have only been able to complete one module. However, I am eager to read all of your confidence resources as well. Ten years ago, I was in a position where I loved the product I intended to sell but had no voice or belief in myself. I wasted a lot of money to do absolutely nothing. I refuse to make that mistake again. Thank you for this umpteenth chance to take control of my life!

    97. This rings true for me. I have shown up to work almost every day the last 26 years because that is what needed to be done. Life circumstances have forced a change and it’s nice to show up daily for something that is for “me”. I am on day 4 of the program and ready to practice on essays. I am committed to making this work ????

    98. I go for morning 10 Km walk and I think I will continue with it to my last day on earth .

    99. Thank you for this post! Self discipline is something I have struggled with for my entire life.

      First, I am going to take action and complete the self help exercises provided in the books you generously included with my enrollment.

      Second, I am going to take action today, and every day, to become a successful proofreader.

      After I have accomplished being a successful proofreader I plan to move on to editing but the ultimate goal is to become a published author.

      I am very excited to embark on this new journey and look forward to becoming apart of the Proofread Anywhere community.

    100. I will work on my lessons on how to do General Proofreading, until I finish, so that I can help our bank account and get out of debt.

    101. Thank you for the motivation boost, Caitlin! I’m determined to complete the course and get my first job before the end of the year.

    102. Thank you for your insight on motivation and laziness. I definitely see the patterns in myself and am going to work on my new proofreading business everyday. I’m even going to start going for 30 minute walks every day, even when I don’t feel like it.

    103. Everyday I will rely on myself and myself only, I will be disciplined and show up to your course 2 hours every morning for 30 days, no excuses.
      Afterwards, I will be persistent and consistent in applying all I've learned for proofreading through practice. I will not give up until I master it and feel ready to move up to the next level.

    104. Fear of failure gets me every time. Dropping off after starting out is me— that’s me. But not always.

      I see things through, too. Glad I started with General Proofreading first.

      What I’ll do every day is read part of a lesson. There will be days when I won’t get through a whole lesson.

      I can also download an audio book on punctuation and listen to some of it daily.

    105. Thank You.

      It all makes perfect since. This is what my parent taught us a thousand years ago. They called it forward motion.

      My take action (Show up or forward) motion is to not only work on my modules but to work on cleaning and rearranging my house.

      Thanks again I really enjoy the way you write.

      As if you are talking to a friend.

    106. True, it is hard to stay motivated, and interested. It’s called habit and routine. You must have a daily routine to accomplish these necessary things.

    107. This really was a helpful blog post no matter the goal we're working on. Thank you for the words of wisdom <3

    108. So much of what you said hit home. I will be showing up for my morning walk with the neighbor, even when I don't feel like it.

    109. The beauty of this post isn't just what's written in it, although one word was all it took to get me off my lazy butt; it's the TIMING!

      I am at a point where I needed to read the word "self-discipline" just 1 more time before I actually start taking serious action. It just made me realize how much of a lazy bum I am, and how much I kept on 'failing myself'.

      No more!

      Thank you for the assertive, yet kind words.

    110. I am able to act consistently until fear gets in the way. I am old enough now that I hope I can overcome my fear. I'm retired and do not need this as income so hopefully that will help make the changes less fearful. Working on all of this diligently every day. Lots of reading and learning.

    111. Everything in this post resonated with my entire life! I have had full training as a bench jeweler, yet have never sold a thing. I kept telling myself no one would want buy my work. I have just started your class, so with that I'm trying to start a solid "habit stacking" routine in the morning. A workout, actually eating breakfast, and an hour or two of class. First time in a long while that I feel confident about the future.

    112. Good morning! I just bought the course but haven’t started yet. So today I’m going to start with 30 mins of coursework and build up from there. I have a lot of self doubt…so pushing that aside and showing up! Thank you for this reminder! 🙂 -Maile

    113. A very timely post. This is just my second day and already things are interrupting my schedule. I will make some time for quiet meditate to determine my focus and drive for proofreading each day.

    114. I’m 70 years old, but a young 70, so my doctor tells me. I have a few health issues, but nothing serious. Since I suffer from severe anxiety, I have an exercise regimen that I do every day, more for the anxiety than weight loss.

    115. Thanks Caitlin! I love your enthusiasm for helping. I'm going to be sure to get up & stretch on my off-days from working out. It's been too easy to skip those stretch days – Thanks!

    116. This information really hit home in many ways. Since I work in an accounting office in the day I plan to spend at least one hour every night initially to start the lessons. On weekends I can do more.

    117. Thank you Caitlin. This is awesome. Right on the money. Just what I needed to hear.

    118. I know this to be true! Thank you for the reminder this morning. I spent last year setting my alarm to get up at 4:00 AM every morning to work out. Did I want to do that? NO! Did I get results? YES! I lost 30 lbs so far and I’m still at it. There are definitely many mornings that I don’t want to get up, but I have never regretted it. I am continuing to work on myself by enrolling in the proofreading course and doing something that I actually enjoy on my own terms.

    119. I am going to take some action every day on the Modules, and/or on the steps to get started!
      My best time is in the morning before the world wakes up so I will devote an hour each morning.

    120. Hi Caitlin, this is Indira Mavuri from India. I have done medical transcription for a year and half earlier. I am familiar with the work. I want to make proofreading as my career now.

    121. Am so excited reading your response which I consider a great lecture on SELF-DISCIPLINE, TAKING ACTION!, as the only sure way to produce one’s desired result. Am tempted to mumble some credit to myself (in line with your lecture); for sending you that request even when almost my whole mind saw it a bizarre request to make! How else could I have received your beautiful thought-provoking response if I had not TAKEN that ACTION. Thank you for gingering my mind further.

    122. Caitlin, you are such an inspiration! This is exactly what I needed to hear. It also makes so much sense! Why didn’t I think of this? Well that doesn’t matter now because I’m going to keep my self discipline in check and get things done!

      I’m going to start this course (I think it will come easily for me since I’m the “Typo Queen”) and also incorporate working out before or after I work on the classes. That way, I will show up and do both of them EVERYDAY!

    123. Great post!! So I agree with you on self-discipline. But I would add in another key ingredient: belief. Let me explain: I strongly feel if you don’t truly believe in what you’re doing or trying to do, it will be very tough to ever achieve success. I think I’ma great case study for that right now. I recently quit my job of 14 years. While that seems scary, and some people probably say really dumb, I finally figured out I did not believe in it anymore- not in my boss, not in the company and not in the mission. Without that, I honestly had nothing!

    124. Wow! This is perfect timing for me to see this. Thank you, Caitlin! Thank you Universe!

      I am going to get on my rebounder and bounce every day for the next 30 days whether I "feel" like it or not.

    125. I love this post. It's obviously very well written, but also incredibly on point content.

      One thing I'm taking action on everyday even when I don't feel like it is waking up and doing a meditation first thing. It's really hard. Especially because I start work most days before 6 AM. But I have noticed a difference in my ability to handle the pressures of life when I am doing it consistently verses when I haven't been, and the improvement in my ability and sense of self is so worth the stress/exhaustion of waking up early.

      Thanks for giving me a space to remember this!

    126. My husband used to tell me I was lazy, but I didn't believe him, I was busy all day. But after he died, I realized he wss right. He had tremendous self-discipline and drive, and I did only what I wanted to do.
      So I determined that I would make my bed every day. I MADE myself make my bed, every day, before I did anything else, and it was HARD! But I convinced myself that this was a first step, and now, years later, I'm still making my bed every day. When I see my made bed, I know that I can do anything, if I just DO IT!

    127. I LOVE the motivation. I am SO excited to get started. I just have to find a consistent time that will work for me every day, like lunchtime during my "other" job. Consistency will be my KEY. Thank you!! I am working toward the freedom of being a phenomenal proofreader. I LOVE to proofread. I don't believe in coincidence and I know I found you for a reason.

    128. I am going to begin “showing up” for my life. After having worked hard for someone else for 40 plus years, I am going to do it for me now. Time to get out of the chair and just do it! I will start the course and commit to no less than 3 hours per day. I am also going to start the long, intimidating process of preparing my house for sale so I can finally live where I want to. Again, 3 hours per day on this goal with a planned list date of May 1st.

    129. Hi Caitlin. So much of what you have written is me. I was driving to an appointment this morning and was thinking about my lack of motivation for things, e.g., fitness, eating less, studying, etc., so this was a timely reminder to be disciplined and from there the motivation will build. Thank you

    130. I'm going to work on the course or later on a part of networking/business every. single. day.
      I'm going to practice yoga every other day until I feel up to daily exercises (since I'm out of shape this will ensure I don't overwork and then be unable to exercise for days).
      Love the self accountability in this!

    131. I am going to study your course, follow your plan, and, eventually, become a professional proofreader. Your concepts and plan seem like a flawless formula for success. But one must truly grasp the concepts and then must never forget the plan! I think I am going to meditate on that, and then commit to showing up every day, even if I don't want to!

    132. I’ve started water aerobics 3X/wk and it’s really hard to just go do it. I always feel good afterwards… proud of myself for getting much-needed exercise, for doing something for me, for being an active 72yo. You are so right when you say it’s about discipline.

    133. I agree 100%!!
      Karma-which means taking action.
      Don’t worry about results !
      Action will make results happen!!
      Thank you sooo much for this post!

    134. Everyone I have known always talks about motivation and I learned a long time ago that just wasn't me. However, I have also found self discipline difficult in most areas unless it has to do with doing something for someone else. For me there has to be a need. Thank you for being the first person to say that motivation doesn't always work.

    135. Thank you for this!!! I never looked at success in this way and it completely makes sense to me. In the past giving myself deadlines was actually how I completed a lot of things. I have always struggled with self motivation and wondered how others have done it. I use to feel exactly how you explained it in this post. I would have all these great ideas or plans and feel like a complete waste when I couldn't keep my consistency because I lost my motivation. I did not realize it was my self discipline that I needed to work on. I definitely knew that one's own mind can be your biggest enemy but this little piece of information on self discipline and turning it into motivation is priceless knowledge. Thank you again ????

    136. I'm going to study at least 2hrs every day whether I feel like it or not. That's 10hrs a week and progress from there.

      There's nothing holding me back but ME. I'm retired. There are no demands on me or my time.

    137. I have had the same issue with weightloss and to be honest almost everything in my life. There are only a few things I have actually followed through with in my life. I don't think I am lazy, well maybe a little lazy, but I think I just sabotage myself that I will never be successful on my own. That I have to be the pion taking orders instead of taking charge of my life. Thank you for this email, it was a AH -HA moment.!
      I now hope that doing your workshop will give me something I can say I did and am successful.

    138. Thank you for a great post. Yes, discipline is to success as tires are to a vehicle. Just showing up and putting in the work is what will get me where I want to go. I'm showing up and plan to keep showing up and pressing forward.

    139. Thank you for the sound advise! The truth! I’ve spent the better part of my life living for everyone else, their needs, their dreams. A major life change happened to me recently and it’s made me realize that for once in my life, it’s all about me! I just recently overcame all the negative daggers that have been thrown at me over my lifetime, which I feel is a GREAT accomplishment in itself! I made the decision to pursue MY dream, my own business, but not just any business, one that I’ve always wanted to do; hence, I found your course! I’ve only just begun but have committed to no less than 4 hours per day, every day! I’m loving it so far and am so excited about what my future holds. I’ve always been one to get up and face the challenges of the day and this post has reiterated for me that I have everything I need to be successful! Thank you SO much for your insight, knowledge, and your continuing support! I’m so excited, best decision I could have made for myself!

    140. Thank you for this reminder. Yes, I do know this and tell myself all the time, but sometimes it's better to hear it from an outside source. I appreciate it. I vow to stretch my body and my mind every day.

    141. The thing that I'm going to take action on EVERYDAY even when I don't feel like it is to drink two glasses of Psyllium Husk. That's it.

    142. I really needed this post. I am the worlds worst at procrastinating. I realize now what it is that I need to do going forward. I'm going to start with dedicating 2 hours a day ( at least) to this course. I'm also going to start doing things around my house that I have been putting off for too long. I will follow your advice and pick one thing a day, doing that and then picking another thing another day and doing that. If I do this regularly I know I will achieve results. Thanks for a much needed "talk".

    143. Just getting one thing completely done. I have fibromyalgia and other medical issues so to complete one thing completely is a big thing

    144. This was helpful, because I can be quite lazy at times (aren't we all), but I don't let it last long. I don't like how I feel about myself
      if I let things go that I should – or want – to be doing. That gets me off the couch or out of the lawn chair on the porch pretty quickly when I begin thinking about how mad at and disappointed in myself if I don't get up and do.
      This made me take a good look at my own failing at getting things done and why I don't always do those things.
      Not all peptalks work for me but this one did. Thank you.

    145. I have adhd so motivation and initiating action is a whole other challenge. But anything I have committed to, I’ve seen through. 100 day book project, done, train for a 10k, ✅, went back to university at 47 (almost done). Commitment, work ethic and putting in a consistent effort was what helped me accomplish all.

    146. I have been juggling with these emails about proofreadanywhere for a long time. Checking them, reading them, deciding I will join then hesitating, then saying, "No way!" and delete them. I have been in the freelance translation groove for a while but it has not been easy at all. My jobs have always been through a friend of a friend of a friend and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get a job on my own. My language combo is just too popular and competitive and since I do not have any professional training as such, seems impossible. That completely shatters my plans and that little voice saying, "you won't get jobs even if you do this course, it's just too hard, too much competition….." always makes me change my mind last minute. I haven't unsubscribed from e-mails, which means there's hope somewhere deep inside. I need to change that mindset of losing before I even started. Decided on some mantras to start trusting myself and the world.

    147. I’m an action and disciplined person. Yet, your words have set to motivate me. I’m going to spend 45 minutes each day working toward completion of this course. Thank you!

    148. I actually appreciate what you’ve said here. My action plan today is to START living. To become a person who has worth and one that I can be proud of. One step at a time, right? Thanks for your encouragement!

    149. I've been struggling to keep going, and have been very critical of myself. I have Covid and I realized, when you feel like I do, you have to give yourself some slack. The information you are giving us is helpful, I can't thank you enough! I can be consistent, that is probably my best trait. You have given me new hope!

    150. I have a habit of sabotaging my success by not being consistent. This article kicked me in the fanny. I need these types of reminders to stay the course. My consistent routine will be to get to bed by10:00 p.m.; wake early to work out for 30 minutes; study my courses. I need my happy endorphins and consistency to receive the results for my consistent actions. Thank you, Caitlin.

    151. I appreciate this post, and the time you have taken to follow up in the comments section especially. My problem is that I am so discouraged by my job which is wearing me out to a nub that I constantly am exhausted, feel despair, and have consistent headaches. I feel like I don't have the bandwidth to pursue something else. I think I am going to have to make a big change that will be financially risky, but I can't keep doing things like I have been. Einstein would think I was insane. (You know, doing the same thing and expecting different results.) That old chestnut. Thanks for letting me think out loud. I feel so overwhelmed and truly appreciate the outlet.

    152. That was an amazing "AHA moment" reading that. Thank you! I will commit to showing up for myself and my success. I will push myself to do what is needed and not let the lazies stand in my way. I will schedule myself in for each item I need to accomplish and finally get the results to keep me pushing forward; harder and stronger.

    153. I'm not a morning person so I struggle in that regard. So, I tend to get up, take my dog out, move around my apartment a bit and then I get dressed and do my hair and makeup. The night before, I think about the things I need to accomplish the next day and write a list if I need it. I have given myself permission to work on the course later in the day and at night because that works best for me.

    154. Thanks so much for this! Isn't it amazing how each of us can be our own worst enemy? I have been slogging through the course, even when I don't feel like it. The result is I'm more than halfway through the course, and I'm learning how much I didn't know. I am so appreciative of this course, and this blog post is spot on! It's not just a cliche (I've no diacritical marking key), it's the honest truth: If it is to be, it is up to me!

    155. This is a wonderful article and so true. When this course is on sale again I'm signing up, no matter what. Thank you so much for sending me this article. I copied it and will read it everyday, until sign up.

      Thank you,

      Pamela

    156. I just started my course yesterday and I’m on Module 5 already! Motivation is hard and this post is what I needed, not only in the course, but in other areas of my life!

    157. I recently started an exercise routine – (VShred), and have done the workouts as required. Have been super sore but persevered, and today, when I didn't FEEL like doing it, I went online to see Day#3's workout and learned this COULD be a day of rest; or moderate, 20-40 minute cardio. I'm swimming for 30 minutes to KEEP AT IT. Your message just substantiated that! THANKS!

    158. Hi Caitlin!
      If I had found these courses and this blog about 5 years ago when I had all but given up on making anything of myself after a catastrophic attempt at getting a job in the IT industry destroyed my self-confidence then I think it would have really helped me to pull myself out of the mire. As it is, I found this a week ago, and I've already gained a lot of helpful tips to improve my confidence and mindset. I signed up for your General Theory and Proofreading course on Monday, and I now spend a few hours a day on it. I don't know whether or not I'm going to keep up that pace, but I've resolved to spend at least an hour on the course every day. Thank you so much!

    159. You are so on point with this message. Thank you for caring and sharing. I’m finding this a powerful healing tool to break through limiting belief systems.
      I am putting those charts on my bathroom mirror.

    160. I am feeling a little reserved. However, I will show up and take action. I have been out of school for years. Thanks for the reinforcement speech. It gave me a new mindset.

    161. Resonated with me for sure! Slow like a turtle, just keep on pushing!

      Thanks Caitlyn

    162. WRITING! Goes kinda hand in hand with proofreading, but I'm trying to build a writing habit and it's something I've been putting down and starting and stopping. I can do some writing and then work on the course!

    163. You are oh so right! Personal dramas turned my world upside down and getting back onto my feet has been really tough. At times I have been terrified.
      You hit the nail right on the head, no consistent action!
      I am going too make a concerted effort every day to take consistent action until it becomes second nature again!
      Thank you for making me feel normal.

    164. I was fairly sure this email was going to turn into a pitch to buy something, but–what to my surprise and delight– it's something I want to thank you SO much for. You have described my cycle perfectly. Just this morning, I swore for the umpteenth time that I was going to start working on my "goals" again and stick to them! Reading your (and the other) comments has helped me remember that I'm not alone.
      My real problem is not proofreading. I've taught English for 20 years and have gone over friends' essays, a doctorate dissertation, even a book that was later published–you name it. I'm not perfect, but I think I have a good grasp of grammar, spelling, punctuation etc.. However, I did everything with pen, using my own marks, on the drafts themselves. All the technicalities of using the computer are what made me say, "I can't do this." How do I overcome that fear?

    165. I will commit to doing "something" every day, related to this course. Whether it's 30 minutes to an hour on a module, research on a concept (trying to lock down diacritics), or going through the study guide materials, I will put time in every day.

    166. This is a great reminder of what it takes achieve any goal.

      I still get down on myself sometimes and think, "What if I can't do it? What if the effort doesn't pay off?". Well, it sure isn't going to if I don't put in the work!

      I've done hard things, I know I have what it takes. I ran a frickin' marathon last year. I didn't get there by being motivated all of the time. I got there by making and following the plan and putting in the work 9 times out of 10 (nobody's perfect).

    167. This came at the perfect moment. I was telling myself that I couldn’t be a proofreader. That it was too hard and I was too old to start over. But I forced myself today to do three more lessons and to go back and study the ones before more. Thank you for following up with me. It means so much to me.

    168. This course. Just bought last night. Watched the intro module. Saw a comment today in the Facebook group. I didn't understand most of it; too technical. Feeling quite discouraged but trying to remind myself That is what the course is For. I'm going to keep trying and get into it, because I Need to get out of my job and Need to be able to free my parents from their worries.

    169. As I read the other comments, it seems to me the price we paid for this course is only the beginning. How many other required courses do we need to purchase before we graduate? What percentage correct do we need to achieve before we pass each test? I would like to know which questions I answered incorrectly so I know what section I need to review before I take the next test.

      1. You will need to set up website and/or use social media in order to market yourself. There is a small fee associated with setting up the website, information is located within the course. Some people need additional grammar help, [email protected] can send you the list of additional practice sites we encourage people to use once you email and ask for it if needed. Remember that all tests are open book, open an additional tab so you can look at the course material without forfeiting the quiz.

    170. This article is bang on. I have struggled with everything having to be perfect, which of course led me to procrastinate and not doing anything, which left me feeling like a failure. But I decided it was time to get passed that and take action in my life. I set aside the idea of 'perfect' and stopped worrying about failure or mistakes or what could go wrong, and just did 'the thing'. I started giving myself credit for my accomplishments, no matter how big or small. I gave myself a routine to follow, and pushed myself to follow it. I'm proud of how much I have achieved, which has motivated me further towards success. Today, I am adding the proofreading course to that routine and taking the next steps towards financial freedom and a career I will love.

    171. I’m going to set aside 2 hours each and every day to take steps towards becoming the best proofreader I can be.

    172. Thanks for this, Caitlin! The Cycle of Success graphic makes so much sense!

    173. Take action on my Proofreading Anywhere Course DAILY! Dedicate at least two hours (set the clock!) to first: review what I worked on yesterday; and second: continue working on new material.

    174. Absolutely what I needed to hear. Just do something every day. What is Margie’s workbook and where do I get one?

      1. There are is information located within the course about where and how to purchase.

    175. I skipped ahead and was reading the comments. I was afraid you wrote this just for me! You really nailed it.
      I am a great procrastinator and thought it was my motivation that needed help.
      Thank you for everything you do and all the tools you provide!

    176. Nailed it!!! You hit the nail on the head!!! I make so many plans and have it all figured out…it takes one day, just one day that I say I don't feel like it today and tell myself "Self, you have been working so hard what's one day off you can start again tomorrow, you deserve a day off" and then the next day comes. I really don't feel like it today and I really need to get this other stuff done…..it's over! Everything becomes more important and then I end up saying "see another thing I couldn't do, and I failed at, I shouldn't waste the money and time anymore!" Where if I would have just kept showing up and not let the excuses or laziness in! Just keep showing up no matter what excuse! Thanks for this post I needed to hear it!

    177. I really enjoy reading what you write. I was injured in a car accident almost three years ago and even after two spinal surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy, I am limited on what I can physically do. I was online searching for at home jobs and stumbled upon your course. This course couldn`t have come at a better time. Your course is a blessing that gives me purpose.

    178. Consistent action!
      That…is the key, and not allowing distractions to get in the way.
      Thanks so much, Caitlin, for this action inspiring post!
      Onward, every day.

    179. Hi, Caitlin. I started the program 4 days go and am now on Module 4. I’m 68 years old and ran my own business for 24 years; so, yes, I totally get the discipline vs motivation argument. I apply the same principle to exercise. I think Nike said it best – “Just Do It!”

    180. Caitlin,
      I have been part of your proofreading circle for over two years and have had challenges mastering the material. I'm also dealing with health issues, including struggles with my weight and have been getting discouraged and frustrated over my lack of progress in both fields. Your blog has given me a whole new perspective plus the encouragement to continue with my efforts to become a proofreader and continue my weight loss. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. THANK YOU so much!

    181. Hi Caitlin,
      What a helpful post, Caitlin, thank you. I am working on this too.
      I loved the example of the pineapple. It will be my trigger to have self-discipline and proceed with action.
      Valerie

    182. What a wise and inspiring post, Caitlin!

      Thank you.

      I've been reading the comments, and you folks are my people.

      I also have not commented because: I was tumbling down the rabbit hole of reading all the comments and not sharing my thoughts; I was afraid everyone would see my bad grammar and punctuation; I was afraid I would write something stupid or inappropriate; I was feeling safer by remaining silent; I have so many thoughts and experiences to share I was getting bottlenecked.

      I went on my first diet when I was eleven years old. I am now seventy-one—no more diets. I weigh less at seventy-one than I did at eighteen. Small successes, slow progress, tears and self-loathing, study, and self-discipline, with a few sentence fragments along the way.

      I am an artist. I tire of the stereotypes that define me as a moody flake who can work only when she is inspired. Folderol! My (mostly animal) portraits require gritty hours of concentration. I generally get things wrong before I get them right. My skills result from a lifetime of stubborn, often painful persistence. I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. One night I was so wiped out I fell asleep at the easel and fell off my stool. I FELL OFF MY STOOL!

      In general, I fall asleep at my proverbial easels a lot. I shake myself awake so I can go to bed, sleep, wake up the next day and work some more.

      My personal easels have included horsemanship, dog grooming, animal communications, writing, and other stuff. I have ranged from dedicated to passionate about each discipline. But the key word is discipline. And quality instruction. And practice. And failure.

      And clawing your way up off the floor when you tumble off your easel.

      I am excited about learning all these grammar rules I don't know. I am intimidated by mastering those things I don't yet fully understand. The marketing part spooks me.

      But. I am showing up every day, and I am here to support all of you who have struggles much like mine.

      Bless you, Caitlin, for leading the charge. Or the trudge. And blessings to my fellow students for sharing your humanity with the rest of us.

      Le Chaim!

    183. That is me! I have great ideas, like doing workouts, losing weight, and making better choices. Somehow, something inevitably gets in the way and the excuses start flowing. At some point, I will have to realize that I have to make things happen and stick to it in order to see results.

    184. My motivation comes from wanting to leave my job and never work for anyone else ever again.

    185. Definitely where I’m at. I also have a ton of irons in the fire, so to speak. I am a piano teacher, building back a studio. I am an aspiring writer who procrastinates mightily, and I am taking the GeekPack course to learn how to code, create and update websites using WordPress. Learning something new excites me, but I’m prone to bursts of action, and then I need to let the new information simmer a bit. When I return to it, I think, oh I get it, and move forward some more. It’s really a process, a messy process.

      I also identify with your past story about being let go. I was gaslight by admin telling me they would support me, and then smacked in the face with evidence of non-support. I hear the present new staff is struggling to deal with similar issues as I had. Karma.

    186. Caitlin, you just nailed the truth about self-discipline!!!
      I have made a commitment to myself that I will spend 4 days a week learning from your course work. I know I can do this!!! Thank you.

    187. Every morning I try to wake up with a smile on my face and thinking this is a new day, God will get me through it. Especially since I am now my husband's caretaker and have been for 3 years. I signed up for this course because my data entry from home wasn't providing me with work and that extra income always helped me out in so many ways. Now I have to get my head in gear and buckle down once and for all and start this course and I hesitate because at 69 yoa, I worry about whether or not I will retain anything. So yes, my actions have to be put in place and continued on a daily basis just like I did with my Health and Life coaching courses. I can do this. I just have to prove it to myself.

    188. You are very right! Self discipline has gotten me to where I am now as an author ready to publish my tenth book. And because I see the results, I am motivated to keep going. Whether I feel like it or not, I must meet my targets. And that takes self discipline and commitment. Thanks. Keep going…

    189. Continue the course and make this an income stream for my family.

    190. Thank you for this article; it really helped me to focus on how I was setting myself up for failure and now I know that if I want to be successful, I need to show up everyday and just do it! 🙂

    191. Losing weight, moving back up to MA and trying to better myself financially

    192. This was exactly what I needed to read. It makes total sense! I am great at starting things: new courses, a new exercise program etc, but I'm not great at sticking with them. I'll miss a day or I mess something up and then I give myself the 'I'm never going to be good at this' bla bla bla talk and then I stop doing anything. Thank you Caitlin for the timely email!

    193. I usually don't read this type of email but I am very grateful I did. That was a well timed and very deserved kick in the butt for multiple areas of my life.

      I want to show up to my yoga mat everyday like I used to. I miss how my body and mind felt when I did that consistently. It was usually only 10 minutes but I felt the difference.

    194. yes! your post is spot-on. I've struggled with motivation, or lack thereof, all my life, but you've just nailed it for me … self discipline is what I need to harness. Thank you Caitlin.

    195. I just signed up yesterday for your course. I AM going to complete modules of the proofreading course every day!

      I have wanted a part-time, at-home job for a while. Proofreading is one thing I have often thought would be perfect for me, but didn't know how to even start. So I just ignored that prompt. Finding your ad was destiny and I immediately took action, knowing if I took time to think about it I would come up with many excuses about why it wouldn't work out. But you really don't know until you try!

      This blog is timely. I knew motivation would be an issue going into this. I have had two years of life-changing events and I became emotionally shell-shocked and inactive. I need a change and a new endeavor! One step at a time!

    196. Hi,
      Thank you for this great information. I agree with you that you have to take action to see results. I have two areas where I will be taking action:
      1. Staying the course of learning what I need to know to be a great proofreader. Following the course outline and passing my test.

      2. I will be getting up 30 minutes earlier each morning to do my workout. My workout is not only to lose weight but to help keep my knee replacement mobile so I can continue living my life.

      Thank you!

    197. I am going to take action in becoming a Professional Proofreader, owning my own business, and actually working with, and assisting clients by completing at least 1 module of Ignite Plus General Proofreading: Theory & Practice everyday.

    198. I am going to spend at least one hour every evening on an educational and/or creative endeavor.

    199. Totally picture quite worthy:

      "Sometimes my inaction is perpetuated by my own fear of failure.

      The thing is, the fear isn’t real, and the failure hasn’t happened. Failure will only happen if I give up. What people who struggle with success don’t realize is that we shouldn’t fear failure; we should fear inaction.

      Failure is something that could happen but hasn’t yet, while inaction is something that’s actually happening right now — and it’s preventing me from getting what I want.

      Inaction is the #1 enemy of success."

    200. I’ve had the program a couple of days and I’m just getting started. Going forward I plan to set a schedule to work through the modules each day. I’ve been procrastinating because I am a little intimidated, but the time is now and thinking positive is the name of the game.

    201. This absolutely makes sense! It truly IS about showing up. Speaking of weight loss journeys, I only became motivated when I followed a program without fail and THEN when I saw the results, I was able to stay motivated to stay on the path that was garnering results. I’m sure that be true with the proofreading program as well. I just need to want it enough. (Plus, I am torn between the two different programs (general vs transcript), and that is slowing me down a bit. I would love to see something like a comparison chart of the two programs that also includes cost info.

    202. I'm going to work hard and not let myself down. Even when I don't feel like it, I will keep moving forward.

    203. I have a craft/art/sewing/scrapbook room that's not functional. it's turning into a collection room. I'd like to take 10 minutes every day to clean up, clear out and toss things. I want to paint the walls, put up pegboard, add more shelves, and make the room an enjoyable place to be. It’s my non-functional office space.
      I want to let go of projects that no longer hold a place in my life. The best course of action is for me to set a specific time every day to dedicate to this. wish me luck!

    204. I'm going to continue to make progress through the PA course modules, worksheets, and quizzes today. Yay!

    205. Yes you would think I would know this, that is what I learned in my 20's in boot camp! But time and age seem to have made me forget. I thank you for the reminder and I will!! do it!

    206. Excited to get started! Where is the site I can purchase books from? And/or, are any 'physical books' provided with course registration?

      1. All of the eBooks are within the course. There is link within the course to purchase a Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition.

    207. I so needed this talk today.
      I'm struggling with grief for the loss of my husband and 7 other relatives in 6 weeks, from September to December 2021.
      I just started exercising a week ago and am determined to show up even if I don't want to.
      I'll get out and contact my customers, one person at a time, and get back on top of my game

    208. This was an excellent post. My sweetheart has often said that the secret to success is self-discipline. Though my full-time job is demanding, I can devote 30 minutes every morning to self-development. Whether it is working on my proofreading course or learning additional skills, I have that amount of time every day – no excuses!

    209. I’m going to commit to working on the program at least a half hour a day.

    210. Thank you! I tend to think I’m not motivated but now I realize why! You have encouraged me with this course. I will act on my self discipline to complete this course, proofread my way into a successful career ( I’m working with module 2) and then write a book! I’m stoked and very grateful. ????

      1. There is information within the Transcript Proofreading course on how to purchase the recommended resource books to accompany the course.

    211. This was RIGHT ON for me, Caitlin! I have had MS for over 40 years, but really only started having problems with it in 2006, and I've now been in a wheelchair since 2011. Four and a half years ago, I found an online exercise program that is amazing, using certain exercises to rewrite the damaged neural pathways in the brain. I found hope that I had something to say about MS, IF I did the program consistently. And THAT hasn't been my strong suit EVER. I know I can have a better quality of life and I'm totally in control of whether I do or not, just based on whether I stay consistent or not with the program. I have even been seeing the results of what exercising I've done so far- I'm stronger. more balanced, and have more stamina. I'm even starting to walk more (with a walker, but hey- it's walking!)
      Before I came across your email today, I was planning on getting after it for the first time in 2 weeks. I've come to realize that this program has been to me a stepping stone in my life to become more self-disciplined. And you're right, it is about just showing up. My son is kind of cut out of the same bolt of cloth as I am; he's struggled most of his life, but finally at 40 years old his life is coming together. He told me one thing that helped him battle inaction was telling himself he "was just going to do X for 10 minutes". He would hop into whatever X was, and before he knew it, he'd been taking care of business for an hour! That piece of advice has helped me to get going on many things I couldn't seem to get started on, and I think your post has become another BIG piece of the puzzle. Thank you for being REAL with us, Caitlin.

    212. I definitely needed this! I recently started the Proofreading course, and I am doing fairly well so far. However, seeing the posts on the Facebook page about the essays had me questioning whether I can actually do this, but, I know that is just fear of failure talking! So, I will keep going, keep studying, keep learning, and keep showing up everyday!

    213. What you've talked about in the post is exactly what is happening with me and my weight loss goal, not to mention other areas in my life. I am going to strive to "show up". I don't like making promises I can't keep, but today I am promising myself to get up and get it done. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life to become a proofreader. Thank you for all you do to help all of us complete our journeys.

    214. Thanks for sharing this. It came at exactly the right time for me. I'm going to commit to working for 1 hour everyday on the modules.

    215. After several weeks I finally clicked and purchased the proofreading course. I started reading about a week ago and… Yep, nothing since. I read ALL of your post (the kick in the butt I guess I needed), so when I get home today I'm going to pick up where I left off. Damn, I need this course because I love to fix stuff!

      1. Excellent post, but I was wondering if you could elaborate a little bit more on this? I would really appreciate it if you could go into further detail. Cheers!

    216. I was getting lazy and stopped going through the course. Now I've decided to use self-discipline to make sure I show up and apply one hour of my day to studying the course.

      1. We’re happy to hear you’ve recommitted yourself to completing the course! Please let us know if you have any questions by writing to [email protected]. And don’t forget about your Facebook student group when you have questions about grammar and punctuation!

    217. Wahuu! This is so amazing!
      My weapon henceforth will be; "fear isn't real"
      Thank you madam for explaining the cycle of inaction and the cycle of success. Have to start action now.

    218. This needs to become my whole way of life. I am a champion procrastinator so this hit me between the eyes. I am responding late to this because I put the course on hold while I made Christmas gifts because I had no money for gifts. However I can't even use the 12 days of Christmas as my excuse now since we are in Lent. So action it will be.

    219. Great post Caitlin. I guess a dream will work only if I do, right? A dream is just tangible enough to be able to kick it into a reality, but dreams usually need a lot of kicking. So I like to turn a new pursuit into a new daily habit. This works for me if I add it to my morning routine. After a few mornings I have a new habit going. Yes!

    220. Caitlin, this is a wonderful blog. I signed up for your course a couple of days ago, and haven't done anything with it, because I have told myself that I am now 50, with a bad memory and won't be able to finish it.

      Thank you for showing the cycles of inaction and success. It makes so much sense to me. I plan to start hopefully tonight. If not, it will be Sunday, but I WILL BEGIN and BE CONSISTENT!

      1. We’re so happy to hear that, Liz! And it doesn’t matter how old you are if you have the motivation and determination to carry your plan through! you got this, girl! ????

    221. You are right motivation isn't enough. I went through weight loss on reason and then had a horrific car accident that had me wheelchair-bound for 5 months, and I gained it all and more back and have to start all over. It is more than willpower, it's a hunger that we need to strive on. A way of survival. Thanks for pointing this out to me,

    222. Caitlin, I appreciate all you are saying. My hesitation is based on having to care for my ailing husband and giving up my 8-to-5 comfortable job. He has not worked since Sept. and after work, I have to see to his needs. Granted, my goal is to stay home and care for his health needs (just be there) and replace my steady salary. I want to take the course and get started, but don't know how much time I can dedicate to the training after I've worked all day. I am seriously praying about an answer and peace to this situation. Thanks for your patience (plus the $$ for the course is a bit of a budget issue since I solely am working.) Thanks – JoAnn

      1. That’s understandable. And I think being there and taking care of your husband is a top priority, so I wanted to let you know that PayPal Credit offers financing based on approval in case that could help you with the cost of the course.

    223. I am going to take action every day to work on my newly acquired Ignite Plus course 🙂 This is something I 100% would have failed at five years ago, before I learned exactly what you’ve described about self-discipline. It’s taken me the last five looooong years of working on my response to my mind telling me I’m not capable of getting my crap together, to be able to get to the place where I would even consider tackling something like this. I know it won’t be easy and I definitely feel nervous but I am thankful for this opportunity ♥️ Thanks for putting it all together for us!

    224. I love reading your blog; it’s so inspiring and keeps me going! I have committed to working on the course for at least one hour a day, and so far I have exceeded that! Not sure if I used the semicolon correctly, but I’m still learning ????

    225. I commit to writing my latest book for at least an hour at least 5 days a week.
      This post was spot on! I will be paying heightened attention to all future and past posts!
      Thank you for your astute observations!

    226. I am disabled and pretty much 80% of my walking ability has been taken away. I am bed bound at all times unless i am showering, in the car, walking to bathroom, walking to the kitchen. I am able to stand or walk up to 5 mins. Then I must sit for a couple to get back up and get where im going. I cannot go in a store, walk across a parking lot, or hardly pick my kids up from school but it also has depressed me and i want my life back so, Im gonna TAKE IT BACK and try and do what I can and exercise and not let this situation get better. I hope to give it all my strength and all i got.

    227. Very insightful blog post, Caitlin. I'm new to the Proofread Anywhere training family. This is my first day since I signed up for the course that I've had the opportunity to dig in and get started. I can't think of a better kickstart for me than this article to set the right tone and heading in the right direction and correct cycle. Thank you.

      I loved this quote Dave Ramsey posted on Facebook recently, "Work is doing it. Discipline is doing it every day. Diligence is doing it well every day." A follower of Dave's, Rob Moore, commented, "Consistency is doing it when you don't feel like it."

      I am so excited to have stubbled onto your Proofread Anywhere Facebook post and registering for the course last Monday, April 7. More importantly I'm thrilled to be getting off on the right foot as I start this journey today.

    228. Thanks for the great article.

      I would add that Focus is an essential element of Dedication. Focus has always been my Achilles Heal. I'll start one project only to get distracted by another. I have to dedicate myself to doing one project at a time and completing it before moving on to the next.

    229. I plan to enroll in the Proofreading program. I have always held great interest in this profession.

      However, I can't help but be hesitant due to the latest deluge of programs like ChatGPT.

      How will they (or will they) impact Proofreading opportunities.

      1. AI is definitely evolving and technology is changing how we do things in the world. Presently, AI cannot think like a human brain with respect to having the ability to detect things a human can, for example, an author’s tone. One example of this is when an author uses sarcasm, which can alter the corrections AI makes and cause unnecessary corrections as well.

        PA does feel that AI tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly are extremely helpful and they can be great contributors in helping to speed up a proofreader’s work, but they just don’t have the ability to understand nuance or the “shades of meaning” that words and phrases can have based on the author’s point of view.

        People like to work with people who understand what they’re really saying with the meaning behind their words. AI can’t do this yet, but it can definitely help in other ways. Using AI tools to aid in your proofreading work will be helpful and may increase your speed, but proofreaders can’t depend on these tools to be 100% correct all of the time. AI just isn’t there yet.

    230. Very beautifully said Caitlin. This is very true. We're very impatient wants to see results immediately. We all need self-discipline. Thank you so much for this beautiful post. Much appreciated ????

    231. You don’t know how bad I needed to run across this reading. I knew within myself that I was the one holding me back and that I needed to discipline myself, but for some reason I wasn’t excepting that reality. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else. Or in this case, read it. Thank you so much for writing this ad.

    232. Thanks for the post, Caitlin! I'm relieved to see that I'm not the only one going through this. By not taking action, I stand in my own way to success. Even when I don't feel like it, I'm resolved to going to bed and getting up early, working out, and eating healthy every day!

    233. I just signed up yesterday, but this may very well be the most important thing I get out of this course. I already "failed" at a prior online course in copywriting but am vowing to not let the same thing happen here, by yes, "taking action" every single day. Equally important, is that I will be sharing this advice with my two teens who really struggle with this as well. Thank you for this post. It means more to me than you know.

    234. Hi Caitlin,

      True. And there are still things I can’t bring myself to do. Sometimes it’s just stubbornness, because when I retired I promised myself I wouldn’t impose unnecessary schedules on myself—the “job” mentality. Sometimes it’s because I don’t know where else to put something that needs to be moved, but can’t be thrown out.
      Sometimes it’s due to bad results from diets, because no affordable restaurant fixes the kind of food I was allowed to eat. (We like to go out to eat with friends, so it was isolating and it pissed me off so much that I didn’t even want to be around myself. It takes a lot to get me that irritated). So, I haven’t found a workable solution to that yet, either.
      One is just avoidance of a project, and it makes no sense to me why I’m avoiding it…yet.

      As an aside, punctuation-wise it may be apparent that I’m just starting the course. (sheepish grin).

      Wishing you a great day,

      Karen Elliott

    235. I WAS walking for abt 40 minutes each day…but this morning, I.jumped in the car, to get to the coffee shop I usually walk to, AND I twisted my ankle, getting out of the car!!! However, part of me kept saying…I need a change….now that I have twisted my ankle(and can“t walk for a bit)I am.asking myself, What can that change be? So I am.going.to.look.on twisting.my ankle in a positive way…..

    236. Thanks sooo much for that profound clarification, Caitlin! It was what I needed!

      I am taking two actions…no more eating after 2p, so that I achieve my fasting protocol!

      Last but not least, I am taking a big action by buying children's grammar books, so I can learn all the details that I didn't learn in school.

      I want to be a proofreader! (I am good at grammar, I just never learned all the "reasons" why!)

      Thanks again, Caitlin!

      Jan.

    237. Exactly! I have always been dependent on motivation. If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t do what I needed to do. And I always blamed it on not being in the mood. I recently started telling myself it’s because I have no self-discipline. Realizing that I need to work on self-discipline in order to achieve my summer body or my financial goal, helped me see results. I made a plan and I stick to that plan, even when I don’t want to. I push myself to wake up everyday at 5 in the morning and workout for at least 30 minutes. When I do this, it’s easier to get everything else I need to do done because I have more energy and I feel like I have a longer day. I almost wasn’t going to go to the gym today because I had to be somewhere really early in the morning and missed my gym time. After reading this article, I realized I do have time to workout and I was choosing not to because I’m no longer in the mood. This is where the self-discipline comes in! I am going to the gym right now and I know I’m going to feel so much more accomplished after I’m finished! Thank you!

    238. I should have waited until it was a better time for me to start this course, but I was excited to get started. My reality is, I have much going on that requires my time for the next few weeks. Eventually, it will be much better.

      One thing I will take action on EVERY DAY is:
      to commit to learning from my course Every Day. And more than that, I commit to fully learning the information I am taking in so that when I’m finished the course, I will be an excellent and Expert Proofreader.

    239. This speaks to me Exactly! I'm taking action EVERY DAY to Meditate for at least 10 minutes with a goal of 20 minutes first thing in the morning. This doesn't mean laying in bed awake with my eyes closed. To meditate, it's necessary to sit upright, spine straight, feet flat on the floor.

    240. Thank you for this article/blog/post. Not sure what’s what these days. But I appreciate your outlook and how self-discipline is the key. As you said, feelings will never be enough to create the success you want. I’m committing to doing something to move my business forward everyday. Either reading to complete my course, working on my website, sharing my business card(that I still haven’t created yet), posting on social media, or just eating well or exercising to make sure I still am doing what I’m calling my clients to do. But showing up has to happen in order for anything to move forward!!

      1. That’s an awesome mindset with reachable goals! You got this!

    241. Wow! This was so timely. Just a couple of nights ago, I was literally crying on the floor, feeling like this world is just too hard and complicated. I so needed to hear this. I can do this. Consistency. Perseverance. Mindset. Thank you.

      1. Positive thoughts and actions! Keep a positive and productive mindset, and you’ll be happily surprised at all of the things you can achieve!????

    242. Caitlin, your gifts are boundless!!! You are incredibly insightful in so many ways and so generous in sharing your journey and what you've learned. This is a post I will be coming back to often. Thank you for taking the time to write things like this amidst all you do!!! I also watched a short video recently from a woman who was speaking about how it helped her to envision the person she wanted to be as she took steps to be that person. She kept that vision in her mind. (Like, "I'm a person who is fit and makes healthy choices each day," even if that is still a work in progress.) I am thrilled to have found you — thanks again!

    243. Thanks for the great blog! I just finished Module 1 and this was a reminder to get the 2nd one done asap. I'm also on a weight loss journey and my health coach has been telling me how important consistency is. Thanks for the reminder!! Just what I needed.

    244. I will do my modules for proofreading everyday at least 30 minutes. I’ll start my training in earnest and buy books that I need to really help.

    245. I also lost weight. I lost 55 lbs. But I am not finished. I have hit a plateau and can’t move off of it. I have been eating too many calories lately and I have hit this rut. So, I am going to re-evaluate where my eating habits have recently failed and get back on the weight loss trail.

    246. I agree with the statement "You can’t trust motivation, but you CAN trust self-discipline" While motivation can be fleeting and unreliable, self-discipline is a skill that can be developed and relied upon to push us toward our goals, even in the absence of motivation. So, instead of relying solely on the fleeting feeling of motivation, we should focus on developing self-discipline to achieve our desired outcomes.

    247. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your blog post. The detailed information and insights you have provided are both enlightening and thought-provoking. It is clear you possess a deep understanding of the subject matter. I am looking forward to reading your future contributions. https://www.topstik.com/buy-tiktok-video-views

    248. I'm going to keep plugging away at the PA course regardless of how I feel, and reach that milestone of having taken and passed the test!

    249. Wow inspiring, i will be in soon. I will give this a shot, surely…

      1. Thank you for the praise! We have a great team at PA!

    250. I’m concerned about finding clients and building a successful proofreading business. Does the course help with this?

      1. We teach you active marketing strategies and provide you with a long list of job resources in the second half of the course. There is even a bonus ebook about how to find clients you will receive for free when you purchase the course!

    251. So, I signed up to try out this proofreading program a little over 2 months ago, but work and life stuff got in my way. Now, (in my current unemployment), I have more time to finally get started with the courses. I went back through the emails from Proofread Anywhere in my inbox to get started and came across the one referring to this blog post and boy am I glad that I checked this out! This message coincides very nicely with something a friend of mine was telling me about being proactive with goals and what you want in life rather than expecting things to fall into place with no action. I can relate to feeling very much stuck in the "Cycle of Inaction", especially when I don't feel like doing things at times. I have plenty of items and goals that I want to take care of and achieve that I need to take action on to shift to the "Cycle of Success": Getting in better shape, getting the house cleaned up and organized, gaining more knowledge and skills including what I'll gain in these proofreading lessons, etc.

    252. This post couldn’t have arrived at a better time! I’ve been struggling with depression after a very bad hip injury forced me to leave my job at a store. Standing all day just couldn’t work.

      Something that has helped me is setting my alarm to go to sleep at 10:30pm and to wake up at 8:00am the next morning. I force myself out of bed, have a healthy breakfast and find something productive to do. It hasn’t been easy. I really need to find a job I can do from home.

    253. manage my carbs and eat more protein. drink more water.. Plan my day better. then save save save!! so i fan get the laptop I need and the tuition fees for Proofreading Anywhere. I am determined to become the best proofreader I can be.

    254. This is so reaffirming! I just started my business this summer and it's been great to read other people's experiences as I move into it more and more, so I don't get bogged down and wonder if what I'm feeling is "normal"/expected or not. I am starting to do a lot of these things in small ways and it's great to see that they work and that I'm not alone! Thanks so much for this.

    255. I spend a lot of time alone. I lose motivation for even the simplest of task. Thank you for this blog or whatever it is!!! It showed me how to focus, work on confidence, and to appreciate myself. I am taking the class and i'm really enjoying getting involved with everything. It has become my passion, which is something I have not had in a while!!

      1. We’re happy to hear we inspired you to take action in your life and thank you for the praise!

    256. That was wonderful advice. I am dealing with viral pneumonia right now. It is making it difficult to get started on my journey. I will do it soon.

    257. I have considered purchasing your proofreading course for a couple of weeks or so but after some research, I'm afraid it may be obsolete. The reason I say that is that there are programs now (in addition to spellcheck) that serve the same purpose with artificial intelligence such as Grammarly and Wordtune. In addition to proofreading, they have the capability to isolate an "awkward" sentence and make suggestions for a better one. They can write a paper and even shorten or lengthen it to the number of words required by the instructor. So, if you need 1600 words, they can provide 1600 words!

      I think I would love your course as proofreading is a natural talent of mine. However, I don't see how it is relevant now in today's world.

      Convince me.

      1. I hear what you’re saying, but human proofreaders will not be replaced by AI. Algorithms built into a machine can only catch so much without understanding the context, tone, and voice of a piece of writing. The author’s tone could be formal or informal, playful or serious, objective or subjective, and so on. The tone can also evoke certain emotions from the reader. AI isn’t sentient meaning that it can’t think, feel, or perceive the physical world the way humans do, and it can’t discern the hidden meanings behind certain words the way that we can, so it will make errors with suggestions and corrections.
        To test our theory of why human proofreaders won’t be replaced, we ran our final exam through ChatGPT and it failed our course by missing several errors and making many unnecessary corrections. We then ran our exam through PerfectIt which is programmed with The Chicago Manual of Style and it failed our exam as well by missing more errors than ChatGPT did. They both caught the more obvious errors, which means that AI can be used as a tool for proofreaders, but a human proofreader will be necessary to catch the more nuanced errors and provide feedback to the author as well.

    258. "Thanks for being honest, Caitlin."

      That sums up why I happened one fine day to read my first email from Caitlin (out of an overflowing-to-bursting Inbox) and have read — and not deleted — every one since!

      Thank you, Caitlin.

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