Welcome to 2024, a year that whispers promises of new beginnings and unexplored horizons for authors. For a moment, I want you to imagine this year as a blank canvas, awaiting your vibrant stories and bold dreams. This isn’t just another spin around the sun—it’s a call to adventure, a summons to leave behind your lack mentality and step into a realm of abundance and boundless potential.
The narrative of the struggling, solitary writer is a relic of the past. Instead, it’s time to shed that old skin and embrace a new paradigm—one where creativity and financial success are not just compatible, they’re intertwined.
However, before we can embrace this paradigm shift, we need to address our current relationship with money. Yes, money—that ever-elusive, often misunderstood entity.
For many of us, it’s been a source of constraint, tangled up in childhood narratives and societal conditioning. But what if we could rewrite this story just as we iterate our books? What if money could become a joyful companion on our creative journey?
Understanding and reconfiguring our relationship with moneyAs we kick off 2024, brimming with aspirations and dreams, it’s crucial to pause and reflect on our existing beliefs about money if we’d like to see something new develop in our lives. It’s time to untangle the complex web of thoughts and emotions that have shaped our financial perspectives up until this point. Are you ready?
Childhood narratives and societal conditioning: Many of us grew up hearing phrases like “money doesn’t grow on trees” or witnessing our parents stress around finances.
These early experiences often lay the foundation for a scarcity mindset, where money is seen as limited and fraught with anxiety. The stories we absorbed as children can linger subconsciously, influencing our attitudes and decisions about money as adults. It’s up to us to become conscious of them, so we can flip the script.
Recognizing and challenging limiting beliefs: The first step toward a healthier money mindset is identifying these ingrained beliefs. Do you find yourself thinking that financial success is unattainable for indie authors? Or that making money from your writing is somehow less noble?
These are signs of a limiting belief system at play. It’s time to challenge these notions and question their validity. The idea is to recognize them for what they are: lies.
Transformative techniques for releasing old beliefs: The good news is your beliefs are not set in stone. They can be rewritten because beliefs are simply thoughts you continue to think and hold as true.
Ask yourself what limiting beliefs around money can be traced back to your family of origin. Look at them. Define them. And then choose a different, more aligned belief. One that makes you feel good and powerful in the thinking of it. Continue to shift into this new belief every time an old limiting one crops up. Eventually, it will become your default.
Embracing abundance mindset: This is about more than just positive thinking. It’s about truly believing in the abundance of the universe. It involves understanding that there is enough for everyone, including you.
This shift in mindset opens up a world of possibilities, where financial success is not only achievable but a natural extension of your creative expression. Do you believe you can have a successful, prosperous author career? Why or why not?
Again, look at it. Define it. And if yours is a limiting belief, deliberately choose something different.
Cultivating a money mentality for indie authors
Now that we’ve started to unravel and reconstruct our foundational beliefs about money, it’s time to cultivate a mindset that aligns with our creative aspirations. This isn’t just about changing thoughts. It’s about transforming our entire approach to money and success.
*Cues Taylor Swift*
Are you ready for it?
Understanding money as energy: Let’s get a little “woo” for a moment. If you shift your perspective to see money as a form of energy rather than a static resource, money becomes something that flows, circulates, and can be attracted through positive actions and intentions.
This energetic perspective encourages us to engage with our finances in a more dynamic and proactive way. When we understand the Law of Attraction (like energies are attracted to like energies) is always at play, it becomes easier to choose thoughts and actions that align with our desires, rather than go in opposition to them.
Worry and anxiety become a warning signal that our thoughts are out of alignment and we’re focusing more on what we don’t want, rather than the abundance we seek.
Practical steps for indie authors: As indie authors, how can we apply this mentality? Start by setting clear financial goals. Whether it’s a sales target for your next book launch or a revenue goal for the whole year, having concrete objectives helps focus your own magnetic energy.
Ask yourself what you want. Why do you want it? And can you get your energy behind it? Often, we need something that really pushes our buttons or excites us in a way that makes any obstacle or resistance that might come up irrelevant.
Value your work: Loving what you do and how you write is also key. Everything flows from this place. When you love your books, you price your books in a way that reflects the artistic value you provide to your readers. It’s not just about covering costs, but also about honoring the worth of your creativity and effort.
Invest in your growth: Consider how you can reinvest in your author career. This could mean upgrading your writing software, attending a writer’s conference or retreat, or taking a course to understand or improve in some aspect of your career. View these not as expenses, but as investments in your future success.
Do you hold the belief that every dollar you spend comes back to you? Perhaps try it on for size this year.
Cultivating a prosperity mindset: Beyond practical steps, embrace a mindset of prosperity. Believe in your potential for financial success as an indie author.
Visualize your success regularly, as if it has already come to pass—as if it’s already yours. When you imagine the impact of your work and the financial rewards it brings, you’re activating the Law of Attraction to bring those things to you.
In cultivating this new money mentality, patience and persistence are key. It’s a process of growth and evolution, where each step forward enriches not only your financial well-being but also your creative journey.
Stepping into a future of abundance and creativity
The path to financial prosperity and creative fulfillment is not a straight line. It’s a journey full of learning, growing, and evolving. As you move forward, remember to value and love your books and invest in your growth. These are not just steps toward financial success but affirmations to yourself of your worth and dedication to your craft. Your subconscious mind is taking notes.
Visualize your success regularly, not just as a distant dream, but as an imminent reality. When you align your thoughts and actions with your goals, you invite the universe to work in your favor. Embrace this year as your opportunity to shine, to share your stories, and to thrive financially.
Let’s make 2024 a year where the term “starving artist” becomes obsolete in our collective author vocabulary. Instead, let’s speak of indie authors as thriving creators, as architects of their own fortunes, and as beacons of inspiration and prosperity.
Remember, your creativity is not just a gift to the world. It’s a viable, valuable, and vibrant pathway to abundance.
Here’s to a year of breaking barriers, rewriting narratives, and celebrating the wealth that comes from our pens.
Welcome to your year of abundance.
Welcome to a new era of indie authorship.
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Carissa Andrews, CEO of Author Revolution® and the Millionaire Author Coach™, is an award-winning and international bestselling indie author of over 25 books. Renowned for her expertise in financial empowerment for indie authors, she offers transformative digital courses, 1:1 coaching, and the Author Revolution Podcast to help authors create fulfilling careers. Carissa has been a speaker at events like ALLi’s Self-Publish Con and Inkers Con. In 2022, she was declared one of the Top 30 Entrepreneurs Disrupting Their Industries by Disruptors Magazine. Her unique approach combines a rich publishing background with a focus on manifestation and future-casting to propel authors to unprecedented success. This article is from the January 2024 edition of Nink.