About the rating thing… Not sure if you’re still experiencing difficulties, but one thing you could try: Use a different browser and see if you’re still having problems. We currently support the top 90% of the most popular browsers (MSIE, Firefox, Opera, Netscape and various Mozilla browsers).

Ruth,

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This is probably true, no matter what you do, whether it’s trying to figure out your life’s work or writing a bunch of articles for online distribution.

From my own and many years of experience, it takes consistent and steady progress toward your goals, day after day after day, and year after year before you’ll start to see any meaningful results.

And, I think that’s true with article writing as well. Just keep doing it, get better as you go along, and stay the course.

I remember in the early years of starting my software company, InfoSource Learning, we always seemed to expect immediate results, whether it was developing a new product or conducting a new marketing campaign.

I recall once occasion when talking to a competitor and he told me, “I’ve been trying to become an overnight sensation for the last 15 years.” And, I think that really sums up what we all need to be doing and thinking about, regardless of roles or goals in life — you want to be thinking you’ll become that overnight wonder, but you’ve got to keep carrying on with your work or your mission as if it’s a life time’s worth of work. Which, I guess, it really is.

Over and out,

Michael

Tel, I just want you to know that I am a newbie too (one and a half weeks old!) and like the others have done for me, I wish to take a moment to encourage you this morning.

I can tell you for a fact that I used to be one of those people who thought I didn’t have enough material to write about. I used to worry about not being “original” enough or not eloquent enough, etc.

But over time, I began to write stories and submitted them to various websites (like heartwarmers.com) When they (and others) accepted them, my confidence went up. Then some of those stories were accepted for publication in hardcopy books (like “Chicken Soup for the College Soul”). When that happened, I realized I might be on to something. But this would not have happened had I not taken a chance and submitted my stories around the Internet. I encourage you to do the same.

What also helped is I used to write a dairy of my daily life, letting the words flow. This freed up any “writers block” that I might have had since I was not worried about what people thought or how the words would appear on paper. This gave me the practiced I needed to let the words flow from my mind to the keyboard. It’s was great way of getting the practice I needed.

One thing you should know is that there is absolutely nothing under the sun these days. If you look through every single article out there, there’s really nothing new being offered. That ought to reassure you that you not need to worry about being “original.” However……….

What is original is your own personal experiences. There is no one in the world like you with what you’ve gone through in your life. THAT is by definition, “unique.” Your experiences become your “signature stories.” No one can duplicate them because they are not you! So you can write about them. And if you think about it, every day you experience life is a potential story! If you were to write about every single day of the year, you’d have 356 articles! :)

One of my stories that got published was an experience I had with my fifth grade teacher eons ago. She said three words that forever changed my life and caused a gigantic ripple effect around the globe. Becuase this is my own unique experience, I was able to write about it. And that makes it “new.” When I go on speaking engagements, I talk about this story and for many people, it’s the first time they’re hearing it. Therefore, it’s not the same “tired” story they hear over and over from different sources. Like the “starfish” story (ever heard of that?).

Now, what’s interesting is that within this fifth grade teacher story, I talk about the power of thanking people, the power of reaching out, etc. etc. That stuff in of itself is NOT new but when I add my personal experience with the fifth grade teacher, suddenly the article (or speech or whatever) is now “original.” No one else can write about it or claim it as their own becuase they did not experience it. See what I mean?

Can you think of everything that’s happened in your life and then write about it? I’m sure you can!

Let me encourage you not to put a limit on your thinking. If Lance can write 8,000 articles, so can you. Lance is a wonderful gentleman who is no better than you or I. He doesn’t have any special powers or prowess (that I’m aware of, hehe) to enable him to write. All he had was the power of his imagination, belief in himself and lots of practice. And look what he did!

So, keep on, keep on. Hang in there. Don’t give up. You have a wealth of stories in you that’s dying to come out. Let it. You won’t regret it.

And by the way, don’t worry about the “yellow star.” Just write from your heart and let the universe take care of the rest. That’s what I’m doing and it works!

Stephen Hopson

And Chris K, despite Ed’s (Howes) help, I still can’t find that star rating anywhere on my screen. Is there something I haven’t done right, a button I should push or something? :) Thanks!

Such a better approach than the “smash and grab” angle of the newbies and bots.

Thank you for giving us a ripple opportunity. :-)

You guys both made my day with your comments today. It was confirmation for me to continue on the path I’ve set for myself, namely writing.

Thank you for your encouragement - you’ve caused a wonderful ripple effect that I love to talk about in my speeches.

Thank you gentlemen!

Stephen Hopson

Welcome to our mutual assistance community. You will do fine. You are a very fast learner and you just shared valuable information most of the blog readers will benefit from in short order, including me. Which means, we are all glad you asked. I ask questions in nearly every article I write. I rarely get an answer, but it reinforces a habit which pays off frequently. Everyone who forms this simple habit is on the fast track to wisdom. When we have wisdom, how can we not succeed?