I have finished reading both of Peter Bowerman's books (the Well Fed Writer series), and they have helped me tremendously in my networking efforts!! I attended a meeting on Friday (as an observer for a non-profit partnership). I felt confident in my own work and spoke with several people about my job as a freelance writer. The result? I handed out a ton of business cards and have some solid leads for work. What I need to work on now is follow up with the leads, as well as continue to network.

A friend recently told me that "sales" boils down to selling yourself. She insists that you are not selling a particular product, but rather, you are selling the image of yourself. She claims that every interaction that you have with people is a form of selling yourself. If you can be comfortable with selling yourself, then you can sell anything. I love this idea--and I was able to use it a bit while networking on Friday. I was asked what my goals are now that I have graduated. I have put some thought into that, and my goal is to be self-sufficient within 6 months. I explained that the logo on my business card represents my writing--it is both fast and pretty (pretty being that it is well-written). I feel very strongly about my writing skills, and I believe that I will be self-sufficent on my timeline!

I realize that everyone has days when they are low--when they question everything about themselves and their lives. I believe that if I keep telling myself that I am worth everything that I am asking for and more, these days will be few and far between...

Work on your networking. Work on selling yourself. You know your strengths--it is time the rest of the world knows it as well! The perfect job is out there for all of us!