Switch from Friendship to Mentorship & Other Lessons Learned

April 20 was Curiouser Editing’s three-year anniversary. I had started a free WordPress blog called Curiouser Editing, where I wrote about grammar and offered my editing services for freelance.

And since starting a business from the ground up, I’ve learned three valuable lessons.

The first is this: follow your calling, not the money.

I was called to work with authors. It has always been my dream, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. For those who work in the writing world, you know I didn’t do this for the money. I did it because I had to — it was a calling deep within me that I couldn’t ignore. So to chase after the idea of becoming rich beyond my wildest dreams has never been part of God’s plan for me. If I wanted to go that route and chase nothing but money, I would have a horrible void in my life that money could never fill.

The second lesson is this: go from friendship to mentorship.

We all need friends to cheer us on, but mentors lead you toward success. If you want to learn how to build a business you can be proud of, then you need authentic, happy, successful people to mentor you. I’ve been blessed with some phenomenal mentors, and MikeLoomis is always the first one who comes to my mind. He is a genuinely successful man with a refreshing authentic personality that can’t go ignored. He has taught me so much about growing my business, and I wouldn’t have learned those things if I hadn’t exchanged unfruitful friendships for rewarding mentorships.

And finally: enrich someone’s life.

This happens when you follow lesson #1. Enriching someone’s life means receiving an email that says: “I can’t believe that I’m holding my book for the very first time. I’ve worked on this for years, and I have you to thank.” That is what it’s all about. That is why I do what I do.

I work with authors because when I was a little girl, I fell in love with reading and I looked up to authors. I wanted to work with them and help them and drown in a sea of books every day.

You see, when you understand why you’re chasing — no, sprinting — after your dream, you don’t run out of breath so quickly.

Three years flew by. Curiouser has since been named the top 50 blogs for writers, we have more happy clients than we know what to do with, and in just a few short weeks, Curiouser Author Society will open its doors for author members.

I have learned that success is not a number. It is not the amount of fans, followers, likes, subscribers, clients, or dollar signs I have.

Success is the act of waking up each day and being in love with what I do and who I am as a person while simultaneously helping others succeed.

Yours Truly,
Shayla

An expert editor, seasoned writer, and author-centric coach, Shayla Eaton works one-on-one with self-published authors, having edited over two hundred books. She is the owner of Curiouser Editing, where she offers top-notch publishing guidance for authors and their books.

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