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Why Should You Care About Becoming More Creative?

Every person ever born has some creativity within them. Creativity is simply the drive to create and/or the act of doing so. It does not have to mean being a painter or an artist. Creating can be as simple as cooking dinner for your family. It can be writing a report, building a fence, forming a relationship, or a million other things that are not “art.”

Creativity is a natural part of being human. Some people have more inherent creativity than others, but everyone has some level. Furthermore, it’s possible to increase your natural levels if you wish. That’s right! You can become more creative if you want to. The decision is up to you.

But you might be asking, why should you? If you are a working creative, the answer is pretty obvious, but not so much if you’re not. And it is not like you don’t already have a lot to do, after all. Most of us have too many things on our to-do lists these days. And we don’t have them on the list, we’re dealing with the fact that they forget to get done, because well, we don’t have them on the list!

Creativity boosts productivity

As it happens, you can get a lot of tangible real-world benefits from becoming more creative. Increasing your creativity also boosts your productivity and your self-confidence. It helps you improve your problem-solving skills. All of these combine to make you better at your occupation and lead to more success in life. This is true whether you’re a writer, a painter, or a candlestick maker.

Creativity can lead to happiness (and health)

Creativity is closely tied to happiness. The more creative a person is, the happier they are. If that is not reason enough for you, higher levels of creativity also lead to longer lives. Being more creative also keeps the brain more active, reducing the chance of developing dementia in old age.

Even without any of these benefits, it would still be worth it for you to become more creative. Why? Because it helps with your personal development. It will make you more satisfied with your life and give you a sense of accomplishment.

Being Creative is just plain fun

Creating something, anything, also creates a feeling of joy in the creator. That alone makes the effort to become more creative worthwhile.

Becoming more creative is not difficult. Nor is it expensive. It can even be fun. You will improve your current skills as you do so. You can also learn new skills and make new friends along the way. The biggest investment you will need to make in the process is time.

 But don’t worry. I’ve got you. You can start slow. You can try one new habit at a time. And to that end, stay tuned for the launch of my next book, The Creativity Habit, hitting bookstores in October! It will take you step by step through various tiny habits that can boost your creativity and unleash your inner genius!

Put Your Office Management Skills to Work as a VA

If you currently – or in the past – have worked as an office manager in a physical location, you can quickly turn those skills into working remotely as a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant often performs secretarial work for business owners at a distance using technology. A VA can really work for almost any type of business owner if the tasks they do can be done virtually.

To succeed as a VA for small businesses, you’ll want to create a package of services instead of offering yourself hourly because it’ll help you control your time better plus help you avoid scope creep. Any business that used to have a secretary or receptionist or needs one is a good place for you to consider offering your services.

For each of the ideas below, think about the things that they need completed that they don’t have time to do, and then create a package for the things you are skilled at doing. To get your first client, set up your website, social media platforms, and a system for capturing leads. Let everyone you know in on your secret so that they can tell the people they know. Then every single day demonstrate to the public via your own website and social platforms what you’re capable of doing for them.

Some specialties for virtual assistants to consider:

  • Real Estate VA (REVA) – Real estate agents need someone to help them list properties, promote them on social media, and other office-type work such as checking email, writing letters, and so forth. While you don’t need special licensing to become a real estate VA, you might want to consider getting your real estate license in order to be more competitive or investing in a REVA certification.
  • Legal or Paralegal VA – If you have legal secretary or paralegal experience, transitioning to a virtual assistant will not be hard. Most of the work you do here doesn’t need to be in the office or in a location, although you may need access to specific databases and other information via your clients to do this job properly.
  • Research VA – Many people, including scientists, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and others, need people to conduct research for them. If you are good at research, understand how to find scholarly works to back up ideas, this can really be a fun opportunity for you. You’d do it from your computer and just need a good internet connection.
  • Coach and Speaker VA – Many coaches and speakers need an assistant to help find speaking gigs, answer customer service emails, create their marketing materials, and keep them organized and ready for their clients and speaking gigs. Sometimes you might even get to travel if you work with speakers, if that’s something you want to do. It’s not required as you can do it fully, 100 percent, virtually.
  • Author Assistant VA – Many authors who work with publishing houses or on their own need help with all the things authors have to do today, from editing to marketing. If you have experience in publishing, you can help organize your authors with packages from websites, to social media, and more.
  • Local Small Business VA – Many small businesses in your area have plenty of administrative things that need to be done, but often they either don’t do them, or they burn the candle at both ends because they don’t realize they can hire a VA part-time to help them. You can work for daycare centers, restaurants, beauty shops, and more.

You get the idea. It’s a good idea to specialize so that you can command higher rates. Plus, when you specialize in what you do, you set the tasks that you will do for them, as well as the rates, so you automatically know what you’ll be doing for them each day throughout the year instead of waiting for them to tell you what to do.

Attracting Your Target Audience: 10 Simple Ways

The only way you can truly be successful in attracting your target audience is by understanding who they are. Many small business owners, especially people who start their business alone from home, often skip a few steps in the process. This usually ends up causing issues with finding an audience for your product.

attracting your target audience

Instead, focus on who you want to serve before you do anything in your business. Kowing who you want to serve and why will help you fill your email list with people who are ready to buy from you. These ten ways to get to know your audience better will inform your products and services. They even help shape the words you use to communicate to them the value you offer.

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