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Are a pitch and a proposal the same thing?
Are a pitch and a proposal the same thing? Due to my experience writing proposals and my done-for-you pitch boss service package, I get asked this question, a lot. And typically, I say no, a pitch and a proposal are not the same. They are, however, two parts of a clear new client sales funnel. What is the difference between a pitch and a proposal? On a basic level, I think of a pitch as an introduction and a proposal as a contract. In a pitch, you’ve distilled your unique value into a short email or presentation designed to introduce you and your skill set to a new potential client. With…
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3 Ways To Deal With Digital Nomad Loneliness
Having lived abroad as a digital nomad now for over seven years, I can tell you that this lifestyle isn’t always as sexy as it appears to be. You get lonely. After all, traveling the world by yourself or even with a partner or a friend doesn’t replace the type of community and fellowship you can have in your own language when you’re at home. So, today, we’re talking about 3 ways to deal with digital nomad loneliness and isolation. Understand Digital Nomad Loneliness As a digital nomad, you can be surrounded by amazing accomplished people who are building businesses and going on fun adventures. You’ll meet travel writers, Social Media Stars, entrepreneurs,…
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The (rough draft) Plan
As I prepare to embark on this journey, I have had many questions relating to my exact plan and itinerary, as a lot of you have expressed interest in meeting up with me during my travels. I thought I would take the time in between now and my departure to Tahoe to lay out my (somewhat tentative) travel plans. Please consider this an open invitation to anyone and everyone to come visit or join me on any of my journeys! USA Adventures: -On Jan 3rd, I begin my new life by driving to Tahoe, CA. I’ll be stopping (for one night) in: Portland, Bend, Klamath falls, and then finally ending…
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Week 1 of Nomading: Settling in, Colorado Trip
My first week of official digital nomad life has been a bit of a whirlwind. After 2 days and 15 hours of driving from Seattle to Tahoe, CA, I had three days to explore my new town before taking off to Denver, Colorado to ski Vail and Breckenridge and explore Denver. After 6 days in Colorado, I’m officially back in Tahoe (for a few days at least…!) and working long hours before my next trip. Tahoe life is, in a word, different. We don’t lock our front door (my roommates literally don’t have keys), we don’t have a mailbox, at any given point in time I live with between 2-5…
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What fills your soul?
I was speaking with a dear friend today about her future. She was talking about how she will be up for a promotion soon at her job, and she’d be making nearly double what she makes now. But she isn’t sure if she wants to take it. So I asked her, “does it fill your soul? When you’re doing your job, do you think, this is it. This is what I was put on this planet to do.” Because I have a piece of advice for her, and for you, and for everyone who asks- if your life doesn’t fill your soul, you need to find a new life. I…
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Things to do in Tahoe (besides skiing)
If I’m being honest, the winter here at Lake Tahoe has been monumentally disappointing so far. We’ve seen one storm since I arrived 5 weeks ago, and that snow has all but melted after a slew of balmy 50º days. Resorts are considering closing for the season, bars and restaurants are doing layoffs and cutting shifts, and the city itself feels a bit…empty. I have a friend who calls it “unseasonable depression”, and he wouldn’t be wrong. There’s a certain gloominess that’s descended on the town, but only in a strictly literary sense. Literally, it’s blue skis every day. It’s easy to feel myself sliding into unseasonal depression. I came to…
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Reflections after 27 years of life
My dear friends, This past Wednesday I turned 27. If I’m being honest, it was a bittersweet day. If I’m being completely honest, it was mostly bitter. On Monday I lost one of my closest friends unexpectedly. It was the kind of call you never want to receive, a sobbing friend on the line telling you that this girl with whom you spoke to not even 24 hours before, had passed. Life’s not fair sometimes. I’m no stranger to death- unfortunately, I’ve experienced my fair share of loss in the last several years. But this particular death truly shook me to my core. It has caused me to reflect a…
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On Patience, Mental Grit, and Gratitude
Dear friends, On Monday, I got back from a 5 day trip to Seattle and Whistler, where 20 of some of my best friends went up for an extended weekend of skiing and general debauchery. Whistler Blackcomb is one of my favorite mountains, but conditions on our first day of skiing were less than ideal. About an inch of powder lay over sheets of ice, and more than once we found our skis skating over rocks and trees. It was a bit of a rough start. Then, on one of our last runs of the day, I found myself whizzing down a groomer. Due to the icy conditions, I was…
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Why I’ll miss Tahoe
My dear friends, This marks my final week in Tahoe before I drive back to Seattle for a few months. This Saturday, I take the 14 hour drive at once, and then wake up early on Sunday morning to fly out to Tel Aviv for a 2 week-long adventure with two of my best friends. Keep an eye out for a recap post on that trip later! While I’m sure it will be an absolute blast, I can barely get my head around the fact that I am counting down my last few days in the town I’ve called home for nearly 3 months, let alone think about flying halfway…
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It’s been a while
My dear friends, How time flies. I can’t believe it’s been a year since I last wrote in this thing. And what a year it’s been. I’ve been completely location independent for 14 months and traveled to 9 countries and 12 states. I’ve learned a lot during those 14 months, and I guess that’s why I’m back here today. I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you. So here it goes, a short FAQ on what I’ve learned after 14 months of working remotely and traveling full time. “Where do you stay?” Anywhere and everywhere! I’ve slept on friends’ couches in Seattle, in spare bedrooms, hotels, hostels, Airbnbs, and…
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Blogging 101: Introduce Yourself
I still like blogging, publishing and writing on the web. But, I have seen it change so much from the early days when I began online in 1996. A lot of it is disappointing. Once we had free creative energy and the only rules were those we gave ourselves. There was no marketing, or SEO or keywords. I was an editall (meaning I could edit the entire directory) for the Open Directory Project. I stayed with it for just over ten years. We were the first to fight spam – before anyone started calling it SEO and giving it credit for being “marketing”. It still seems a lot of spam…
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In Defense of Using Ad Blocker
I’ve been coming across more sites which ask me to turn off ad block on my web browser. Most are keeping it friendly, like this request from Guardian (asking for financial support instead of support through ad views). That’s fair enough and I do understand. However… how about changing the ads to something I don’t mind viewing. Why do people use Ad Block? The reason I use ad block are the video and other bloated files which automatically open when I visit a site. I don’t especially care that most of them are ads. I don’t want to be stuck with big files opening on my web browser. I pay…
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Post Trip Woes
I think back to the the anxiety I had the day I left to embark on my first travel adventure abroad. I had gone against my mother’s wishes and booked a solo ticket to Europe in hopes to feed the urge that had been burning inside me since graduation. Sure, the idea of travelling to a foreign, unfamiliar place was daunting but at the same time I could not contain my excitement. I was finally doing it. I was taking a leap and headed into the unknown. I was embarking on the trip of a lifetime. I had gotten so caught up in the trip itself that coming home was…
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DIY Lavender Linen Spray
Not too long ago I was gifted some lavender linen spray from my best friends mother. Initially I didn’t think I’d get much use out of it – but now its become a staple in my nighttime routine. Lavender has a ton of great benefits. It’s known to help induce sleep for those restless folks, and has also been proven help reduce anxiety and stress! I usually spray a few pumps on my pillow and sheets before I crawl into bed at night. Not only have I found that I sleep better on the nights I use it, I’ve also come to love the the fresh smell it leaves on my…
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September Kickstart – Motivational Reads
Ah, September! One of my favourite months has arrived, and although I may not be going back to school I always tend to look at September as a time to reflect and re-evaluate my goals for the year. I have a confession to make.. yes a confession. You heard it here – I am fully addicted to what may be described as “self help books”. What can I say!? I love learning new tools to help me keep a positive mindset. Every so often I find myself veering off course and when I do, I turn too a good read to keep me in check (and a glass of wine,…
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New Scammy Ad Sales Technique to Watch For
There is a technique in real estate (and other sales related situations) to offer a buyer in order to create a sale. The buyer is fake. In real estate the technique is used to keep sellers on the hook, hoping for a nibbling buyer. So the real estate agent keeps (or renews) the listing. The buyer then disappears. I’ve been getting more offers to place ads on my sites again, now that I’ve been getting them active again. Some are the same old scammy things, like guest posts. A few are legitimate offers and I have accepted a couple and been paid. Others are sneakier, or is sneaky really a…
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Tips For Your First Trip Abroad
Planning your first trip overseas can be daunting if you don’t know where to start. When planning my first trip, I was overwhelmed with all the tedious details I neglected to think about, which left me in a panic as my departure date got closer. That’s why I thought I would share some important tips for you first timers! Plan your main destinations I am all for spontaneity, but having a general idea of where you want to go on your trip is key. I like to pick the main destinations I plan on visiting – this way I can establish a solid route and plan my transportation as needed.…
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10 foods that will make your hair grow like crazy
Let’s be honest. We all want long, beautiful hair. Some of us are born with it naturally while others aren’t. I am one of those people that isn’t. I have tried a variety of different shampoos and hair masks that supposedly would make my hair thicker but without any luck. Then I realized that it could have something to do with my diet. I started researching for foods that would make my hair grow I found that I wasn’t eating a lot of the foods here on my list and that might be the reason that my hair wouldn’t grow. Since you are here you might be one of those…
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Back to school essentials
Summer is almost over and we all know what that means: it is time to go back to school. Of course, it is different from country to country when they go back to school but I think that the most common time is somewhere in August. You might already have started school but it is never too late to look for cute school supplies. And if you haven’t started school yet you might want to check out some of my back to school essentials: Backpacks First thing first, you gotta have a backpack. I like pretty simple designs like these but there are so many backpacks on the marked that…
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Healthy tofu bites
Tofu. Probably one of the most discussed vegan foods out there. I feel like it is one of those foods that everyone thinks is the most disgusting thing until they learn how to use it in different types of recipes. I will admit that I too hated it in the beginning but I learned to incorporate it into different recipes and now I enjoy eating it. One of the things that tofu is great at is to be used as a substitute for eggs. I used to love making mini muffin-like omelets and I always ate them as lunch or for a snack but since I don’t eat eggs anymore…