The Benefits of Lifelong Learning in Today's Fast-Paced World

 

Key Takeaways

• Lifelong learning contributes significantly to personal and professional growth.
• Incorporating continuous education can lead to improved job prospects and adaptability.
• There are various methods to engage in lifelong learning, such as online courses, workshops, and self-study.
• Lifelong learning has numerous mental health benefits, including enhancing cognitive function and reducing stress.

Table of Contents

1. Personal and Professional Growth
2. Enhanced Job Prospects
3. Adaptability to Change
4. Methods for Engaging in Lifelong Learning
5. Mental Health Benefits

Personal and Professional Growth

Lifelong learning is crucial in both personal development and professional advancement. People who commit to continuous education often find themselves more fulfilled and capable in various aspects of their lives. For example, engaging in a Self-Paced Online College program allows individuals to tailor their learning schedule around their existing obligations, making education more accessible and practical. The flexibility of such programs is a significant advantage, particularly for those juggling work, family, and other responsibilities. Consistent growth opportunities can improve self-esteem, decision-making, and a broader worldview. This enhances one's personal life and contributes substantially to professional aspirations, helping individuals stand out in a crowded job market.

LATEST UPDATES to "The Mother of All Writing Market Books"

Last update created 7/21/24

Thanks for purchasing and downloading The Mother of All Writing Market Books. I'm working on updating it and publishing it in a paperback version on Amazon. I created this post because the publishing industry changes QUICKLY. One day you're submitting an article to your favorite regional parenting publication, and the next day that magazine is printing its final issue. 

Or maybe you send a reprint as a simultaneous submission to 100 regional parenting magazines and a couple of the emails bounce back.

So bookmark this tab and come back periodically (maybe set a reminder on your Google Calendar). This is where you'll find updates to the 8th edition of my parenting, family, and women's writing markets book—for free. 

And be sure to join my Parenting Magazine Writers Facebook group for all the intel and conversation. We're 900 members strong, and we have a lot to say!

As of July 19, 2024, I'm taking down updates as I incorporate them into the most current print version of the book, which will soon be available on Amazon.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Writing Opportunities and Submission Guidelines

Updated 7/10/24

Chicken Soup for the Soul has an astounding collection of inspiring books! I remember when I got the one for mothers for Mother's Day many years ago, and I still have it, all Post-It noted and highlighted! I've given away a lot of books over the years, but the Chicken Soup books stay on my shelf forever!

These are the most current upcoming potential book topics with deadlines and here are the submission guidelines for Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Cat Stories

The deadline for submissions is SEPTEMBER 30, 2024.

We are thrilled to announce that we are now accepting stories for our cat topic book that is to be released in 2025. Because of the popularity of this topic, we do a new cat book approximately every eighteen months so here is another chance for you to share a story or two about the member of your family who just happens to walk on four feet!

Cats have always been considered companions and playmates that brighten our days and enrich our lives. What would we do without them? They are also wonderful and amazing teachers. The lessons we learn from our feline friends come in all shapes and sizes, just like they do. Tell us the new thing your feline friend has taught you. How smart she is or how she outsmarted you! How he made you smile. How she "rescued" you after you "rescued" her. How he brought your family closer together, helped you find love, inspired you to change something in your human life. How she rules the roost! Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. We can't wait to read all the heartwarming, inspirational, and hysterical stories you have about your cats.

Writing for Regional Parenting Magazines and Selling Reprints

Do you want to write parenting and family articles and get paid to do so? I know there are a lot of parents out there doing the job every day, thinking, "I should write about this. I wonder if others struggle with this. I could help someone with my story or with a researched article about this topic. I could learn some cool things in the process of helping others and making money!"

I had those same thoughts back in 2005-ish when I had my third baby and was in the trenches of the parenting battlefield. I cracked open my local parenting magazine after snagging it at the local children's consignment shop, sent something to them about stocking up on meals instead of going grocery shopping daily, and I made a fast 25 bucks.

Then I wondered if I could maybe send the same piece to other magazines in other cities. Did they only want local content or would they take my little evergreen piece?

A Sample of the Magazine Article Reprint List I Send Out

Once you’ve been writing for a while, you'll have a nice body of work to resell (I have over 100 articles in circulation). You’re going to want to send out that edited version of your body of work to editors from time to time, and you'll also want to keep this list for any new publications you find who might want to see your work.

Below is an example of what I normally send to publications regularly, sometimes monthly and sometimes more like quarterly. This is discussed in more detail in my book, including when to send it, how often, what to charge, etc. 

Kerrie McLoughlin Reprint List

Updated October 17, 2023

mommykerrie@yahoo.com

Below please find my full reprint list, including word count and synopsis of each article. All pieces are available as web-only articles at your normal rate plus 10%. Please contact me if you would be interested in reviewing one of these articles for possible purchase so you don’t overlap coverage in your area without realizing it. If you love it, I can send out an invoice!

600 Parenting and Family Magazines That Pay

I'm sure you've seen parenting and family magazines like this one all over your town and when you travel, as well as online. 

Did you know they are always looking for fresh content from parents, grandparents, and other experts just like you?

Did you know that once you sell an article to one of these magazines, you are free to sell it to others all over the country and even worldwide (as long as you don't sign something saying the magazine you're working with gets all rights, in which case you should be asking for a lot more money)?

Did you know you don't need a degree to be able to write for these magazines and earn a reliable and lucrative income?

Keep Writing Despite Rejection

I'm watching my 10-year-old daughter draw in front of me at the dining room table while I'm writing on the laptop across from her. She is critical of her flowers, but to me they are beautiful. They are nothing like anything I could ever do. I am no artist for sure. But she has talent and is so hard on herself. And I tell her, "I could never do that. You are so amazing. Don't stop because you will only get better and better with practice."

Sometimes in my Facebook writing group, there will be someone who just isn't getting articles accepted. And I ask some questions like, "Are you sending to just a few at a time or doing a BLAST to like all 200 regional parenting magazines on the list? (it's a numbers game) Are you following the general submission guidelines? Don't stop because you will get better and you will get a piece accepted and then the snowball will start."

How to Stop Being Self-Critical

And I wondered ... how do you get someone to stop being self-critical? How do you convince them to keep going? Then I realized that the same things I say to my kids and to my writing group members to be encouraging, I should also be saying to myself.

How to Make an Extra $2,000 Per Month from Home with Words

I'm often asked how I can effortlessly earn an average of $2,000 per month working from home with words while also homeschooling and leading an active life. 

The answer is not sexy or intriguing, and I don't have any life hacks. 

The "secrets" to my productive lifestyle are waking up early, setting goals, getting a bit less sleep, and working when I want to be doing other things.

Things to do Instead of Making Money

Here are just a few fun tasks I'd prefer to be doing instead of painstakingly writing that article or perfecting that proofreading job or publishing that book. I bet you can relate:

Languishing in bed every morning, sleeping as late as I can.

Binge-watching fantastic shows, movies, and podcasts.

Devouring All. The. Books.

Socializing leisurely at a coffee shop.

Write for Reader's Digest Magazine -- Submission Writers Guidelines

Check out this post on The Adventurous Writer/Writing Blossoms titled 10 Things You Need to Know About Writing for Reader's Digest. Then see the submission guidelines below. Good luck to you!

Don't send the completed manuscript of your article. The editors will not read it or mail it back. Instead, write a summary of no more than one page. If you will interview the hero of the story, be sure to mention it---it may help you sell your story. Email your proposal to articleproposals@readersdigest.com.

If writing an entire article is too daunting, try something shorter. Reader's Digest encourages its readers to send in funny true stories, jokes, and humorous quotations. Keep your submission within the 500-word limit. If you submit an anecdote originally published elsewhere, include the name of where and when it was published, including the page number.

How to Find Out if Your Work Was Published without Your Knowledge

Keep publishers honest! Issuu.com has changed everything about their site and now writers can't find their published work anymore.

Updates as of 2023:

One member of the Parenting Magazine Writers Facebook group shared: "I just checked Muckrack and it only shows 5-10% of publications at most of my articles. So it's a minimally helpful resource."

Another shared: "One thing that seems to be working is searching my name and the word 'magazine' and filtering by image. This shows a good amount of my stuff."

One member shared: "Given that my experience is that 20-25% of regional publications try to get away without paying writers (unless you spot your article and invoice them...and even then a few require months of begging), that's a lot of money we're losing out on..."

Below is the old information about Issuu.com. Back when they actually were amazing and helpful.

How to Use HootSuite to Schedule Social Media for FREE!

It didn't take me long to figure out that social media was where a lot of my traffic was coming from for blogging and other writing. I used to write at Bubblews before they went defunct, where my pay was based on views, likes and comments, and I needed to get the word out about pieces I wrote or I didn't make much money. 

I knew I couldn't sit on Twitter or Facebook or other social media all day spamming my followers with message after message ... I don't want to alienate my readers!

Solution: HootSuite!

It's free! (unless you want the fancy version that gives you all the reports)

Here's what you do:

Make Money from Home on Fiverr

I stumbled on Fiverr.com in April of 2013 when I was looking for a way to make money from home online to pay off some mounting dental bills and other things. I needed a job that would allow me to continue homeschooling, a job that would travel well if I had to go out of town or work from another location.

I was not disappointed. 

I immediately had a full queue of jobs and found that I could easily customize my "gigs" (what I offer for $5). I could promise to deliver a proofreading job to a client within 24 hours. Or, if life was busy and I was not able to do that, I could change it to a longer delivery time to discourage new orders from coming in as quickly. It's very customizable!

My Love-Hate Relationship with Scrivener

I got Scrivener in 2020 when the lockdown was first in effect and was surprised/happy about the reasonable price. Many of my favorite writers raved about this program, so I had to try it.

While I love how I can organize and move chapters around easily without much scrolling, I hate a few things even more, which are huge time-wasters in my writing career:

1. I can't make the screen bigger without making the font bigger like you can in, say, an Internet browser when you increase the screen print size.
   
   
2. I can't do a search. At least I could never get it to work, so trying to find one magazine market in a sea of several hundred market names was not possible.
   
   
3. When I compiled it into a Word document so I could do final proofreading, Scrivener randomly smooshed words together and randomly messed up the formatting, which wasted a lot of time. So my text might look like this: