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Good Morning.
In my quest to enhance my copywriting services, I recently purchased a program from
American Writers and Artists, Inc., which offers many ideas and tips to build and improve a copywriting business serving the B2B (Business to business - businesses whose customers are other businesses) market. In the introductory material I found a very interesting article by
Steve Maurer. Since it's posted on a password-protected web page I won't link to it, but several passages are worth examining.
In the beginning part of his article, he explains that he struggled as he started his copywriting business. He says:
"It seemed to take a long time before I made any real money at it. I had skills. I had goals. And I finally had dreams that seemed attainable.
"But, something was missing, holding me back.
"Before I tell you what that was, I want to ask you some questions. Actually, I want you to complete these sentences.
- I'll be happy with my freelance writing business when _____.
- I'll be happy when I make _____.
- In my business, I define happiness as _____."
Having asked those questions of the new-to-the-business copywriter, he explains, after a brief discussion of possible answers to the first two:
"The last one is tricky...
recently, I listened to a training session on business building. And then, I bought a book that was mentioned in the program and started reading it.
"Suddenly, my world was shaken up. I thought I knew the answers. And, I was happy with the progress I was experiencing up until then.
"Now, I wasn't so sure of myself.
"It appeared I'd gotten the cart before the horse and that blew my mind...
"Happiness may not depend on results after all!
"In reality, it's quite likely the other way around.
"It's quite possible that our happiness - or lack of it - determines our results. That being happy is the prerequisite for greater success in anything we do...
"
This goes deeper than just "thinking good thoughts."
"Way deeper.
"What I'm about to reveal actually comes from extensive, groundbreaking research in psychology and neuroscience. In his book,
The Happiness Advantage - Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
, Shawn Achor emphatically states:
"Thanks to this cutting-edge science, we now know that happiness is the precursor to success, not merely the result. And that happiness and optimism actually fuel performance and achievement - giving us the competitive edge that I call the Happiness Advantage.
"Before we go any further, think back to those three sentences I asked you to complete:
- I'll be happy with my freelance writing business when _____.
- I'll be happy when I make _____.
- In my business, I define happiness as _____.
"In every case, your happiness was contingent on some result...
"If your happiness depends on a result, what happens when you don't get that result, or at least not quickly enough? You become... unhappy.
"Unhappiness manifests in several ways:
- Sadness
- Anger, and even
- Depression
"And, when we feel sad or angry or depressed, productivity goes right out the window. We end up in a hamster wheel of failure, going nowhere... fast.
"I did some thinking about my own business. What I found is that when I based my happiness on results, I stumbled when things weren't going well. There were times I was ready to pack it in and quit."
Maurer's experience with this exercise exemplifies a very important concept -
happiness is a state of mind. You can be happy when you're "broke" and happy when you're rich. You can be happy when you're healthy and happy when you're sick. You can be happy when you're in love and happy when you're seeking a mate. The likelihood of reaching the desired side of any of these opposite conditions depends greatly on your attitude and state of mind. If you're at peace with yourself, you can be happy whatever the external factors affecting your life are.
I've lived in Indonesia, where there was a lot of abject poverty, and in the United States and now in Argentina, where people live in various socio-economic conditions. I find everywhere that
many people who have less material wealth are just as happy, or sometimes more so, than many "rich" people. And vice versa - the people at the upper end of the economic scale are just as likely to be unhappy as those apparently less fortunate.
It's All about How You Approach Life!
I would suggest some questions far more important to your happiness than the ones Maurer proposed in the beginning of his article:
Are you authentic?
Are you honest?
Do you behave the same way whether you're alone or someone else is watching?
Do you treat others with the same respect with which you like to be treated?
Do you produce something of value to someone else?
Perhaps you can think of a few other fundamental questions. If you can answer these questions affirmatively, you have a far better basis for happiness than any material accomplishments or wealth...and with that basis you're far more likely to achieve the tangible results you desire than if you seek them as the basis for happiness.
Do More of What You Love Doing -
and What
You Get PAID For!
Are you a business coach, or do you have some role in advising business leaders on ways to improve their businesses? When you're face to face with your clients, that's the work you signed up for and that you love...AND that you get paid for. Writing effective promotional material to attract new business is consuming work, and takes time and mental focus away from your attention to the clients you're already helping. Your coaching work, also very consuming, distracts you from your promotional writing, very likely detracting from its effectiveness. Why not let Unity Copywriting write those pieces for you so you can put your time and effort toward your most important work?
My goal as a copywriter is to return to you most of the time you spend writing promotional material to attract new clients and communicate with existing ones about your services (I'll ask for a little of that time while you explain to me exactly what you want to say). Then, you can focus on your coaching work and be relieved of the mental burden and time demands of writing your promotions, while I explain to your clients and prospects the benefits of your services. Please call (814-590-3854, 603-835-3215 or, in Argentina, +54 9 3868 459586) or email me so we can discuss how we might work together.
Put My Experience to Work for You...
My career includes several recent years as a business coach. Before that, I worked in various operations management roles for over 40 years, practicing and studying leadership and teamwork. With that background, I'm uniquely qualified to explain the benefits you offer to your clients and prospects. And I love writing about this work. So, in a fraction of the time you would spend writing a white paper, case study, blog, newsletter, article or book, you can tell me the idea you want to convey or the story you want to tell, and the tone you'd like to use. Then I'll go to work writing that piece while you continue your work with your clients.
After I've written something for you, we'll review it together and make any changes you want so it delivers the precise message you intend - and there's no additional charge for any editing or rewriting I do to make it exactly what you want.
I'd Love to Hear
Your Thoughts
How happy are you? Do you strive for happiness as a state of mind, or through material gains? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this sensitive and important topic. How do the ideas in any of my messages make your life and business more enjoyable and effective...or, do you have some reservations about them? This week it will be especially interesting to hear anything you care to share or ask about your, or someone else's, happiness in life and business. I love hearing your thoughts and experiences and learning from them. In this week's topic we're getting at the real fundamentals of life and, for me, this kind of exploration is fascinating.
If you email me whatever's on your mind, please give me a phone number or a Skype address, or send me a Skype contact request (see my Skype address below), and mention that you read my newsletter. It's important to mention this - with all the spammers, phishermen, etc. out there, I'm very selective about my connections on networking services. If your name is unfamiliar to me, I'll consider your contact request when you tell me your reason for wanting to connect with me...
Conversations are often necessary to discuss complex ideas, and conversations occur only in real-time, two(or more)-way exchanges; hence my request for your call or the information I need to call you. Email and other forms of one-way communication are data transfers, and are very useful for many types of communication. However, they are extremely limited in their ability to convey the ideas, emotions, and inflection that characterize conversations, so please call me or tell me how to call you.
Just dial 603-835-3215 or 814-590-3854 if you're in the United States. Of course, if you call from outside the U. S., you'll need the +1 prefix. If you're calling from Argentina, you're welcome to call my Argentine number, +54 9 3868 459586.
Help me Spread my Message Where It's Welcome...
If you know someone you think will find value in the ideas I discuss each week, I encourage you to forward this to them. If this was forwarded to you, and you'd like to hear more, please send me an email and I'll be glad to add you to my mailing list, which I never sell, rent, or even add a name to without permission.
On the other hand, if you'd rather stop receiving these messages, simply click the "unsubscribe" link below. I'll promptly remove you from the list...and I promise you won't hurt my feelings. It's my desire to send these ideas only to people who find them valuable,.
Join me here again next week for more unique ideas on life and business...and
thanks for reading about the ones I've discussed here.
Have a wonderful week
, and contact me
to discuss how we can work together to add value to what
you
do. Our conversation about how we can mutually benefit from working together is totally on me and, while I'd love to work with you, there's no obligation or cost arising from that conversation. You won't pay me a dime until you hire me to write something for you.
Be well, my friends.
John Stevens
Marketing Support for the Business Coaching Industry
Office and cell phone: 814-590-3854 or 603-835-3215 (I'll get a message wherever I am)
In Argentina: +54(country code) 9 3868 459586
Skype: johnbstevens1943
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About John
Throughout a career spanning over 45 years my management style has been one of building teams to bring several competent people together to focus on a common objective.
As I transition to life in the Argentine outback, my focus will shift to helping other business coaches and advisers get their message out to their prospective clients. With my first-hand knowledge of the benefits of effective business coaching, I am uniquely qualified to work with business advisers of all stripes convey their message.
Read More >
Contact Info
John B. Stevens, Freelance Copywriter
Phone: 814-590-3854
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