Why Carrots Are So Important

In This Issue:

• Main Essay: Why Carrots Are So Important by Krista Jones
• Resource Referral: A Tool for Staying Centered
• Quick Copy tip: Try This If You’re Low on Energy

Why Carrots Are So Important
by Krista Jones

When was the last time you counted the days until you could grasp a carrot that was dangling in front of you?

I certainly don’t make it a habit of counting my life away, unfortunately that’s precisely what I did last October.

It all started on a sunny Saturday afternoon in late September when my partner and I—along with our two not-too-small dogs—moved from out of our 2,000 square foot house into an 895 square foot apartment. It was a tight fit, yes, but it was only for a few weeks. Besides, it was such a nice community I wondered, “It’s only for 39 days; how bad can it be?”

It was purely a rhetorical question, but as the following chronicle illustrates, the Universe provided a clear and unexpected answer.

For starters, the day we moved into the apartment we hit a squirrel as we drove across the parking lot. We watched in horror as the poor little thing crawled away and pulled itself up on the curb before finally toppling over.

Then we climbed close to 100 flights of stairs (or at least it felt that way) lugging heavy boxes, computers, and clothes to the fourth floor apartment. After taking long cool showers, we fell into bed around midnight, anxious for a good night’s sleep. But there was a problem. I couldn’t fall asleep because the mattress was so soft I kept rolling to the middle of bed.

One day down, 38 to go.

On Monday, I found a note on our door indicating that the water bill was three months overdue. Not a good sign because we had paid our “landlord” an outrageous amount for rent, utilities, and a cable modem BEFORE we moved into the apartment.

After getting that squared away, things went smoothly for several days. But then a man robbed one of our neighbors at gunpoint while she getting out of her car. All residents were told to be aware of their surroundings, and to consider getting renter’s, health, and life insurance. Whoa!

Unfortunately, the downward spiral continued the next day when the Internet went down for several hours. I called the cable company that evening to see what was going on. They had turned the cable modem off because the bill hadn’t been paid for—you guessed it—three months.

Now all of this was bad enough, but I have to say Day 14 nearly sent me packing.

A little after noon, two police cars rolled up to our building with the apartment manager on their tail. I recognized the officers as being the same two who had responded to a domestic dispute in our building just two days earlier.

Uh-oh, what now?

I watched from my balcony as the policemen approached an apartment below us. I felt the same way I do when I pass the scene of a car accident…I really didn’t want to watch, but I just couldn’t help myself. After knocking three or four times and getting no answer, they returned to their cars to retrieve crow bars. Moments later they were knocking down the door. The policemen entered as they peeled the door back. A few seconds later, the apartment manager yelled, “Is she in there?”

Moments later my worst fears were confirmed by the stench that consumed the air. Oh my God! There was a dead body in the apartment!

I won’t gross you out with the details, but suffice it to say I was ready to get out of there at that point. Thankfully we found out a few days later that the woman had not been murdered; she had died of natural causes. Even so the whole incident was very disconcerting and when you combine it with all the other escapades that had occurred since we’d been there, it left me feeling miserable, frustrated, and overwhelmed.

I’m happy to report that we survived that long and anxious 39 days – and we are enjoying our new home immensely. But upon reflection, I realize that I could have handled things better during that tough transitional period—which was, in many respects, very much like the one I had to endure during the early days of my copywriting career.

I spent so much time yearning for the day we would move into our spacious new home that it was very difficult for me to focus on the deadlines and other responsibilities that were right in front of me.

And based on some of the emails Monica and I receive from Copy Protégé readers, I suspect some of you also fall into this trap. Only in your case you’re thinking about things like finding your voice, getting your big break, and earning six figures as a freelance copywriter.

Having a carrot—quitting a job, working for a dream client, or moving into a new home—is invaluable because it pulls us forward. But if we get caught up in all the details of what it will take to get there, we can become so overwhelmed it feels like we’ll never “arrive.”

The best way I’ve found to avoid this is to focus on the road that is right in front of me. Of course, I lost my focus for a while last October, but eventually I got back to the basics to help me work through distractions—whether it was the cops outside or the scary thoughts that popped into my head every few minutes!

Here the top five things I do to stay on track:

1. Write down the tasks or actions that need to be completed each day to meet deadlines.
2. Start with the most important task on the list and work on it until it’s complete or until I need a break.
3. Do whatever it takes to block out distractions. (A few suggestions include setting a timer to help you stay focused, getting up early or staying up late so you can hear yourself think, or playing soothing or inspiring music.)
4. Let the phone roll over to voice mail whenever possible.
5. Give yourself small rewards along the way—a walk in nice park or dinner with a friend perhaps.

(I’ll admit I did one extra thing to keep me going when I was staying in the apartment. Each night I would take out my desk calendar and make a big “X” through the date with a bright pink highlighter. Then I’d count the number of days that were left until October 31st—the day we were to close on the house. I can’t tell you how much that little ritual did for my psyche!)

I encourage you to approach your budding career in a similar fashion—by living successfully one day at a time. Make a commitment to take an action that moves you forward each day, whether it’s studying for 30 minutes, making 3 cold calls, or attending a networking meeting. Then the promise of being your own boss—or whatever your carrot may be—can inspire and guide you, but you won’t get mired in the details.

Resource Referral: A Tool for Staying Centered

I did everything but stand on my head to get through our stay in the apartment without missing a deadline. With the possible exception of marking the dates off the calendar, one thing worked better than everything else. Whenever I felt jittery, frustrated, or unmotivated to write, I would play a CD from a sound frequency program, and I’d feel better within 5 or 10 minutes.

I was introduced to this program more than four years ago when I wrote a promotion for it—and I’ve been hooked ever since. Matter of fact, I was hooked from the moment I first listened to it. My excitement and belief in this program obviously showed in the copy because it’s been a control for four years!

By the way, the program is called Sound Health, Sound Wealth, by a wonderful woman named Dr. Luanne Oakes. Not only has Luanne helped doctors, actors, producers and business leaders all over the world achieve greater success in their lives, she is one of the nicest and most genuine authors I’ve ever worked with.

I don’t know how much you know about sound frequencies, but research shows that they have all kinds of therapeutic effects on our bodies—much of it on a cellular and subconscious level. Of course, I can’t attest to what’s going on in my cells, but I do know that these CDs make me feel pretty darn good every time I listen to them. Check it out for yourself:
Sound Health, Sound Wealth

Quick Copy Tip: Low on Energy? Try This!

On January 1st, I resolved to improve my diet. So these days I’m eating a lot more of what my body needs and less of what it doesn’t. For instance, I often have fruit smoothies for breakfast, and a salad or turkey sandwich with veggie soup for lunch. I also drink 70-80 ounces of water and start each day with a yummy Superfood cocktail (just kidding about the taste, but it certainly jumpstarts the day). As for the bad stuff, I do my best to limit dessert to two times a week. So far I’ve succeeded two out of the three weeks.

Even though I still eat more sweets than I probably should, I still have noticed some pretty big differences. The biggest ones are having more energy, being more alert, and getting out of bed faster every morning.

Aside from the obvious benefits, if you normally slump at 3:00 every afternoon or you need an extra hour a day to get more done each day, try eating and drinking better. You might be surprised at how quickly you notice a difference.