Plumbing The Heart

“When you align with those things which are most important to you, that’s when you get the greatest gift, which is the ability to have and experience expansion of the heart so big time that all you are is a walking magnet of love.”
–Janet Attwood, author

In Issue #127

Plumbing The Heart
by Krista Jones

I worked on a business-to-business (B2B) proposal over the past three weeks—and it really kicked my tail!

Not because it was B2B. But because I put in well over 100 hours doing things that do not fall under my forte, experience, or wish list.

I spent three weeks chasing down 60 very busy guys trying to get details on projects they worked on as long as five years ago. Once I finally managed to connect with them, I had to use $50 words to describe what they did on each project. Then I created a three-page matrix that matched those 60 people with each of the projects they’ve worked on during the past five years.

In other words, there wasn’t much copywriting involved.

So why in the world did I agree to take it on? Two reasons. An acquaintance needed a favor and the money was good. Problem is I’ve been exhausted, scattered, and cranky ever since. (Note to self: Be true to yourself.)

I figured out one thing pretty quickly throughout this process though. Working on something I really don’t want to do and am not particularly good at wears me out much faster than when I’m involved with projects that interest me. Just one eight-hour day on the proposal and I felt like I do when I’ve been working on a big direct mail package for two weeks.

And my feelings certainly weren’t the worst of it.

The client I was working for lost too. Big time. Someone who has done this type of work before would have done it better and more efficiently than I ever could. And likely with more joy in her heart.

Are you getting that this is not the best decision I could have made?

At least, I’ve learned from it. And I’m hoping you can too.

One way you can benefit from my recent woes is to be aware of and pursue your strengths and desires. If you’re still learning the ropes or just getting your career started, then concentrate on what you want from and in your career.

If you’re not clear about you want, use contrast to help you figure it out. Make a list of the things you don’t want. Then turn that list around.

Don’t like doing the same thing all the time? Then you should work in more than one niche.

Not sure which niche (health, financial, B2B, for instance) you’d like to settle in? Identify the niches you know you’re not interested in specializing in. This will help guide you toward the
one(s) you are (or might be) interested in.

If you’re wandering what type of people (clients) you’re best suited to work with, list the characteristics in bosses or co-workers that make you insane. The characteristics that are the opposite of those are the ones you should seek out in clients.

Go deep enough and this little exercise will likely point out some things that will surprise you. And that will provide valuable insight into the types of opportunities, people, and situations you want in your life.

As for me, I will never again head up a proposal like the one I just finished. Even if it means letting down a friend or losing out on a decent fee. It becomes clearer to me with each passing day that when I align my interests with the projects I take on, my clients and I both receive the greatest rewards.

If you’re not currently in a position to be choosy about the type of freelance projects you accept, no worries.  Just keep pluggin’ away at your craft and be aware of the evolution that takes place inside you. Your time will come, dear reader. And with it will come the juicy fruits of your labor.

Resource Referral: Get Paid to Do Yoga!

Okay so sometimes I get myself into situations where I’m doing things I’d rather not do. But there is one thing I always like to do. In fact, I love it.

I love getting paid to balance my brainwaves, improve my health and relationships, and lie flat on my back to meditate. And it happens several times a year when I write for the self-help market. I’ve been specializing in this market for five years now and I love it just as much now as I did on day one.

If you think Nightingale-Conant Corporation and Learning Strategies are the only self-help companies out there, you’re in for a big surprise. This is a $8.5 billion industry that is still growing. There are scores of self-help companies that could use the help of a good copywriter.

If you’d like to get paid to improve your life, check out AWAI’s Secrets of Writing for the Self-Help Market: Creating a Path to Personal Success. The program provides a collection of tips and secrets you need to break into and do well in this field.

Survival Tip: Keeping Up With Deadlines

Life as a copywriter can sometimes get crazy. At any given time, you might be working on a full direct mail package, a four-page e-mail promotion, a landing page, and two articles. Then of course, there’s continuing education, self-promotion, and, oh yeah, your personal life.

I keep a dry erase board in my office. It’s been there for years. I use a color-coded system to keep up with each project, deadline, and appointment. So all it takes is a quick glance at the board to see which deadline is next or which days are free for appointments.

Recently, a very busy business owner friend of mine told me about Google Calendar. She says it does everything some of the more popular organizing systems do—and it’s free. One thing that’s really interesting about it is you can share it with business partners, clients, and friends and family if you’d like.

I haven’t started using Google Calendar yet, but plan to in 2008—you can’t beat the price! I’m hoping this will be the thing that finally gets me away from the big (and not particularly attractive) dry erase board in my office.

If you’ve used Google Calendar, please let me know what you think of it—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thanks!