Slow Down To Go Fast

“Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end.”
–Unknown

In Issue #130

Slow Down To Go Fast
by Monica Day

I’ve lived six years in the last six days. Or at least that’s how it feels. And for about 18 months before that, I’ve been on another planet. So I know a thing or two about how the pace of your life can affect the pace of your success.

Sometimes everything moves very fast. Sometimes, it’s glacial.

Almost exactly a year ago – New Year’s Day of 2007 – I wrote a letter to a friend, trying to describe to him how I was doing. For real, not the “I’m fine” I doled out to most people. Because it’s hard to break certain copywriting rules, even when writing personal correspondence, I gave the letter a title: Divorce Coma. It was the best metaphor I could find to describe the pace of re-awakening after such a major change.

And now, that very letter has helped me finally, fully, awaken.

Six days ago, a friend introduced me to a musician. She told him I was looking for some musical accompaniment for a poetry reading I’ll be doing in a few months – which was true. For some reason, when it came time to pick something to work on, I ended up pulling out this letter instead of a poem. Don’t ask me why – I couldn’t tell you. Until I started reading it into the mic…and he started gently playing the keyboard in the background.

All of a sudden, the piece came to life. I came to life. And within an hour, we were laying it down on a CD. By the time we were done, I knew everything had changed. My goals and plans became crystal clear. My motivation renewed. I was high without any additives.

I still don’t understand everything about that moment, or the feelings I’ve had in the six days since. All I know is that I’ve been searching and searching for something. I thought it would be a new relationship, or a new client, or the success of my publishing business…or maybe just the perfect cosmopolitan at the perfect bar.

In the end, it was right here the whole time. It was simply the sound of my own voice.

We talk a lot here about finding your passion. Maybe it’s copywriting – or maybe that’s just one step on the journey. Unfortunately, you won’t know until you get there. But I guarantee you, when you find it, you will know.

The question I have for you today: what will you do in the meantime?

The key to discovering the kind of passion that wakes up every single cell of your body is to pay attention. I now believe that word is misspelled and misunderstood, though. It should be “a tension” – because that’s how it feels when you’re getting close to identifying the thing that makes your heart and soul stir. The tension is so great you’ll do almost anything to get some relief.

And our culture offers no shortage of distractions. Television, movies, video games, shopping, alcohol, cigarettes – anything you can think of is right at arm’s reach. But none of those distractions will be the vehicle to your destination.

Rather, it’s nothing more complicated – or more difficult – than slowly trying things on and seeing how they feel. And patiently waiting for that moment when you know you found it.

When I meet people at events like the AWAI bootcamp, or when readers of the CP contact me, I notice we share a similar hunger. Certainly for the promises of freedom, financial success, and the perks that can come with being a copywriter. But it’s more than that.

Most of us feel there is something more for us to do than live the usual life in the usual way. We feel called to something. There’s a certain restlessness that comes with the desire to find and connect with that passion. The tension of it is enough to – well, drive you all kinds of crazy.

The waiting…and worrying…and wondering if you’ll ever feel “normal” again can be excruciating. The urge to grasp onto something, anything, is great. Which is why a lot of us try on a lot of different things – risking the teasing of our family and friends and being called fickle and unreliable.

But really, we’re just taking the risk to keep searching instead of settling.

Don’t give in to the tension. Instead, slow down, give yourself some space, and pay attention to every single moment of your days and nights. Try new things. Stretch past your comfort zone. Push yourself – a little this way, a little that way – always taking time to stop and listen along the way. The minute (the second even) you connect with your passion, the pace will pick up – faster than you can imagine. And you’ll be lucky if you can keep up.

Until then, try to be patient with being slow and off-kilter. It’s nothing more – or less – than the calm before the storm of your success.

Resource Referral: More New Year’s Anticipation

If you know – or you suspect – copywriting is your passion, and you’re ready to put the gas pedal all the way down and accelerate your skill level – pay attention to this referral!

Accelerated Training Services has several courses that can get you into the game at lightning speed. Several of the people in the Copy Protégé Mentoring Program are simultaneously taking courses with ATS, and I’ve been impressed with how quickly their writing is taking off.

I haven’t quantified this, but my impression is that those who take their courses score their first client much faster than those who don’t. (I’ll ask around and see if my hunch is right and let you know for sure…)

Check out their catalog here: http://www.acceleratedtrainingservices.com/catalog/. My personal recommendation is Finding Your Copywriting Voice: The Key to Building Rapport. This seems to be the toughest part of the learning curve for most people. I do believe that anyone can find their copywriting voice – but those who find theirs fastest seem to reach the finish line faster as well.

And if you’ve been blessed with a natural voice, my next recommendation is Headlines and Leads. This is the ultimate make or break skill of a copywriter. Well worth the time, attention and money you’ll spend learning it.

Remember, the New Year is coming – and I know you’ve got high hopes for your copywriting career in 2008. Get your house in order early – and learn these important skills – and you’ll hit the ground running right from the start.

Quick Copy Tip: The Missing Ingredient To Meeting Your Deadlines

Last week, once again (!), I gave you some tips for meeting your deadlines. I’ve made no secret about the fact that this is the most challenging part of this business for me – and a place where I fail frequently.

Thankfully, a couple readers for the CP community stepped in with a suggestion that has helped me greatly…and I suspect will work for you, too.

One writes…

“I often use music CDs as background noise. It can be tailored to the project. If I’m writing on my novel, I play Indian flute or southwestern-influenced music. All of them need to be instrumentals. I love going to the World Music section of the CD store to find that music that accompanies my next project. Once I play the CD, it automatically gets my head in the same mood as when it left, so I don’t get too stale.”

And yet another says…

“At first sight, this does not seem to be a trick to make best use of your time, but indeed it is. In an indirect way, it might prove more valuable than anything else.

I recently discovered that I could do an assignment in about half of the time if I do the writing in the correct "mood". For example, I found out that I get really excited and my creative juices start flowing when I hear the music of Emerson, Lake and Palmer…the ideas and the right words just seem to pour out from my fingers!”

Their notes reminded me that I’ve been using this trick myself for years – but only when I write poetry. Joni Mitchell’s classic album, “Hejira” has sparked years and years of poetry writing sessions for me – it just sets the right tone to open me up to the Muse. But for some reason, I never thought to apply that trick to copywriting.

Since getting these notes, I’ve started to listen to some of my favorite classical, jazz, and world music albums…depending on the assignment. I’m finding that as long as the music doesn’t have words (in English!) I find it conducive to writing copy. You might want to give it a try.