Being Young Is Overrated

“Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin.”
– Grace Hansen, actress

In Issue #169

Editor’s Note: Our apologies for the missed issue on Friday. Monica spent a good portion of Thursday and Friday accompanying a friend to medical appointments in Maryland, and her attempts at keeping things going while she did failed…miserably. But she’ll be back this Friday, for sure. She asked me, in the meantime, to remind you of the limited time only offer from Accelerated Training Services to sign up for their “Getting Clients” program at half price. If you haven’t already, check it out now. I believe Friday is the deadline for getting the special price: Learn More…

Main Essay: Being Young Is Overrated
by Krista Jones

I don’t make it a habit to let my age get in the way of doing things. But…

Earlier this year when I was lifting weights or had just completed a particularly grueling “hill” in spin class, I would catch myself thinking things like: Not bad for 48.

Well, “not bad for 48” isn’t a good way to think. It’s just a notch above thinking I can’t learn to cook or change careers because I’m too old.

The good news is, thanks to an ABC news special I saw early last month, I don’t use that language any longer. The special was called Live to be 150 and it helped me put a lot of things into perspective when I saw a 93-year-old man waterskiing, an 80-something Paul Newman driving a race car, and a 101-year-old retired history professor working on his fifth book.

Wow, and I thought what I was doing at the gym was pretty impressive. Now I feel like I need to step things up a bit.

Seeing that special helped me shift my thinking. It helped me see how often I unconsciously subscribe to tribal thinking. It validated my ideas about retirement. It also helped me see that I don’t always take advantage of my experience, skills, and talents.

I don’t honestly expect more from myself (at the gym or anywhere else), but I do expect something different. Something wiser.

When I consider my new perspective on aging and how it relates to copywriting, I realize that I did make a wise decision when I was first considering this profession back in 2000. I knew that unlike the other careers I had considered, copywriting was something I could do into my 70s, 80s, and beyond. And that was very appealing to me because I don’t ever plan to retire.

Occasionally someone will ask me if 60, 65, or 70 is too old to become a copywriter. My new perspective aside, the fact of the matter is, age and experience can come in quite handy in copywriting. Especially when you consider the size and buying power of the baby boomer population, and the fact that we are the targets of massive amounts of marketing. Not to mention that people who are 45 and older have the best shot at writing compelling letters to the boomer market because we share the market’s thoughts and concerns.

And, if you’re over 60 and you’re simply worried that you might be too old to learn the skill, there again, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. The news special I was just telling you about demonstrated that older people, even people who are 100 and over, can indeed learn new and complex skills.

So the real question is, do you want to learn this skill? Because if you’re willing to apply yourself, your age shouldn’t be an obstacle, and in truth it can be a bonus.

Resource Referral: I Can’t Believe I Get Paid For This

I just spent the past three weeks writing about a magnificent program that I definitely would have paid for. Not only did I get the program for free, but I also got to talk with the world-renowned author at length. At times like this, I feel like I have the best job in the world.

But if doing research and writing doesn’t make you happy, maybe you’d like something more artistic, like photography for instance. I say that because I know of two former copywriters who switched to photography and, like me with writing, they absolutely love it. So when I saw this note from Katie Yeakle, I passed it on to a friend who has been looking for a way to earn money with her wildlife photos. If the idea of getting paid for taking photos appeals to you, too, I’ve included her note below, so keep reading:

If You Can Point and Shoot – You Qualify

Dear Reader,

Normally I get in touch about copywriting opportunities — but today I want to bring to your attention something that’s, well… different.

Did you know that you could make up to $2,000 (or as much as you want, really) a week taking snap shots in your own backyard… on your family vacations… or anywhere in the world you care to travel…

You don’t need fancy equipment. And you don’t need to know a thing about photography to get started.

Take Lise Gagne for instance. When she started taking photos she didn’t have any experience to speak of and her camera was a cheap pawnshop point-and-shoot.

But, she had passion. Now — just four years later — she’s the top selling photographer at a well-known online stock photography agency – with 645,754 image sales, and counting.

She makes well over $200,000 a year doing what she loves… and enjoys the freedom to live where she pleases, and travel when she wants.

She’ll be the first to tell you that even she can hardly believe it.

You need only listen to her story to realize that if she can make it happen — turn her passion for photos into a six-figure income — then so can you.

And our AWAI Travel Division would like to help you do it faster than you ever imagined possible.

Turns out all you need to make money with your camera are the few simple secrets behind taking the kinds of photos that sell best. They’re easy to learn.

And with stock photography, images as simple as tissue paper, your yard, or a box of crayons can easily sell for super-fast cash!

I assure you: This is something you’ll find not only easy and lucrative… but fun, too.

Go here to learn everything you need to get started today. http://www.thephotographerslife.com/phc/ac/21/ns

Have a great week!

Katie Yeakle
Executive Director, AWAI

P.S. Really, this is something you can do in your spare time — when you want to, when the urge strikes… and still make money with it. It’s perfectly reasonable to think you could go out and snap photos a handful of hours a week — maybe just Saturday mornings, if that’s what you wanted — and earn a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars a month for your efforts.

Not a bad deal when you think about it.

Go here to get started today: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/phc/ac/21/ns

Reader Feedback: I’m Having a Blast!

As you likely gathered from today’s essay, I don’t think we should let age keep us from doing the things that move us. Apparently, my friend Debbie feels the same way.

At 42, Debbie has been considering making a career change to become a firefighter for a few years now. So when she heard about a local class to introduce people to the county Fire & Emergency Services Department, she immediately knew that she would participate.

After reading last week’s essay about doing something scary, Debbie sent me the following note:

“Hi Krista,

Loved Copy Protégé this week…especially the "do something scary part".

I did my something scary last night when I went into a blacked-out, smoke-filled building (not real smoke but the effect is the same…something called Roscoe smoke…anyway), crawling on all fours…with a 6′5" man hanging off my left pant leg, snow-angel style…as we worked as a team of firefighters going inside a burning home to search for victims.

My goal was to keep one hand and one leg…on my right side…attached to the wall as we made our way through all the nooks and crannies of the structure…while the guy behind me crawled army style along the floor…fanning out as far as possible to search the middle of the room for victims…without us getting separated…and more than likely getting lost and dying…inside the structure.

The scary part for me is that I’m semi-claustrophobic…but I do deal with that pretty well…HOWEVER…I don’t do well when I can’t breathe…or feel I can’t…and we were crawling thru this "smoke" without air packs…because it’s not dangerous to breathe it…and I was in there for over five minutes as we crawled around the structure…but eventually…when I found the window…I told them they had to open it…and I had to get out…get air…which they did.

So, I made it halfway thru doing something that normally absolutely terrifies me and sends me into a panic attack…and now…I’d like to try it again if I get the chance…which I probably will next week at class.

Anyway, just had to share.

I AM HAVING A BLAST!!!!!!!”

Debbie

I share this message with you today with the hope that, no matter what your age, Debbie’s experience will inspire you to follow through on one of your dreams.