Is Meditation in Your Copywriter’s Toolbox?

“But the silence in the mind
is when we live best, within
listening distance of the silence we call God…
It is a presence, then,
whose margins are our margins; that calls us out over our
own fathoms.”
–R.S. Thomas

In Issue #189

Guest Essay: Is Meditation in Your Copywriter’s Toolbox?
by Isabel Viana

It happened on a Sunday afternoon. I was getting ready to leave the house to run an errand when I felt like putting some lipstick on. But not any lipstick. My fingers were reaching for the super bright red lipstick I had only worn maybe twice simply because most times, such loud color doesn’t look right on me.

But I put the lipstick on and it looked like it fit the moment perfectly. I left with a grin on my face…and I still had it on when I got back home.

I like to smile, but at least a whole hour had passed without my lips touching each other. I knew it was pure joy, but why?

When I heard my heart’s answer, it made immediate sense. A few days later, I resigned from my job.

**

I’d been flirting with the writer’s life for 10 years. In 1998, I sold my first article. In 2003, I took AWAI’s basic copywriting course and realized I enjoyed writing promotions very much. But I continued to play small for the next few years. I would sell an article or promotion and quickly go hide behind my full-time job instead of using the experience as leverage to get more writing projects. I used the sense of security a regular paycheck brought as my excuse not to commit to writing for a living.

But this time around I had been determined to make a change. I was aware my life wasn’t the one I wanted to be living. Lately, it had hardly included the two things I love the most: being a mother and a writer.

So, I began to use every day the most effective tool I know for helping me to change paths when the new trailhead isn’t yet visible.

I have always been interested in my spiritual development. I choose to foster it through meditation because it takes me to a mindful state ideal for deep shifts to occur. In my daily meditation sessions, I started asking the Universe to support me to make this change. It was time for my authentic self to finally bloom.

And one day, it did. I discovered it had when I found myself grinning uncontrollably while looking like I was carrying my entire blood supply on my lips.

I smiled in celebration at realizing I had just shed one of my outer layers, the one that for years had been so attached to security.

Through meditation, the layer that had lost its awareness of the present moment and, therefore, traveled between past regrets and future hopes without ever noticing the blessings of now had simply dissolved.

In other words, the acceptance of all experiences the Universe offers me replaced my fear. And, consequently, the old reluctance to change gave way to eagerness to try out new ways for the lessons they held for me.

The shedding of that old layer revealed a new petal, one that sometimes still loses connection with its stem, its source of life—the Universe. The difference is that I’m now aware when it happens and, having done it before, I know how to move my focus from my mind to my heart to reconnect with the moment.

As I write this essay, it’s been a month since I was last employed. My savings will last me a year. And even though my plan is to do everything I can to grow a successful writing business during that time, the truth is that this shift has been so profound that I am no longer frightened of the future but rather I’m in a state of curiosity about how my life will evolve.

Arriving at a pre-planned destination matters less now than unveiling the gifts of the journey.

I choose to believe that my body falling into alignment with my red lipstick that Sunday afternoon was the outer expression of my soul at last aligning itself with the Universe’s benevolent nature and, under Its wisdom, trusting that no matter what happens, it will always be okay…I will always be okay…

…So I may as well start living from the heart.

Resource Referral: Your Sales Copy Can Do Much More Than Just Earn You a Good Income

When I was studying to be a copywriter, I wanted to break into three fields: health, self-help, and fundraising.  I landed assignments in health and self-help during my first year, but I’ve never written any fundraising copy. And sometimes I feel a twinge of regret about that. I mean what could be better than helping poor children, providing housing for families, and saving the lives of countless animals?

If you’re interested in fundraising, I hope you go for it because it’s got to be one of the most rewarding sectors of copywriting. If you’re not sure where to start, check out AWAI’s  Secrets of Writing for the Fundraising Market. The comprehensive program includes:

Don’t compromise on this one. If your heart is pulling you toward this sector, answer the call. Order AWAI’s  Secrets of Writing for the Fundraising Market. I can’t imagine you’d ever regret the decision to do something to improve the world.

Quick Copy Tip: Boy, Does This One Feel Good!
by Krista Jones

I got a call from my father last week who was sitting outside in 90 degree heat registering people to vote in my home town of Xenia, Ohio.

“Kris, do you know how to write a proposal?” he asked.  “We really need money to maintain the grounds at the cemetery.  Can you help us write a proposal to get funding? The lanes at the cemetery are worn down and there aren’t enough trees. How much would you charge the Board of Trustees to write a proposal for us?”

Absolutely nothing.

I’m not sure if it’s going to take a proposal, a letter requesting donations, or some other form of persuasion, but whatever it takes, I am thrilled to be able to help my father and my home town.

I’ve said it before and now I’m saying it again: Learning how to write persuasive copy can be about much more than the money. So the next time you’re wondering if copywriting is for you, consider all of the ways it can help you, the people you care about, and people you don’t even know.