In the Middle of Nowhere

“Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind.
If you speak and act with a polluted mind, suffering will follow you,
as the wheels of the oxcart follow the footsteps of the ox. Everything is based
on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind. If you speak and act
with a pure mind, happiness will follow you, as a shadow clings to a form.”
–The Buddha

In Issue #204

In the Middle of Nowhere
by Krista Jones

Although I work from home, on weekday mornings I jump out of bed before day break. When my feet touch the floor my mind goes from 0 to 50 in 20 seconds flat. What do I need to do today? What’s first on the list? What time should I work out?

And just like that my mind takes over. It leads me down one crowded path or another until I decide to take a meditation break later in the day.

Until recently, I used to start weekend mornings in much the same way. But now I’ve gotten into a new routine that’s helping me keep my runaway mind at bay not only on Saturday and Sunday mornings but also when I’m in the midst of a busy week day.

Here’s how it goes:

When I wake up on weekends, I roll on my back and just enjoy the space. Aside from an occasional fleeting thought, my mind is idle. This precious time is sublime. It lasts for about five, sometimes ten minutes, and then it happens…

In the middle of nowhere, a fresh thought arises.

I scramble to capture the thought on paper because I know it will lead me down a path I have never traveled before.

Why? Because most of my thoughts—and I dare say your thoughts too—are repetitive. In fact, I’ve read that 99 percent or more of our thoughts are recurring.

Maybe that number is high, maybe it’s not. Regardless, if you accept the fact that you tend to think the same thoughts time and time again, you’ll see how that can keep you stuck in certain areas of your life. And it can certainly prevent you from performing your best. Especially when your job depends on you being able to come up with big ideas, original concepts and creative solutions.

This shortage of original thoughts becomes painfully obvious to me every time I get stuck when I’m in the throes of drafting a big promotion. If I can’t decide if I should make a point or leave it out, I keep coming up with the same arguments for each side. Or if I’m struggling with creating the right approach to make an important point, the same tired ideas keep floating around in my head.

I used to think that taking a shower or going for a walk was all I needed to do to experience a breakthrough. And usually it is enough to come up with a slightly different angle.

But now I know there’s a big difference between figuring out a better way to say something and coming up with an original and empowered thought.

An original thought dissolves all negativity. It breaks a broken cycle. It’s alive and filled with promise.

So now I’m trying to figure out how to have original thoughts while I’m working. The only way I can do it is by creating large gaps in my mind stream. I haven’t perfected my technique yet, but I’ve had some success with focusing on the problem at hand, asking the Universe for a solution, closing my eyes, and then focusing on my breath or a specific word for a few minutes to quiet my mind.

Sometimes it works and an original thought is born. More often not. But that’s not going to stop me from practicing the technique or investigating others that might bear more consistent fruit. In the meantime, I know I can count on more formal meditation sessions and early morning moments of silence before my first words are spoken to make room for pure thought.

The next time you’re trying to come up with a creative solution to writing copy or anything else, do your best to oscillate between thought and stillness, between mind and no-mind. And get ready to go in a new and exciting direction.

Resource Referral: CP Mentoring is Going Public!

Up until now, Monica and I have offered our mentoring program to Copy Protégé readers only. However, starting next month, we’re going public!

Before we open the gates, we’ve just decided to convene one more CP group each (a total of 8 people). If you’ve been on the fence about mentoring, here’s what a few of our members have to say about the program:

“Over the course of my Copy Protégé Mentoring program, I submitted 5 spec assignments, AWAI became a client of mine, I got on AWAI’s Wall of Fame and I had an article about my copywriting business philosophy published in The Golden Thread Online – and Michael Masterson commented on it. I couldn’t have done any of this without your steady guiding hand, Krista, and my three companion mentorees. Thanks all of you. You set my career on the right path.”
– P. T., New Jersey

“Wow! You’re my favorite mentor Monica! Thanks for the copy…you
just know what works! And as far as my marketing plan…thank you for kicking me into action. Keep on pushing me, I’ll get there.”
– D.V., Israel

“Copy Protégé’s mentoring program is the perfect fusion of attentive tutoring and peer review. Your expert coaching helped me discover my copywriting strengths; your focus guided me back on track when I wandered off course; your enthusiastic cheerleading encouraged me every step of the way.

Krista, you’re a generous and talented teacher who has a gift for recognizing big ideas as well as seeing the smallest details – whether in a writing assignment or career development.” – A. R., North Carolina

“I just want to thank you for all the help you gave me during the Copy Protege Mentoring Program. It was invaluable to have a tried-and-true professional guide me through those awkward steps of deciding what I want from my career and how to go out and get it. Thanks to you, I am well on my way to doing what I love and making a whole lot of money in the process!!”
– K.L.

If you are interested in a program that combines one-on-one and group mentoring, let us know. Entrance will be first by application, and second, on a first come, first serve basis. Send a writing sample (no more than 2 pages) and your goals for the next six months to admin@copyprotege.com if you’re interested.

Quick Business Tip: Cast a Wider Net

Many of the aspiring copywriters that I talk to or work with have the idea in their head that all they should look to do is write direct mail, email promotions, or website copy.

Knowing how to write those things is important. But there are also countless other things you can and should be looking to do.

I’m currently working with a lady who is very talented at coming up with business names and taglines. That’s a marketable skill.

I know a gentleman who is terrific at doing research. That’s a marketable skill.

And another lady is good at pulling information out of people that helps them come up with specific and unique benefits they can use to market themselves to prospective clients. Guess what? Yep, that’s a marketable skill too!

So here’s my suggestion to you…

Make a list of the business-building or business-enhancing skills you’re good at or enjoy doing. Then, do some research to find out if the skills on your list are services people will pay you for.

What you find might surprise you. I recently read an article about a lady who has built a six-figure business helping people organize their closets. Who would have thunk?