All Successful Copywriters Have This —
Do You?
By Guillermo Rubio

There’s a common thread I keep seeing among successful copywriters.

Especially those who’ve gone from “aspiring” to actually living “the Writer’s Life.”

It’s this one thing that’s been the key to helping them achieve everything they have.

And, if you start applying it (like as soon as you finish reading this article, for instance), you will be well on your way to launching your freelance career before year’s end.

So, what is this “thing?”

It’s what I call NOW thinking.

Let me explain …

As copywriters, it’s easy to let fear and insecurities get in the way of success.

Practically 99% of the time, this fear manifests itself as inaction.

It causes you to get into the feeling of “Oh, I’m not ready.” Or “I’ll do that, once XYZ happens.”

The remedy for this is NOW thinking. It’s what practically every successful copywriter I’ve talked to has used to get his or her version of “the Writer’s Life.”

Simply put, NOW thinking means you’re constantly and actively seeking to do the things that will move you closer to your goals … NOW.

Not tomorrow. Not a week from today. But right NOW. In this moment.

It means you’re always thinking, “What single action can I take right NOW that will move me towards one of my goals?”

In this case, the goal is becoming a successful copywriter who’s living the ‘life.’

Here are three steps to start using NOW thinking in your life:

1. Figure out where you are.

   This first step is all about awareness. You can’t get to your destination if you don’t know where you are. I could give you the best map with turn-by-turn directions on how to get to AWAI’s offices in Delray Beach, Florida. It won’t do you a bit of good, however, if you don’t know where you are relative to AWAI’s offices.

   It’s the same with your goal of becoming a successful copywriter.

   You need to know where you’re starting from, if you’re ever going to have a clue about how to reach your destination.

   So, this is where you get honest with yourself. Assess where you are.

   How much of AWAI’s Six-Figure Copywriting Program have you read? Have you completed a few sections? Has it been sitting on a shelf since you got it? Have you tried your hand at writing some copy? Called any potential clients?

   Once you’ve figured this part out, don’t judge it. It’s not good or bad.

   You’re just trying to gain that 10,000-foot view, so later you can chunk down and decide on what action steps are needed to get to where you want to go.

2. Figure out where you want to go.

   You know where you are. Good. Now, it’s time to decide where you want to go.

   The key here is to be as specific as possible. Figure out where you want to be as a copywriter a year or two from now.

   Maybe your goal is to work just three days a week, while still earning a healthy $120,000-a-year income …

   Maybe it’s to earn an extra $1,500 a month while holding your full-time job …

   Or maybe, you want to go all-out and become the next “million-dollar” copywriter.

   Whatever it is, make sure it gets you excited. At this point, don’t worry so much about how you’re going to do it all.

   Just decide on what it is you DO want.

3. Create your own “next action” list.

   You know where you are. You know where you want to be.

   Now, it’s time to figure out the nuts and bolts. The “how.”

   The best way to do this is to put together a “next action” list.

   Start by assessing what resources you have to work with. This will better help you determine how you’re going to get to your goal.

   So, let’s say that your starting point is having completed the entire Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. That’s what you’ve done.

   And, your destination is to earn $5,000 a month, working just four hours a day, five days a week (very doable).

   Using these assumptions, your next action could be “Decide on three potential clients I want to write for.”

   The action after that could be “For each client, pick one product I want to write a sample for.”

   Then, the next action step can be “For Client #1, write 500 words of a sample promo for XYZ product.”

   You get the idea …

   Once you’re done, what you’ll have is a neatly laid-out plan for getting to your goals, one doable action at a time.

   So every morning, you’ll wake up knowing exactly what to do to get one step closer to your dream life.

   And, if you ever find yourself with some free time on your hands, simply keep in mind your NOW thinking: “What action can I take right NOW that will move me toward my goals?”

   Once you get into the habit of doing this, that’s when the real magic happens.

   You start building your confidence … you feel like you’re actually moving ahead towards your dream … you feel good about yourself and what you’re doing … and you wake up each morning feeling jazzed and excited because you KNOW for sure you’re going to achieve everything you’ve wanted.

   It’s a great feeling.

   So … what action can YOU take right NOW, that will move you one step closer to what you want?