The One Thing You’ll Absolutely Need On YOUR Path To Success
There’s one thing that’s crucial to your success as a copywriter.
It’s something that’s not really talked about. Yet it’s something every successful AWAI member has used to arrive at their version of the “Writer’s Life.”
And it’s my hope that today you’ll use this one thing to your advantage too.
Let me share with you a quick story that best illustrates what I’m talking about (see if you can spot what this one thing is … It’s hidden in there “between the lines …”)
Since childhood, Mel Fisher had big dreams of finding lost treasure.
He was fascinated with the idea, having thoroughly read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and learned about the pirates of the “Spanish Main.”
When he was eleven, he’d even created his first “hard hat” diving outfit … for use in a lagoon.
Fast forward almost three decades later and Mel’s passion for treasure hunting had soon become more than just a dream.
On a trip to Florida, Mel met with Kip Wagner, a local treasure hunter. After that one meeting, Mel decided to move his wife, kids and a whole team of divers out to Florida, and follow his dream full-time.
They’d struck some initial success – finding the treasures of a lost 1715 Spanish fleet off the coasts of northern Florida. But Mel wanted more. He had heard that there were many more (and far more lucrative) shipwrecks to be explored off the coasts of the Florida Keys.
So again, Mel moved his family and his team to the Keys.
His goal? To find one of the richest Spanish galleons ever – Nuestra Senora de Atocha.
It was rumored that it had sunk off the coast of Key West during a hurricane in 1622.
Excitedly, Mel began his search. Weeks passed. Then months … then years. Still, nothing.
Instead of finding Spanish treasure, Mel suffered many personal losses and endured over 100 court battles which ended in victory in the US Supreme Court.
Despite this, Mel and his team searched every day … and every morning he’d tell himself, “Today is the day!”
Sixteen years later after his search began, his motto came true.
In July of 1985, Mel and his team found the treasure cache known as “The Atocha Motherlode.”
They found over 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as “Pieces of Eight,” gold coins, gold and silver artifacts, over 1,000 silver bars, and Columbian emeralds.
In all, the treasure found was worth $450 million!
Okay, now back to copywriting …
Can you guess what that one thing you need is?
One word: Faith.
I’m not talking about this in a religious sense. Just so we’re on the same page, I’m going off of Merriam-Webster’s definition:
Faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof
As a new copywriter, faith is absolutely necessary to your success.
Why?
Because you’re learning a new skill … one for which you have no personal proof of working in your life.
That’s why doubts naturally creep into your mind. Doubts like:
- “Will this really work?”
- “Am I investing all this time and effort for nothing?”
- “Will I EVER master this copywriting stuff?”
- “What if clients don’t like how I write?”
- “What if I totally bomb a project and then that client never hires me again?”
And on … and on …
With copywriting, you have no proof that it’s going to work for you … just like Mel had no hard proof that the Nuestra Senora de Atocha had sunk where he was looking … or that it even existed, for that matter.
That’s why you need to have faith that the skills you’re learning WILL yield results for you … faith in the fact that clients WILL hire you when you’re ready … and faith that you too can be successful like everyone else you hear about.
I know it’s scary. And sometimes it might seem like nothing’s working. Those are the times when you need faith. It’s what will give you the wherewithal to persevere and have confidence in what you’re doing, despite any evidence to the contrary.
To sum up: Do something to get one step closer to your goals every day. Let faith carry you through those times when you feel like giving up – keep moving forward.
If you’ll do this, then you can be sure that you WILL count yourself among those who live the “Writer’s Life!”
Until May 30th: Enrollment Open for Circle of Success
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Great article, G! You're right, it is a leap of faith, but it does work. I've always had this similar definition in my head: faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we can't see. Press on...
Steve Roller – March 11, 2011 at 10:20 am
Thankyou Guillermo Rubio! Your pep talks help more than you can imagine!
Guest (Mary) – March 11, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Even the faith in God really heals.....is it feeling of hopelessness or fear and anxiety that tomorrow will be lifeless. Just believe and have faith in God that He will do it! Good article.
Guest (Leslie Ademola) – March 11, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Thank you for this inspiring article.Faith is really the key to our doubts.After reading your article,Ifeel encouraged to push and press on.
wallvi – March 12, 2011 at 8:04 pm
I found that comment to be spot with some of the feelings and emotions that I have been experiencing.
I cannot get this going fast enough for me, and I have the deep burning desire to succeed with the writer’s life.
In the beginning it’s an emotional rollercoaster of thoughts and feelings that enter the mind on a consistent basis. I think you also have to say I can do this and just believe it, see it, and visualize in your mind....
I keep saying I can do this and I visualize me living the writers life in my mind, with that I know it’s a matter of time to have this become my life.
I love the above article as it helps newbie’s and aspiring copywriters along the path to the writers life.
It gives us hope in what we are doing and to just keep moving forward. That is great and I appreciate this article.
Thanks again for giving added sense of courage, support and belief in what we are doing...
~Stephen Hickey
Guest (Stephen Hickey) – March 14, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Great article! That's exactly how I've felt as of late... to go from having a job to living the writer's life, just start writing, contacting clients, refinining your work and sooner or later your words are going to have the dollar value you set.
JFuller – March 29, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Hello Guillermo, excellent article, as I see, you are a man of faith. I am sure that´s why you are a copywriter with a evident sucess. But let me tell you that it is hard to keep the faith when the things gets worse and when the economy in the country where you live goes to the hell.This fear kill the faith, I still have may faith, but my fear to leave my actually job and to live the writer´s life make me a slave. Any comment to kill the fear?.
Guest (Sarbelio) – June 9, 2011 at 11:19 pm