He Told Me I Was Afraid of Success
Almost a year ago, I had the incredible opportunity to sit down to dinner with veteran copywriter Joshua Boswell and talk about my fears. He was brutally honest with me and concluded that I was afraid of success.
He said a lot of people are afraid of success because they think they don’t deserve to be successful. Feeling undeserving stems from a variety of things, like how we’re raised, how much money we had growing up, or how much money our friends and family currently make.
He gave me several strategies for overcoming this fear. But the thing that really made the difference was when he pointed out that he’s living the writer’s life (and making a lot of money), and being successful didn’t kill him. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
Joshua was 100% right. I spent way too much time being afraid. I wasted years in fear. Years that I could have been living the writer’s life and making a lot of money from my freelance career.
Please don’t make the same mistake I made and waste the next few years doubting yourself and your abilities.
If you’ve been following along this week, you have learned the steps to truly believing the writer’s life is possible.
Step #1 is to stop your stinkin’ thinkin.’ On Monday, I gave you eight strategies to help you banish negativity from your mind.
Step #2 is to use positive reinforcement by telling yourself success is possible.
Step #3 is to identify any fears that may be holding you back and get past them – or succeed in spite of them.
These are the exact steps I took to kick fear’s butt and inspire a confidence in myself I didn’t know I was capable of. The only thing left to do before you take action and get cranking on your freelance career is Step #4: Surround yourself with successful people.
Even though I’m gaining confidence and finally hitting my stride as a professional copywriter, we all have setbacks. Whenever I have doubts, it really helps to know someone else was once in the same place as me, had those same doubts, and overcame them.
Now, I know it’s not possible to have someone like Joshua Boswell or Nick Usborne with you all the time (believe me, I’ve tried), but you can have their story with you.
You can post their stories on your fridge, like we talked about on Tuesday, or you can read about them in Making the Leap.
Or you can join me and a ton of other copywriters at AWAI’s FastTrack to Copywriting Success Bootcamp – which is next month. You can pick our brains, soak up some success, and realize that real people are living the writer’s life. I’m going to be there, and I can’t wait. Be sure to stop by and say hi. Or post a comment below to let me know you’re attending.
Don’t miss tomorrow’s message. I’m going to show you how to get a taste of the writer’s life and create unwavering dedication to your career goals.
Making the Leap: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Getting from Wherever You Are ... To the Freedom, Independence, and Financial Rewards of Living The Writer’s Life!
This eight-step, hands-on guide gives you the confidence you need to make the leap from aspiring copywriter to polished professional. Learn More »
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Just took the plunge and registered for Bootcamp!
Guest (Deborah) – September 15, 2011 at 9:52 am
Good morning Christina,
I'll be at Bootcamp and I look forward to meeting you, the AWAI staff and other aspiring copywriters on their journey to "The Writer's Life."
Gene Yoder – September 15, 2011 at 9:57 am
Thanks for these articles Christina!
I am signed up for bootcamp (my first) and very excited about it. I think my biggest stepping stone now is focus focus focus. I've decided to just get going and for now focus on finishing the accelerated course (which will be so not accelerated by the time I'm done--I bought in hard copy in 2005). Looking forward to meeting you in October!
-Evan
EvanWJ – September 15, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Hi Deborah, Gene, and Evan! I'm so glad you guys will be at Bootcamp and I can't wait to meet each of you!
Christina Gillick – September 15, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Christina, nice job this week! I look forward to meeting you at Bootcamp and comparing notes.
Steve Roller – September 15, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Dear Christina Gillick, You have talked about fear of getting lot of money through copy writing, as for as I am concerned is a bit hesitation being a newly inducted member in AWAI. Hesitation that I may not prove myself up to the standard level of other fellow copy writers, I think after handling a couple of write-ups I will be a confident person through your review and comments about transformation of my creative thinking into a full composed material. Need your guidance, Thanks.
Guest (Yaqeen Ahmed) – September 18, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Christina - great article. And I would benefit from some convo at Bootcamp. Look fwd to seeing you and chatting there. Press on...
Eddie S – September 28, 2011 at 11:07 am
Hi Steve and Eddie, Yes! Let's talk at Bootcamp - I'm looking forward to it!
Hi Yaqeen, Once you're a member a while you'll start to pick up more and more and you'll have more confidence - let me know what I can do to help!
Christina Gillick – October 18, 2011 at 10:53 am