I work with a lot of writers and business-builders. Usually people starting out from scratch, figuring out what their big idea is, the purpose behind their business, who the audience is, what the best structure would be… the whole bit.
And there’s one thing I see a lot.
The desire for a guarantee.
People want to know their idea is going to work… that the copy they write is going to convert… that the product they create is going to sell.
I get it. Before putting in the work, you want to know it’s going to be worth the time and effort.
But here’s the thing…
There is no guarantee.
It’s smart to get advice from the experts, to study to see what’s working in your market, to do some planning before you start executing.
But eventually, you have to make the leap and start putting things out into the world to see what happens.
That’s easier to do when you fall in love with the process… or at the very least, see value in the process itself.
When you love the process of writing, you worry less about whether any specific piece of writing is going be a big hit or a bit of a dud.
When you love the process of networking on LinkedIn, you don’t stress much about the outcome of any single connection, post, or comment you make there.
When you love the process of sending out pitches, you don’t dwell on whether any single pitch is going to convert to a client.
And when you love the process, you’re able to do the work of building your business without so much resistance.
So how do you fall in love with the process?
Embrace Curiosity
Instead of worrying about outcomes, good or bad, get curious to see what happens, and to figure out the why behind your results.
Did your LinkedIn post go viral? Why do you think that happened? What was different about it from other posts you made?
Did another LinkedIn post get crickets? Why do you think it got a low response? Was it the topic? The time of day?
When you embrace curiosity, everything you do becomes an experience and an opportunity to learn more… which is fun. And a great way to take joy in the process.
Make a Jerry Seinfeld Calendar
Maybe you’ve heard of Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break the Chain” approach to writing jokes.
He put a big calendar up on his wall. And every day that he wrote a joke, he drew a large X through its square on the calendar, creating a chain of red Xs as the days passed. Eventually the chain got long enough that it became unthinkable to break it.
(Speaking as someone who’s got a 1,044-day streak on Duo Lingo, I can attest that this approach works!)
So, what’s something you want to do every day to build your business? Send a pitch? Post to LinkedIn? Publish a blog post?
Get out a calendar. Tape it to the wall and see how big a chain you can build. Before you know it, you’ll take joy in the process… or at the very least, X-ing out another day.
Track Your Growth
A surefire way to enjoy the process more is to see how you’re improving.
If you send a pitch every day, within a month or two, you’ll notice a couple of things happening.
The pitches get easier to write…
And if you compare your day 1 pitch to your day 20 pitch, chances are your day 20 pitch is a whole lot better. That feels pretty good when you take the time to notice it.
So, take the time to notice!
However you embrace the process and find joy in it, learning to love the action and not just the result is the key to sticking with hard things.
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Mark Your Calendar
September 4: Get ready for our next live Monthly Member Update. During this session, I’ll share three ways you can line up new work fast heading into the holiday season. Plus, we’ll talk about what’s new, what’s coming, and what’s on your mind. I hope you’ll join me!
September 10: Don’t miss the Reality Blog Challenge kick-off webinar. The Reality Blog Challenge launches next week, and this webinar follows fast on the heels of the launch to help you have the best chance of becoming Digital Copywriter’s new Reality Blogger for 2025!
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That’s all for now. Have a great weekend!
