KickAss Copywriter

Hello,

Today’s a surreal day for me.  As the old saying goes, “what doesn’t kill me, only makes me stronger.”

I’m back, after a year’s sabbatical.  Lot’s of moving around, visiting, exploring myself and the world … trying to discover what I want to do/be next. 

Yet, I’m still a writer, copywriter and author.  I write.   I study people and life.  And I write about it.   I’m also an Elf, as I discovered on a little test I took on Facebook.  Pretty cool.   

The surreality I refer to is the happenings in my life of late.  It’s one of those things that others would find too hard to believe, unless they saw it close up — or had some experience of the same sorts.

Are you ready for this?  The dominoes started to fall, with a speeding ticket a month ago.  This was quickly followed by my getting the dreaded ‘boot’ on my car, while parked downtown Fredericksburg, VA on a recent summer’s eve.

The police drive around, taking pictures that feed into a database of  offenders.  My offense?  Failing to report to the Commissioner of Revenues that I’d moved out of the city last year.

They still had me on their books, and I owed ‘09 property taxes.   My, everyone’s getting really aggressive about collecting.  Have you noticed that, yet?  You will.

Next shoe to drop was my garnished bank account, by a large credit card company.  No ‘due process,’ so I wasn’t allowed to tell my side of the story to a judge.  No, Virginia is one of the few states that allow this kind of ‘Gestapo’ treatment of its citizenry.

All my money … gone!  In one fail swoop, without warning.  Gone.  And that included the reimbursement of funds, taken by the ‘boot’ company.  And everything else that came into my account, before I had a chance to stop it. 

Oh, and let’s not forget hefty bank charges for insufficient funds for some auto-payments that I couldn’t stop in time — or even remember.

And what can I do about it?  Well, I’ve petitioned the court for a hearing, so am waiting to see if I’ll get my day in court.

Have you ever tried to exist, without any money and NO bank account?  Everything I do is online, so now I can’t pay for anything online, nor can I even have my PayPal account anymore, so clients can pay me!

Yes, this is America.  So, not only can one’s assets be seized by city, state and Federal Governments — the credit card companies can do it, too.

Following this interesting, little adventure … next, a water pipe burst in the basement, where my office is located.  My laptop didn’t make it, but my printer survived.  I’d preferred the other way around.  Not sure about my fax, yet.

My granddaughters were here, visiting, through these various fiascoes.  What a time to have all your money seized!

Oh, silly me.  I almost forgot.  To add more insult to injury … the gauntlet finally fell on my new site.

For months, I’ve been trying to get a certain SEO company to finish my new site.  Promises, stalls, more promises, more stalls.  And, finally, the truth:  It wasn’t going to get done.  It baffles me that people don’t keep their word anymore.

So, this copywriter is having a lazy, rainy Saturday.  I think it’s all just now sinking in.  It’s really quite a jolt to the ole system, let me tell you.

If it’s true that what doesn’t kill me, only makes me stronger, I should be strong as steel by now.  Aahh, yes, this too shall pass.  I know it always does.

And, I’ll have a little bit more experience to add to my already rich set of experiences to assist me in understanding the human condition.  Without going through some of these hard times myself, I wouldn’t be able to connect with those who have.

I wouldn’t be the copywriter I am.

You know, I’m not sure anymore, but I used to think I created everything in my life, in order to learn.  If this is true, it really sucks!  However, it certainly gives me a depth of understanding and empathy I would not otherwise possess.

I am grateful.  I’m still standing.  I’m still smiling.  I understand.

Yours in understanding,

Carolyn

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com

I’m sure most everyone has heard the saying, “No guts, no glory,” right? 

Well, just to be clear about my interpretation, so I can talk about it … it means this to me:

If you don’t risk, you don’t achieve.

In marketing, as in life, most business owners choose to ‘play it safe.’  The idea behind this notion, of course, is to walk the same path that’s already been forged.  It’s easier.

If something’s been done again and again (proven to work or not), most people most of the time are too timid or downright afraid of making a mistake to launch out on their own and …

Do Something Different & Daring!

As marketers, when we put on our ‘consumer hat,’ I think it’s easy to see how smart it is to be different, don’t you?

Think about it, when a technique is so overused as to become lifeless and dull, no one really listens anymore — they become desensitized or anesthetized (numb).

How many times have you heard or read the same ole, same ole copycat version of direct response techniques that they don’t even register on your mental screen anymore?  Despite what it says, here’s what you see, “blah, blah, blah, blah.”    
Dan Kennedy talks about business owners who defy conventional wisdom and DO things outside the norm, with amazing results.  In his examples, a restaurant and supermarket gave away thousands of dollars in merchandise, with a very high ROI.

And they didn’t even have to spend money on advertising.  Ooops, scratch that — you’ll think you don’t need a copywriter to write VERY different ads, letters and cards, oh my!

If you’re not a restaurant or supermarket, with food to give away (who doesn’t eat?) … or whether you do something else totally outlandish or at least unexpected — you gotta capture your prospect or customer’s attention.

Wake up!  Be different.  Do something that’ll counteract the numb. 

In order to get noticed, you MUST have guts.  Otherwise, you just lull your customers and prospects to sleep.

Here’s to guts & glory!

Carolyn

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com

I’ve just listened to and read something amazing … and I want to share it with you!

You’ll see a great video, with the ‘bad ass’ guy, from the movie, “The Matrix.”  He’ll be talking about some scarry stuff, like the next Influenza Pandemic that most experts agree will happen.

We’re unprepared.  There is no vaccine and no antibiotic to counteract the virus.  Bad news for one and all. 

The worst outbreak the world has seen was in 1918, when 40 million people died, globally.

Then, the report goes on to discuss ‘mental viruses’ and how they infect entrepreneurs.  This is really good stuff!  (Not the best written, but the content is so insightful.)

You can travel deeper down the rabbit hole, by taking the red pill.  I suggest you absolutely take the pill. 

Charge forward and take off your rose colored glasses, as you have the chance to really SEE what’s preventing us from becoming and achieving all we can be.

It’s a 14 page, NO B.S. report called: PANDEMIC - Bird Flu of the Mind: How Underground Mind Viruses are Relegating Millions to “Living Death” and What You Can Do to Protect Yourself and Your Family

If that title sounds serious, that’s because it is serious.

The fact is, Mind Viruses are destroying the lives and business dreams of thousands of entrepreneurs just like you.

You’ll find an amazing phrase used.  Instead of ‘entrepreneur,’ they use the word ‘transfopreneur.’  Why?  Because most entrepreneurs want to transform their world in some way …

* for themselves

* for their families

* for their communities

* for the world

Go ahead, be brave and check out the red pill.  Your entrepreneural success may depend on it.

Go to:  http://www.givemetheredpill.com/letter.htm

Here’s to a higher octave marketing!

Carolyn

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com

Fear is an interesting phenomenon, isn’t it? 

It can paralyze people to the point of total inaction.  Or, it can render an otherwise smart, capable person into a ‘fraidy cat.’

Numerous writers have said that the only thing to fear is fear itself.

Do I believe that?  Do you believe that?

Obviously, there are very legitimate reasons to be afraid sometimes.  If I were out on a hiking trail and, suddenly, a big black bear appeared … I’d be very afraid!   J

Unless you had taken leave of your senses, I bet you’d be afraid as well, yes?

We could go on and on, finding real life situations where anyone would be lying, if they said they weren’t afraid.

However …

This isn’t the kind of fear I’d like to talk about today. 

I want to talk a bit about unrealistic fears.  The kind that’s between our ears and that got put there, often by someone else we looked up to a long time ago.

You know the kind, those things we actually heard our parents say to/about us – or our interpretations of what was said or done.

Either way, we all made decisions, as children, that we carry with us well into adulthood … until/if we become aware enough to SEE that they were wrong … and change our minds!

Those Voices in our Heads:

I feel that any negative voice (idea, notion, belief) that tells us we aren’t __________________enough to accomplish or experience  ______________________ is a voice that needs to be replaced with a positive voice.

What Are the Negative Voices Inside Your Head, Keeping You From Accomplishing or Experiencing ALL That You Would Like To?

Once we isolate the negative voices, we can turn them into a positive statement and alter our experiences or accomplishments — for the BETTER!

It All Resolves to What I Choose to Believe to be True.

I really feel, believe and know that what I choose to believe TODAY, in my awakened self (one who sees clearly), will be my experience. 

If I don’t like the results life is giving me, then I need to examine the negative beliefs about myself that I’m holding onto.  (Neg beliefs = Neg results) 

When I look at the beliefs that cause me to act/respond to life in a fearful way, I find that most are not REAL.

My job is to re-write my script!  It’s no harder nor easier than that.  Thoughts are things, and when we change our thoughts, our outer world (results) changes accordingly.

For example, in my copywriting business, if I notice I’m feeling some self-doubt about the direction to take with a certain project …

I simply turn the negative thought/feeling into a positive statement, like this:

I am confident in my abilities.  I trust my inner guidance to direct me toward the very best direction for this client.  I intend it.  And so it is.

 Try it.  Pick just one thing that you’re fearful about and consciously change your thoughts about it … for the positive …  for 30 days.  Then see what happens!

Let me know about your success?