What are you so afraid of?

[The Writer’ s Life]( September 25, 2018 Hi {NAME}, Last week, I was riding up a ski lift with my 7-year-old daughter to do some hiking on a mountain in Colorado … When all of the sudden, my hands started to sweat, and my heart started racing. Fear had set in … what if she fell!?! We got off the lift, my body leveled out, and we went about our hike with my husband and son who were on the chair in front of us. Then we rode the lift back, and I went through it all over again. Now, even though I know I'll have to ride the lifts again, I'm looking forward to introducing my kids to skiing in December. Will fear set in again? I pretty much guarantee it! But I'm not going to let it stop me from giving them the chance to experience something new. Fear will often play a major role in your journey to the writer's life too … Fear of failure … fear of success … fear of rejection … fear of not being good enough … any number of fears can creep in when you're not expecting it. While going through his files recently, AWAI Success Ed Gandia came across something that reminded him about his initial fears when starting out. Sure, today he's an in-demand B2B copywriter, business-building coach, and popular speaker at AWAI's Bootcamp (which, by the way, is in 22 days — WOOT!!) … But like all of us, he started out on his journey to the writer's life facing some pretty hefty fears. Today, he tackles "fear" head-on and gives you some insights into how he overcame his, with the hopes of helping you overcome yours. If you're coming to Bootcamp, plan to introduce yourself to Ed … he'll be around the entire time and is one of the most helpful coaches I've ever met when it comes to helping copywriters break in. And if you're not planning to go to Bootcamp this year, plan to [participate live]( from the comfort of your own home! We've put together something pretty cool to get you inside every session … access to the experts … get your questions answered … connect you with your fellow attendees … and even participate in the Job Fair and live Spec Assignments! [All the details are here.]( Big news before I turn it over to Ed … Nick Usborne has chosen the three winners of our recent Online Ad Writing Contest! Click [here]( for all the details and the winning entries. Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who submitted an entry! To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI --------------------------------------------------------------- These Potato Chips Launched My Copywriting Career (Seriously!) By Ed Gandia [Street sign displaying the words Never Let Your Fear Decide Your Future] The potato chip bag pictured holds a very special meaning for me. [Closeup photo of text on a potato chip bag] I'll tell you why in a second. Let me give you some context first. Recently, I listened to a talk by John Mackey, co-CEO of Whole Foods. He shared a very powerful insight: "Fear does not exist in the present moment." He explained that fear kills more dreams than anything else. Yet virtually every fear we experience is about the FUTURE. It's not about this very second. It's not about escaping danger. It's about something in the future that may or may not happen. That's so true! Think about it. When we worry about our finances, we're essentially worried about what will happen in a few weeks when bills are due. We're NOT worried about what will happen now, in this very moment. When we worry about prospecting for clients, we're worried about rejection. Or maybe about what will happen if a prospect responds favorably and wants to discuss a project with us. What if they ask a question we can't answer? Or what if they want to see a writing sample for a type of project we've never done? Yikes, what then?! All these worries are about FUTURE events. Future events that haven't yet happened … and might never happen. These crazy little "mind movies" are all make-believe. They're imaginary — not physically in front of us. Isn't that nuts? I never looked at it that way. OMG, Someone Responded! What Now?? Okay, back to that bag of potato chips. In late 2003, I was trying to get my freelance copywriting business off the ground. And I was striking out in the prospecting department. Big-time! Seriously, I couldn't land a client to save my life! As part of my "let's throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks" strategy, I mailed out hundreds of sales letters to random prospects. That was scary. I mean … what if someone replied? What would I say? And what if they asked me questions I couldn't answer? What if they asked me about my experience writing X? Fortunately for me, no one ever replied. So, in a way, I was relieved. But a few months later, I got an email from the marketing director of Herr Foods, a snack company in the Northeastern U.S. Turns out, she'd gotten my prospecting letter and held on to it. And she wanted to know if I'd be interested in writing some package copy for a new product they were launching. I was so green, I'd never heard of "package copy." I had to ask a friend. Lol! (Package copy = copy that goes on the box or bag of a consumer product.) Anyway, I said yes. I think I was trembling as I clicked the "Send" button! But here's the interesting thing … She never asked about my experience writing package copy. She never asked for samples. She just asked if I was interested … and if I'd take $200 for the first one. Uhmm … heck, yeah, I was interested! :-) I sent in my draft and she was thrilled with the copy. So she gave me two more to write. And then two more after that. I think I ended up writing about 10 of them over the next few months. The picture I posted above is one of the first few I wrote. I found the bag a few months ago while cleaning out some old files. The First of Many Baby Steps Here's why these little copy projects were instrumental in building my business: They gave me the confidence to go after more clients. And once I landed another one or two clients, my confidence rose even further. I wish I had a more exciting story about how I launched and built my copywriting business. I wish I could tell you that Katie and Rebecca were so impressed with one of my Spec Challenge submissions, they booked the first flight to Atlanta (where I live) to hand me that $10,000 check and BEG me to write for them. Or that I was discovered when I was stocking shelves in a grocery store and a legendary copywriter took me under his wing. Or that Mark Ford was floored by the flyer copy I wrote for his favorite cigar shop. But none of that happened … to me. For me, it was all baby steps. I simply did my best with the limited confidence I had at each point in my journey. Which is why John Mackey's quote about fear resonated with me. If we let it, fear will take over our lives. But when we realize that fear does not exist in the present … and that it's about things that haven't happened … (and will likely never happen) … you can be free from its shackles. So … what fears are stopping you from going after what you want? And be honest. How many of those fears are about the future? About things that haven't happened? There you go. Now you know what you need to do. Do you have any questions about conquering whatever holds you back in your copywriting career? Share with us in the comments [here]( so we can help. HUGE Savings! Over 50% Off Virtual Bootcamp 2018 Livestream AWAI's FastTrack to Copywriting Success Bootcamp (in real time) from the comfort of your own home! You'll learn fantastic real-world copywriting techniques from legendary copywriters and marketers like Andrew Davis, Clayton Makepeace, Kevin Rogers, Aaron DeHoog, Ryan Levesque, Ed Gandia, Marcella Allison, Joshua Boswell, Carline Anglade-Cole, Steve Slaunwhite, Jen Stevens, and more … You'll even get an all-access pass to actual Spec Assignments from real companies looking to hire writers like you … no resume, cover letter, or experience required … Don't miss your LAST and ONLY chance to experience the Copywriting Event of the Year … [Claim Your Livestream Ticket Now Before the Price Goes Up!]( Flash Sale! Get Paid to Try THIS … If you're looking for the best way to make great money writing in your spare time — without any clients — a Money-Making Website is your answer. It's a unique opportunity to build writing income that comes in month after month … writing about something you're already passionate about … without a single client. Nick Usborne's How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites program can help you build a Money-Making Website that will generate $400, $1,000, $3,500 (or more) every month. Get in today, save $150, and take advantage of an Incentive Plan where we'll PAY YOU to complete the program … [Special Offer Ends Soon — Get All the Details Here.]( LAST CHANCE: Get Barefoot Writer Magazine for Only $11 Every month, Barefoot Writer brings you over 40 pages of motivation, inspiration, and insight into living your best possible life as a writer. You'll see how to get paid well, reach your writing goals, and have more time for your personal life, too. And for a limited time, you can get 12 months of Barefoot Writer for just $11— a savings of $38! [Get 12 Issues of Barefoot Writer Magazine for Just $11.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. 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