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copyhour.com
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derek@copyhour.com
Sent On
Mon, Apr 17, 2023 10:21 PM
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Ryan Holiday's new-ish book Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control is full of what might s
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Ryan Holiday's new-ish book Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control is full of what might seem like contradictions on the surface. For example, he talks about the legendary stamina of Lou Gehrig. Lou battled injuries, sickness and fatigue but showed up to work EVERY day and played in 2,130 straight baseball games. But then a few chapters later he discusses the importance of rest and not working yourself to the bone. My take is that these aren't contradictions, these are paradoxes. Something like, "To work hard, you must rest." Managing how you feel about paradoxes (and even some contradictions) is a huge part of finding happiness as a writer... at least it is has been for me. For example: "You do your best work when you're not writing." Getting away from your computer or notepad will often help you solve your greatest struggles or sticking points in a project. But... sometimes that's not true. Sometimes it takes sitting down and grinding it out (using a Steven Pressfield War of Art approach) to get to inspired work. No one way is the answer. Sometimes it's both. There's "magic" involved in copywriting and there's also science and persuasion principles. Balancing the existence of both is hard to handle sometimes. What I'm writing here is far beyond my intended purpose for this email. But before I move on, you should know I'll be writing a book in the future called Live Uncomfortably. This has been a life philosophy of mine for over a decade. It's paradoxical. "In order to live a good (comfortable) life you have to do things that make you uncomfortable." I think even the simple act of picking up a book with a title "Live Uncomfortably" will be a challenge for some people. Anyway... as you can tell by subject line of this email, I wanted to talk about meditation. Meditation is one of those activities that makes you a better writer... but it's hard to sell people on that fact because, well, you're NOT writing when you're meditating. What I'd like to do sporadically over the next couple months is share what meditation is teaching me about writing. I don't ever enter my meditation sessions with the intention of discovering more about writing... but I always seem to leave the mat with an insight or two on how I can improve. Before I continue, I want to keep in mind that some of you will be resistant to this idea of meditating. You'll need to be sold on meditation as a worthwhile use of time. I guess my first bit of "proof" will be send you over to Andrew Huberman to see what he has to say: Okay, now to an insight (it only took 500 words to get here): One of the most overlooked "hacks" for writing better is getting your physical health in shape. I was meditating on a blanket on the beach this morning and I felt my left leg, and especially my left foot go numb. I had multiple left knee injuries in high school and college, so I know my left leg is tighter than my right. But sitting to meditate has shown me how damaged it still is. I was trying to just observe the pain and discomfort but it was challenging AF to stay present with the meditation. My point is this: Even if you're not consciously aware of your pain, discomfort, digestion, or any other health issue, there is some brain and/or body activity that is being devoted to it. Your brain is at least a little distracted trying to figure out how to solve your problem. And again, Distracted = Dumber (than you could be). I know that I need to work on solutions for my tightness. Because when I do, I'll meditate more easily... and I guarantee I'll be better able to focus when I'm sitting or standing while writing. So there you have it. If you want to write better... 1. Meditate.
2. Pay attention to your health. Not mind blowing stuff by any means... but when I draw out the take home point in a longer email... it suddenly hits harder. Maybe. More to come soon! - Derek P.S. Many students have told me handwriting feels like a form of meditation. Read more about the CopyHour course if you'd like to get better at writing sales copy: Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( CopyHour.com, 340 S LEMON AVE, 5007, WALNUT, CA 91789
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