Predicting your May

"Spontaneous" sales copy ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ I want you to picture a zebra in your mind. Really try to see it. The stripes, the mane, the look in its eyes. Got it? Good. You've just proved my point. Thoughts are spontaneous. The next thought that pops into your brain is almost impossible to control or even predict. You had no idea you were going to think about zebras just a second ago but here we are. Even when you're trying to direct your thoughts and "control" your mind, it's very difficult to guess exactly what's going to pop up next. For example, let's say I tell you to spend 5 minutes thinking about your mom. You might know what scenario or trait of your mom's you'll think about first, but where it goes from there, or in what order those thoughts will occur, just cannot be predicted. So if thoughts are spontaneous there are really only 2 things to do to exert any influence over them what-so-ever on them. The first is to control your inputs right now. What you're inputting right now will impact what your mind outputs later, no doubt about it. "Good" or "bad" or "traumatic". Those inputs happening in the now will spontaneously resurface in the form of thought outputs later. If you input the negativity of the news or social media into your mind first thing in the morning... and if you don't consciously "deal with it", you can be sure that input will find its way into your minds output (aka thoughts) later on. Not always today, but always later. I think it's interesting to think in these terms because in a weird way, you can almost predict the future. Positive inputs now = positive outputs later. Of course, it's never that simple and if it were true a whole lot of uber rich folks (who have "good inputs" most of the day) would have free reign on all the world's "bliss"... which they clearly don't. This touches on the second thing, which we won't go into detail about. It's more of Buddhist way of thinking. You can take the inputs and just see them for what they are in the moment. Analyze the thoughts and feelings as they arise, so to speak. Now, self-servingly, I will say this: The idea of limited, positive inputs, is one of the reasons I think hand copying is so effective. You're off the internet on a pad of paper. You have a pen that can only input ink onto paper. You have the words you're reading. When you're hand copying you're filling your mind with a small amount of inputs -- the sales language and ideas of the original author. [[This is also why I don't recommend you hand copy all the time -- do it in select sprints. Too much of anything can be no bueno. Just look at all the copywriters who get so enthralled by sales copy that they forget to care for the humans they're selling to.]] Later, when you're writing your own words, the inputs (hand copying) that you did previously should "spontaneously" find its way into your writing. At least that's been my experience. And that's where I'll leave you. Cheers! - Derek +++++ 📅🔖  May 8th: CopyHour 2023 spring launch gets underway. We'll have a new updated version of CH plus a new cohort structure I'll be rolling out. (YES! CopyHour members will have access to the new version.) Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( CopyHour.com, 340 S LEMON AVE, 5007, WALNUT, CA 91789