Last week was intense!

It’s not often one of my retainer clients does a huge launch and needs 2 sales letters in a hurry… and then the opportunity to write a sales letter for a great mate and mentor of mine, Trevor Crook, collide.

But they did and it happened last week. It was a copywriting “Perfect Storm.”

I had just over one week to write 3 long form sales letters… and somehow, I did it.

Although I say “somehow” … it’s not really a good gauge of what is actually involved in pulling off a massive feat like that.

It took a load of discipline (there was no time for procrastination or “writer’s” block), time optimization (my “copy bug timer” got a huge work out last week and kept me on time) and a lot of compartmentalization (there was no room for thinking of more than one project at a time).

It’s a little hard to do, especially when we are all “trained” to think we can multitask… but the fact is, we can’t.

We’ll that’s not entirely true, because we can do a lot of things at once. But doing a lot of things well at once… that’s another story.

I knew that if I tried to do more than one thing, I wouldn’t do any of them well.

So, I chose to concentrate on doing one thing well at a time. And it worked like a charm.

Ah, the things we do!

But why do we do the things we do?

Am I some kind of perverted masochist?

No. Not at all.

So, what drives me to do what I do?

Simple… it’s my “why!”

You’ve probably heard of the idea of a “why.” It’s something that drives you, inspires you and moves you.

But in my case, we’re not talking any old “why.”

Because, when it comes to having a “why,” I think…

Knowledge Nugget #187:
You Need To Have A Huge
“Unshakeable Why!”

And here’s why…

If your “why” isn’t big enough and unshakeable enough… then it won’t work.

When you have a “why” that’s unshakeable, it will get you through the hard times.

It will get you out of your warm cosy bed in the middle of the night in winter for a mentoring call. It will help you to endure discomfort now for the promise of immeasurable gains later.

It will keep you going when other people laugh at you and think you’re an idiot for doing things the “long and hard” way. It will give you hope as you go through the lean times.

And your “unshakeable why” will help you put everything into perspective.

For example, when you look at “shiny objects” through the filter of your “unshakeable why” … they either glow in alignment or are encrusted with thick rust and totally unusable.

When you look at “opportunities of a lifetime” through the same lens… the same thing happens. It becomes very clear what will help you and what will hinder you.

So, when people talk about their “why” they often talk about a mission that they want to achieve.

Some I’ve heard are…

“To help 10,000 people become millionaires in the next 10 years”

“To get 100 girls off the streets of (insert country here) in the next year” etc.

… and they are truly noble causes.

But unless those “whys” are unshakeable… they won’t happen. And some of the big, impressive, hairy audacious goals (“why-centric” goals) made by people I’ve followed have fallen flat. They never happened.

And the more I looked at their “whys” and why they might not have worked is… they weren’t unshakeable.

When things got tough, uncomfortable or other people didn’t support it… they gave up.

So, when I worked on what my own “why” would be, I took their example and made sure my “why” was “ME-Centric.”

Why “ME-Centric?”

Well, I am the constant in my life. Not anyone else. And as self-centred as this will sound… I am the centre of my world. If I don’t do the job of being me… the fact is, no one else is going to do it for me.

So, for me, my “why” has to revolve around me… not around other people. But of course, it can involve other people.

And my “why” does involve other people who will benefit from when I reach my unshakeable why.

So, what is my unshakeable why?

It’s to make the life of my future self (20 years into the future) easier. That’s it!

Pretty basic… but at the same time, the ripple effects will be profound. And they already are.

Last week as I worked for all those long hours, punching out three separate sales letters… all I could think of is how my life would look 20 years from now. And it looked great!

That older version of myself is kicking back, enjoying life and has a lot of great options open to her… all because of what I’m doing in the here and now.

Anytime I feel like giving up… I think of her. And I keep going.

Anytime life gets hard… I think of her. And I find a way around any obstacles in my way.

Anytime someone offers me the “opportunity of a lifetime” … I think of her. And I think of how it will impact her life.

I want the actions I take now to make her life easier and more enjoyable. So, anything that goes against that is depriving her of all she deserves. (Seriously! She’s had to put up with me all her life! Lol!)

When you have a “why” that is as closely connected to you as you are… it can’t help but be “unshakeable!”

When you have an “Unshakeable Why” … you’ll never question it. You’ll never doubt it. And best of all… you’ll do everything you possibly can to protect it.

Being self-centred is not a bad thing. Try it! You might like it.

This is just a little food for thought. You may not agree with me… and that’s OK. Find what works for you. But whatever you do… get yourself a why and make sure it’s unshakeable!

Until next week… take care and be brave  : )

Pauline

Pauline Longdon
a.k.a. “The Copy Alchemist”

P.S.  I had a few people question whether I could do a great job on all 3 of the sales letters wrote. But here’s the thing… I have full confidence in my ability to deliver what I promise… otherwise I wouldn’t promise it.

All my clients were happy with the copy I gave them, and the letters needed no tweaks. They are all in production now and will be live in the market in the next few days. One is delayed because we need to add more information about the speakers. But it will be live soon. Then we’ll see how good the copy really is.

P.P.S.   I had some feedback about my “Emotional Assistance Dingo” (otherwise known as Rae). It’s kind of a joke, but there is a serious side to it. I have PTSD (from my time in the Army) and occasionally it unexpectedly whacks me. This may sound weird but… travelling and packing is a massive trigger for me (it’s a long traumatic story). So, my emotional assistance dingo takes care of the packing for me. And helps me stay present and “calm” while I travel. If it wasn’t for Rae… I’d “gladly” stay home for the rest of my life.

It’s important to know what you’re bad at or have trouble with… and have strategies to get around them. Business is the same. Work out a way to delegate what you suck at… and your life will be way easier.

P.P.P.S.  As always, tomorrow we have a new episode of our own podcast, “Breaking Through The B.S.” Have a listen and let us know what you think.

*And remember… if you like what you hear, then please rate the show on iTunes and leave us a review.