The last 2 months have been tough for my family. If you’ve been reading my emails for any length of time, you’ll know most of the details… but not all of them.
And I won’t bore you with them, but let’s just say… the last quarter of 2020 has been quite challenging.
It’s almost as though whoever has been making this year had a pile of crap left in the bottom of the box, so they tipped it upside-down to empty it out to make room for 2021… and all the crap fell onto our lives.
But as bad as it has been… it could always be worse. And there have been a few good things happen too. Like this week.
A few months ago, before our lives went off the rails… Rae (my partner) organized our quarterly “staycation” for us to recalibrate and plan for 2021.
But after everything that’s happened…
- Dad’s mystery illness
- My sister’s spectacular broken leg
- The sudden death of our cat, Bailey
- My own medical mysteries
- The death of friends
- And a heap of other “little “things…
We decided to invite my family to come and hang out with us.
It was nice to get away from our “normal” lives and just be together as an extended family. And a group of people who have shared some painful experiences.
Each morning I’d get my work done, then we’d swim (it’s almost summer down here, and it’s heating up), go on walks, and have fun together.
On one of our daily outings, we were in a park looking at the ocean, and I noticed a few clover patches in the grass.
So, I asked my niece, Harmony (she’s 9), if she’d ever found a 4-leaf clover.
She looked at me as though I was crazy and said she thought they only had 3 leaves. I told her that I have an uncanny ability to find 4-leaf clovers fairly easily.
Of course, she didn’t believe me, and she challenged me to find her one.
To make it fair, I told her to pick a clover patch for me to look in.
She pointed to a nearby patch. I walked over, and before I had a chance to sit down on the ground… I’d found one. So, I picked it for her.
Then as I went to sit down, I found another one… and another one. I have never found so many so fast.
Each time I gave the 4-leaf clover to Harmony… and each time I did, she threw them away. (Lol! Kids these days!)
Why? Because she wanted to find her own, and she was frustrated she couldn’t find any.
So, I sat down and found a stack more to replace the ones she threw away… and then something interesting happened. I found a 5-leaf clover.
I pressed my little “stash” in the notebook I carry with me.
Every time Harmony thought she found a 4-leaf clover… she was disappointed to find it only had 3 leaves or it had been damaged, so it looked like there were 4 leaves.
She finally asked me how I was finding so many.
Up until that moment, I hadn’t really thought about it. So, I looked at what I was doing as though I was an observer. And that’s when I worked it out.
When I look for 4-leaf clovers, I…
Knowledge Nugget #275:
Look For What’s Different By Seeing
What’s Similar First
Let me explain what I mean.
I don’t actually start by looking for 4-leaf clovers.
I start by looking at a patch of ground… seeing what’s there and seeing the patterns of the 3-leaf clovers. They are all similar.
Then I look for things that look different.
When I see something different, I look at it closer and see if it’s actually different… of a clump of similar things sitting together.
If they are different… that’s usually where the 4-leaf clovers are.
Basically, I calibrate myself to look beyond the obvious, and then I can see what I’m looking for quicker. And I get the results I want faster as well.
It happens because I know what “normal” looks like… and anything that’s different stands out more.
But I didn’t know that I did this. It’s something I do automatically.
And I don’t only do this when I’m looking for 4-leaf clovers. I do it when I critique copy as well.
When I critique copy, I look at the words and the arrangement of the sentences… and then I can see problem areas.
This skill comes in especially handy to find the pesky “you’s” in the Facebook ad copy I critique. (There’s a particular way to use the word “you” in Facebook ads… but most people do it wrong. So, it’s better to write your copy without them if you can.)
It also helps me assess danger around me quickly because I don’t need to pay quite as much attention to what’s similar… which means I can pay closer attention to what’s different. And in my experience, that’s where the danger lies.
If you can tap into this skill, it can help you see through the clutter and stand out from the crowd.
Here’s a question for you…
In those “Where’s Waldo” books (“Where’s Wally” for my Aussie mates) … do we find Waldo because he’s different from everyone else? Or do we find him because everyone else is the same, which is why he stands out?
I’d love to know what you think… or know.
Until next week, stay awesome, and look beyond the obvious : )
Pauline xxx
Pauline Longdon
a.k.a. “The Copy Alchemist”
P.S. When I shared my 4-leaf clover “secret” with Harmony, she started to find them too. Then my sister (Harmony’s mum) came over and joined us. We told her our “secret” method, and she started to find them too. In fact, she’s a bit of a high achiever like I am, so she started to find 5-leaf clovers quickly as well.
It just goes to show that when you have the right technique, you can get the results, you desire… and deserve.
P.P.S. Another lesson here is… having the right teacher or mentor is important. Some people are great at what they do but can’t explain how they do it.
I’ve had a lot of teachers, coaches, and mentors who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) try to work out how to explain how they do what they do. That’s what I love about being mentored by Parris. He knows how to break down what he does. And he’s clearly rubbing off on me.
I find myself observing how I do things more and more. That way, I can share my methods with my mentees more.
P.P.P.S. Oh, and here’s a 3rd lesson. My niece asked me for help. She saw the results I was getting and wanted them too. She knew I could help her. And I did!
So… thinking about finding a mentor for 2021? I’m looking at taking on a few more mentees in the new year. But because I’m a working copywriter, and I have something huge happening in the first quarter of 2021, I only have limited availability.
If you’re serious about finding the lucky 4-leaf clovers in your patch… I can definitely help you.
Send me an email at: Pauline@TheCopyAlchemist.com and let’s have a chat.