Lyden's Lab for Strategic Copywriters

3 Strategies for Writers to Combat Fear of Failure

In yesterday's post, Feel the Fear But Do It Anyway, I wrote about how thoughts of fear and doubt still afflict me, despite 15 years as a professional writer. During that time, I've learned strategies to combat the fear of failure and channel it into constructive action that propels me toward my goals.

Here are three strategies I employ:

1. Take charge of your thoughts by keeping them positive.

Develop and repeat affirmations that work for you. A few that are effective for me include:

• I have everything I need to succeed.
• I follow through on all my commitments.
• I will complete and send this [brochure/article/blog post/Web copy] by [time and day] -- win, lose or draw.
  
• No excuses! I can write anytime, anywhere, under any circumstance.
• I can break through ANY obstacle.

2. Visualize yourself successfully completing the project.

Imagine the client reviewing your deliverable, impressed and delighted with your work. The more you can get your mind to envision the finished product, all the way to the client's hands, the greater confidence you'll gain in your ability to follow through successfully.

This approach is the exact opposite of what happens naturally. When fear arises, an endless loop of worst-case-scenrio images tends to flood your mind, eroding your confidence and sabotaging your project.

Switch those mental images to positive pictures of desired outcomes and you'll displace the fear that blocking your creativity.

3. Focus on one section of the project at a time.

Block out everything else. Each section you successfully complete, the more confidence you gain as you move on to the next section. This way, you build momentum, finding yourself writing quicker and easier.

The Bottom Line

To be candid, none of these strategies are intended to be a cure for fear. Instead, they are a means to manage it, daily, to keep me on the path toward my writing dreams.

What are your strategies to combat fear and doubt?

About the Author: Sean M. Lyden is a nationally recognized feature writer and columnist on sales, marketing, automotive and technology topics. As a ghostwriter and copywriter, Sean has served clients such as General Motors, SunTrust Service Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Embedded Linux Consortium and Shaw Industries. He’s also co-author of the book How to Succeed and Make Money on Your First Rental House (Wiley, 2003). Follow Sean on Twitter.

© Sean M. Lyden, 2011, All Rights Reserved

 

Feel the Fear But Do It Anyway

Every morning that I get ready to write, especially when projects are due that day, I'm filled with fear and doubt. I'm overwhelmed with balancing my writing workload and all my family responsibilities (I homeschool our 6th and 8th grade daughters). I put in 40-50+ hours per week writing, along with several hours homeschooling, taking kids to activities and preparing meals. I'm stretched, physically and emotionally, with seemingly little energy to face each project.

So when I sit at a table at my local Starbucks "office," I think to myself, Is this the project that takes me down? Is the project I fail to fulfill for the client? Do I really have what it takes? I find myself tempted by procrastination activities, wanting to divert my attention to doing more research, more business planning, more social media, or anything else but tackling the projects that need to get done TODAY. 

I've been writing professionally since 1997, and full-time freelance since 2008. You'd think these feelings would go away.

They don't. At least for me, they don't.

Perhaps you experience similar feelings of fear, doubt, anxiety or whatever you want to call those knots in the stomach as you approach crunch time with writing projects.

How do you push through it?

What I do: Feel the fear but do it anyway.

I've made my peace with the fact that fear will accompany me every day. It's just the way it is. That's because every project brings with it the risk of failure. I've come to realize that greatness can only be attained when we push ourselves to the edge of failure. 

In other words, if we're not pursuing projects that stretch us, that position us to directly confront our weaknesses and the prospect of failure, can we truly achieve greatness in our profession?

I've changed my perception of that fear. I've made it my friend and choose to harness its energy to help me succeed. Those knots in my stomach? They represent the "butterflies" that come with anticipation of pulling off the impossible project - and blowing away my clients' expectations. 

 

About the Author: Sean M. Lyden is a nationally recognized feature writer and columnist on sales, marketing, automotive and technology topics. As a ghostwriter and copywriter, Sean has served clients such as General Motors, SunTrust Service Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Embedded Linux Consortium and Shaw Industries. He’s also co-author of the book How to Succeed and Make Money on Your First Rental House (Wiley, 2003). Follow Sean on Twitter.

© Sean M. Lyden, 2011, All Rights Reserved

 

Pro Writers: 5 Questions to Jumpstart a Productive Day

As professional writers, we often encounter days that we don't feel like writing. But if we surrender to that feeling, we risk missing deadlines, which can erode our client relationships and, eventually, our cash-flow.

We write, even when we don't want to, because we must. It is our commitment to our clients. That why we are professional writers, not hobbyists. So, how do we make sure each day is as productive as possible, no matter what emotions may afflict us?

Below are questions I use every morning to help me get into the right frame of mind to seize the day. I record my answers in daily entries in Evernote (which is one of the best productivity tools I've encountered all year!) so that I have a goldmine of all the ideas I'm generating. Perhaps these questions can be useful to you, as well. 

1. What am I thankful for today?

No matter what challenges you're experiencing that may discourage you, this question helps put your mind in a positive, resourceful state. 

2. How did I do yesterday -- and how can I improve?

This question could be worth thousands of dollars to you. How? Your answers could lead you to the one idea that, if you follow through on it, would take your writing business to the next level. 

3. What is my single highest leverage task today? (In other words, what will I absolutely commit to getting done today that would make the greatest positive impact on my business?)

This keeps you from getting bogged down by urgent, but not necessarily important work, ensuring you're laser-beam focused on the activities that will benefit your business the most.

4. WHY do I believe I can achieve [insert income goal] per month?

When you're discouraged, you can come up with myriad reasons why you CAN'T do something, essentially selling yourself on your deficiencies. Turn the tables on that thinking! Sell yourself on your assets and abilities. This is your personal pep talk time!

5. Where can I find incremental (0.5% to 1.0%) improvement in my time/ production today?

You don't have to make huge changes to significantly boost productivity. Look for small ways each day to make better use of your time. Some of the things I've come up with over the past few weeks include: cutting down on TV time, scheduling time to return calls/ emails (instead of doing those tasks immediately, which may distract me during a project), and honing my writing processes to keep me focused.

How do you get focused?

About the Author: Sean M. Lyden is a nationally recognized feature writer and columnist on sales, marketing, automotive and technology topics. As a ghostwriter and copywriter, Sean has served clients such as General Motors, SunTrust Service Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Embedded Linux Consortium and Shaw Industries. He’s also co-author of the book How to Succeed and Make Money on Your First Rental House (Wiley, 2003). Follow Sean on Twitter.

© Sean M. Lyden, 2011, All Rights Reserved