Tag: writing

Copywriting

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We all love great content and great copy when we find it. It just does resonate, immediately, genuinely, naturally. But then we either forget about it or we feel we ourselves are incapable of delivering similar work. And that’s where bad content and bad copy (and bad marketing) proliferates: in the gap between what needs to be done and what we (and everybody) feel comfortable doing.

This thread features 17 good reminders and examples for when things get difficult. Keep it close the next time you have to write a message.

The first time

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The first time you catch yourself blaming your not doing something on an external factor is the very moment you should stop complaining and start doing.

I can’t do that because I do not have time.

I can’t do that because my partner would not agree.

I can’t do that because my boss would not praise me.

I can’t do that because society would not accept me.

Instead, the first time is often the beginning of a series of excuses we use to not put in the work. It is a place to hide, a wall we build, it is resistance. If you can’t do it the first time, do it the second, the third, the tenth, the hundredth. Do it sooner rather than later. Do it now.

A matter of doing

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The difference between reading of examples and setting the example is a matter of doing.

It is not a matter of knowing. Knowing more, knowing more accurate information, knowing the right people, knowing how to get ahead, knowing all of the shortcuts and hacks.

It is not a matter of being. Being better, being more educated, being in the right circle, being on time, being perfect, being more capable.

It is not a matter of having. Having more resources, having the slack necessary to innovate, having the greatest talents, having all the degrees, having a flawless background.

All these things can help, and if you have them all the better.

But in the end what matters is putting up with the tediousness and repetitiveness of doing, and sticking to it even when something new knocks at your door, even when no one is holding you accountable, even when it hurts.

Do not want and cannot

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Sometimes we mistake what we cannot do with what we do not want to do.

For example, we might say we do not want to jump in the water or dance or give that presentation in front of the whole team, while what we actually mean is we do not (yet) know how to do that. Or perhaps we feel unsure about our skills. It is not a matter of “do not want”.

Other times, we mistake what we do not want to do with what we cannot do

For example, if somebody offers a new responsibility, we might say we cannot take it as we are too busy, but certainly that is not the full story. We are most likely not very interested in the responsibility offered, or we do not want it because it might expose some of our weaknesses. In any case, it is not a matter of “cannot”.

“Do not want” and “cannot” are often used interchangeably, but they are well distinct.

“Do not want” expresses will, power, decision, acceptance. It is a brave decision, and a necessary one in many cases.

“Cannot” expresses an opportunity, incompleteness, desire, potential. It is a step on a long road, and you will get there eventually.

Using them for what they are enables our clarity and helps us focus on what matters (and of course, drop what does not). Do it with intention.

Contradictions and implications

Fabrizio1 Comment

Not succeeding does not necessarily mean failing.

Not being right does not necessarily mean being wrong.

Not being good does not necessarily mean being bad.

Not agreeing with something does not necessarily mean opposing it.

We use categories to make sense of the world, yet categories are not dichotomies. If anything, their meaning is much better understood with a Greimas square.

Be aware of contradictions and implications, not only of contraries, when you are trying to understand what’s going on.