When I was a fledgling copywriter in my early 20s, I attacked each project with a tsunami of positivity.
I was totally pumped, screaming with optimism, and just threw myself at every challenge and opportunity. I was like a kid in a toy store with cash in my pocket. I loved every project, even the “boring” ones for industrial clients.
I was on a natural high every time I sat down to work.
Today, 30 years and several mortgages later, that tsunami has lost a bit of its spontaneous power.
I don’t mean I have lost my interest in writing. I haven’t. I still love it just as much. And I’m almost certainly a better writer today than I was back then.
But if I am honest with myself, I’m just not as turbo-charged as I was 30 years ago. That rush of positivity no longer surges through me every time I take on a new task. Certainly not in the same reliable, frictionless way that it used to.
At the same time…I am very aware of the fact that the massive flow of positive energy and feelings I put into my earlier copywriting projects made a difference. In fact, it probably made up my lack of writing skill at that time.
Today I have to make a deliberate decision to get myself into that kind of positive mindset. I have to make it happen.
In other words, there are things I do before I begin writing.
Here are some examples:
– I’ll read some jokes, or watch funny videos, to make myself smile and laugh.
– I will read through a list of words that are positive like: happy, enjoyable, productive, energetic, focused, incredible…etc.
– I’ll read some positive affirmations, like, “I am truly excited to start work on this.”
At this point you might be thinking I have gone a bit loopy.
Not so. In addition to my own experiences, and my work with my coaching clients, there is a ton of science to support the claim that filling your mind with positive and happy thoughts makes a difference to how well you work.
In fact, the physical act of smiling can change your perceptions of the world around you.
Let me give you an example.
Several years ago a study was conducted with two groups of doctors. Both groups were given a pile of patient notes to go through and were then asked to assess each patient’s health, based on the notes.
Before they began, the doctors in one group were each given a lollipop.
The outcome? The doctors with the lollipops completed their task faster, and more accurately.
Sugar rush? No. The doctors weren’t allowed to unwrap the lollipops. But the gift of a candy did make them smile. And that’s what made the difference.
Hundreds of studies have been performed to demonstrate how positive thoughts and affirmations can have a huge impact on how you feel, how fast you work, and how well you perform each task.
In other words, unless you approach each writing project with a natural high, like I did when I was younger, you’ll produce better results if you take deliberate steps to put yourself in a positive mindset before you start writing.
Give it a try, and see what happens.
Related Resource:
My ebook – Affirmations for Freelancers
My coaching service for freelancers…
About the author: Nick Usborne is an online writer, copywriter, author and coach. Read more…