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Call Me What You Want's List: Illusion

Why We Write - The Nobility of Copywriting

An inspiring video on copywriting

www.copywritingmaven.com/...nobility-of-copywriting - Preview

copywriting story sharing on 2008-09-28
- I firmly believe that when all is said and done, copywriting is a noble profession.
  
  Invariably every copywriting class I teach gets to hear me say it. Invariably someone laughs.
  
  Yes, sad to say, some of us use our considerable powers for evil (and you all know who you are) enriching those who least deserve it.
  
  On the other hand, there are those of us who use our copy crafting, emotion stirring powers for the greater good. We help build hospitals, museums and libraries, and tens of thousands of charities and non-profits both great and small with our talents and techniques.
  
  And sometimes we can help just one person have a better, brighter day.
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- - The following video was referenced by Mike Duffey, The Winery Web Site Report in a comment he left on Mike Moran’s article, Copywriting for the Busy. It was a soft, sweet balm to this copywriter’s soul.
    
    You don’t have to understand Spanish to enjoy it. I promise you’ll feel enobled when the video concludes. I know I did. It captures the old saw, “It’s not what you say but how you say it.” with a fresh new perspective.
    
    Enjoy and feel good about what you do to make a living.
The Struggle With Skepticism

The proverb says “the honest man is chased from ten villages.” It was true then and it’s true now.

www.businesspundit.com/the-struggle-with-skepticism - Preview

efficiency effectiveness progress validity correctness honesty illusion lack of incentive for community to discuss product of democracy reaction by society skepticism tragedy on 2008-05-21
- I will admit that I admire skeptics. I look up to guys like Robert Shiller, who first pointed out the tech bubble, then for an encore pointed out the real estate bubble. Despite all of the pundits who talked about structural changes in the economy, how things are different, Dow 36000, stocks as less risky investments, etc, Shiller held his ground. From my perspective though, it doesn't seem like anyone decided to start listening to him after 2000. Warren Buffett was the same way - lambasted in the late 1990s as too old school, even though he turned out to be right. He's simultaneously worshiped as one of the world's greatest investors, and despised for being a value, buy and hold kind of guy in an age when quants rule wall street. It's sort of paradoxical.
- It has just been my experience that when I get to the core of any idea, person, company, or organization, I almost always find that it has been overhyped. As a result, skepticism is my natural starting position.
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- - In the early days of the web, I was always the guy responding to chain emails with links to Snopes or Urban Legends. And now, with this blog, I've been critical of "wisdom of crowds," of Google's strategy and stock price, the book "Good to Great," and lots of other things people on the web seem to love. Sometimes I turn out to be right, and intellectually it always feels good, but it's always a pretty lonely vindication. The next time I turn negative on something, no one says "better listen to Rob…"
    
    You see, people really prefer positive people. People need hope, and that is why it sucks to poke holes in the stuff they believe. Our delusions are very dear to us. We want to believe that there is at least the small possibility that Bill Gates really will send us $1000 for every person we forward an email to, and we don't like it when someone tells us it isn't true.
  - So I find myself in a perpetually uncomfortable position. I feel compelled by the virtue of intellectual honesty to say what I think, even if I disagree, yet I know that people don't want to hear disagreement. And, I know that if I turn out to be right (obviously, I'm not always right, but I do have a very good batting average), it will probably cause bitterness more than anything else. So what's a businesspundit to do? That's why I prefer to keep to myself as much as possible. The less time I spend around people, the less they ask me what I think.
  - The point of it all, I guess, is that sometimes I just wish I could turn off the skepticism. But on the flip side, I feel like I've avoided many of the problems that I've seen others experience because I am skeptical. As a result, I have this simultaneous pride and disgust for my skeptical leanings. It's weird. What I really want is just to do something day to day where that aspect of my personality can come through and be an asset. I just don't what that is.
  - Skeptics who go against the popular theories and are right belong in financial markets. Go work for a hedge fund. Be a trader. If skepticism is that much of you, the entrepreneurial route may not be enough to satisfy.
  - Your skepticism is probably best characterized as “critical thinking” in other circles, a unique and immutable skill that has and will continue to bring you success. Keep it up.
  - I think that you miss the point with your comment that “people like positive people.” While that may be true; it’s tangential. The important point is that nothing happens if people always say no. It’s the person who says yes who gets things done; and generally they are saying yes in the face of nay-sayers.
  - I further assert that the final score in life is not how many times someone was “correct” but rather how much they accomplished. In the end, it’s not about being “right”. It’s about making things happen. I’d rather be right on a “yes, lets do it” 1 time out of 10 than right on a “no, lets not do it” 9 of 10 times.
  - Now that’s not to say that every idea is a good idea or that there is not a place for healthy skepticism. But it is to say that a skeptical mindset can really get in the way of accomplishing things.
    
    As a final comment, my personal advice to everyone is to know your bent and then “go for the no.” That is, if you are naturally a “no” person, you should consciously spend time looking for the “yes” reasons. If you are naturally a “yes” person, spend time looking for the “no.”
  - The tough thing is while no is usually the right answer, it is the question that is usually wrong. One has to search for the correct question which can be answered affirmatively. Entrepreneurs often end up stumbling over it when they pursue their misguided objectives, which is why yes can be correct even when it is wrong.
Overcome Fear By Not Overcoming Fear: The Powerful 2 Steps Guide

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fear identity streaminglinity on 2008-05-29 and saved by 2 people
- 1- Redefine “Dangerous”
  
  Dangerous things with potential to cause pain trigger fear. The focus therefore shouldn’t be on fear itself but on what triggers it instead. That’s the primary problem. How you define things as “dangerous” is the true key and it should be the first step you start working on.
  
  Things That Are Clearly Dangerous
  
  These are things that can stop you from breathing and put you 6 feet under the ground:
  
  Getting shot by a gun
  Jumping off a 30-story building without a parachute (unless you’re Peter Petrelli)
  Getting stabbed with a knife
  Popping 20 Viagra pills all at once
  
  … and the list goes on. :-)
- Things That Are Dangerous Because You Make Them So
  
  These are examples of things you need to redefine and think about differently. You may be wrongly perceiving them as “dangerous” and as a result they trigger within you unnecessary bad fear.
  
  Starting a Business:
  
  What’s the worst that could happen if you started a business? Will you fall so bad you won’t be able to get up and continue walking? The truth is, it’s not nearly as bad as you think it will be.
  
  I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. - Thomas A. Edison
  
  Remember, if you fear it, it does not mean it’s an inherently dangerous or crazy thing. The cause of fear is you and that’s a good thing because it means you are in control of it. Since you turn fear on, you can also turn it off.
  
  So go ahead. Redefine the idea of “starting a business” and remove it from under the “dangerous things” category you have in your mind.
  
  Go for it. Yes, you may fail but if you do, you’ll learn a lot from the experience - more than any book about entrepreneurship can ever teach you. You still win. In fact you’ll be wiser and smarter, and from there, you can try again.
  
  If you’re passionate about it, it shouldn’t be a problem. Success is a stack of failed efforts.
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- - Asking Out That Lovely Someone You Adore:
    
    There was this girl I really liked back in high school. At first I was scared of asking her out even though we shared a decent friendship. K was absolutely gorgeous - her eyes, her smile, the way she walked… all so very gorgeous. I wanted to tell her but I just couldn’t. I was afraid of getting the same vicious “no” I got from another girl previously.
    
    Then one day, a seemingly super popular guy asked K out. She rejected him! It turned out, what seemed popular to many people, wasn’t to her.
    
    Eventually I built up the courage to ask K out and to my happy surprise, she said yes. We dated for about a year and it was great. Today K and I are very close friends and so far, we’ve known each other for almost eight years. :-)
    
    Make your move. If you get a “no”, sure, it might sting a bit - momentarily. But at least you won’t be busy wondering what if the answer was “yes”. At least you’ll know and with time, the fear of approaching someone you adore will go away.
    
    Getting rejected by that special someone you like is not a dangerous thing. It doesn’t have to make you fearful. Redefine it!
  - 2- Ride the Roller Coaster
    
    Fear can have the power to cripple you - if you allow it to. It can also be a very powerful thing that motivates you. The secondary real key is not overcoming fear but utilizing it to your own advantage.
    
    Have you ever been on a roller coaster? It’s scary seeing that thing twisting and turning. Worse still are the shouts and screams. Well, at least that’s how it was like the first time I went to ride one. I didn’t. Just before running to the queue I remembered an article I read about some guy who fell off one and died.
    
    All the kids had fun that day. Some went on the roller coaster more than twice. All of them enjoyed it except me. I went back home feeling bitter and full of regret.
    
    About two months later we went to the theme park again. I thought to myself, the probability of dying in a car accident is probably more than that of falling off the exciting joyride. And so on that unforgettable afternoon, I went on the roller coaster three times. In a row.
    
    I did it because I was afraid… afraid of missing the fun.
  - Fear is not the problem. The things that trigger it are. Redefine them accordingly and change your perception of them. They’re not necessarily inherently dangerous. It’s you who makes them so and you can easily change that.
  - It’s alright if you get afraid sometimes. Just make sure you do for the right reasons. Fear the missed opportunities. Fear them because you may never see them again. Use this to your own advantage and let it propel you towards your hopes and dreams. It’s all in your mind. You know you can do it.

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Call Me What You Want

3 items | 22 visits

List where I put all things related to deceiving the mind whether it be intentional/unintentional or produced by a series of events which causes us to conform to a certain way to even scratch reality.

Updated on 2008-09-28
Created on 2008-05-21

Category: Cultures & Community

illusion manipulation mind_tricks conformity

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Call Me What You Want's List: Illusion

Why We Write - The Nobility of Copywriting

The Struggle With Skepticism

Overcome Fear By Not Overcoming Fear: The Powerful 2 Steps Guide

1- Redefine “Dangerous”

Things That Are Clearly Dangerous

**Things That Are Dangerous Because You Make Them So**

Starting a Business:

Asking Out That Lovely Someone You Adore:

2- Ride the Roller Coaster

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