Letting go of old narratives

What if “letting go” actually affords you the momentum to move ahead?

 

Playing it safe often means clutching to things with a too-tight grip.

This includes your outdated stories.

 

But if you loosen your grip and let go, your hands – and mind – are free to consider new possibilities.

 

What narrative are you clinging to that is no longer working?

 

Some stories have a limited lifespan.

They will run their course – even as others try to convince you to stay still and unchanged.

 

But you’re growing and evolving.

You’re ready for what’s next.

And that reassessment is essential for the growth you desire.

 

The story you tell is the one impression that lives on with those you’re trying to reach.

Tell the story you want them to embrace.

If you need help defining that narrative, reach out and we’ll craft it together.

MOVE. FORWARD. ANYWAY.

Analysis paralysis.

Move fast and break things.

Neither option can be sustained in the long run.

 

But one disciplined thing wins out every time:

Constant forward motion.

 

There will always be something swirling.

Something to knock you off course.

Giving you reason to pause.

Telling you to run faster.

 

But your plan/goal doesn’t factor these in.

It assumes action. Forward motion. Always.

 

The only way out is through.

And through requires motion.

Stubborn motion.

 

Big breakthroughs don’t happen by thinking up new ideas.

They are revealed through action, by showing up and doing.

So while others hit “pause” — keep moving forward.

When others start sprinting — maintain your steady pace.

 

Move forward and see how things begin to change.

Without losing ground.

Focus on moving — and on the goals you’ve set.

Not on what’s swirling.

The most important part of writing isn't the writing

 

I question everything I write.

Until I don’t.

 

That doesn’t mean I believe my drafts evolve into perfection.

Truth is I haven’t come close to writing the perfect piece, ever.

 

But what I’ve managed to learn over a few decades of writing is this:

The most important part of writing

is questioning and thinking about

what you just wrote.

 

This is the writer’s contemplative work that demands unmerciful scrutiny:

  • Is this really what you mean?

  • Will it resonate with the audience?

  • Did you use a helpful example or accurate analogy?

  • Did you allow jargon to slip in?

  • Can you say this differently but better, quicker, more human and conversational?

  • Is it reflective of the brand or individual you’re writing for?

  • Would you want to read this?

  • Does it educate or challenge what you think?

  • Does it make you want to take action?

 

Here’s an accepted truth:

Anyone can write and putting words on paper or a screen is easy.

But not everyone is a writer – and that’s okay and also acceptable. Not everyone is an engineer either. Which is why it’s helpful for non-writers to understand how writers do what they do.  

 

Writing (the process) doesn’t look like

writing (the act) at all.

Writing is rooted in everything that is simmering before the first words are hammered out, after the first draft –  and second, third or seventh – or however many are required until you land on a draft worthy of being final.

Writing includes thinking, mulling, stewing, questioning, arguing with yourself, walking away and letting first words calcify, returning to test if they are strong or brittle, tearing elements down and rebuilding.

It looks more like sculpting than writing. That’s because it is art.

Writing also involves letting someone with zero subject matter expertise read your draft to find out if they can follow it, to see if it makes sense even if they don’t know the technical details. Because simplicity outperforms the bravado of expert posturing. Which is to say…

 

Good writing is hard.

It is never automatic, and never a given.

Writing something good, once, is in no way a guarantee that your next thing will be any good. It requires doing the hard work from scratch, all over again with no shortcuts, in hopes that it too might become good.

 

The myth of great ideas.

Great ideas (epiphanies!) rarely “just happen” in a first draft or any draft. It’s like the fleeing fireworks display in the sky – it’s looks pretty, briefly, followed by hazy residue once the twinkle fades as you await what comes next. Instead, great ideas are the tortoises in these races to the finish line, always plodding a bit slower than we’d like but worth it in the end.

In fact, epiphanies aren’t unexpected, out-of-the-blue thoughts or ideas at all. They emerge when you prune and edit everything that’s been taking up space – in your brain and on the page. In this sense, the epiphany becomes sudden, recognizable clarity as bloated language and jargon get removed.

The great idea emerges after carefully working and examining the entire landscape and finding it has been hiding in plain sight all along.

 

Good writing is never over.

However, at some point it needs to be ready or complete. Complete means as far as you can take it, as well as you possibly can, with what you know right now. Because a few weeks or months from now you’ll look at what you wrote and find yet another way, possibly a better way to say it.

 

For people who don’t do a lot of writing, this takes entirely too long.

For writers, there’s always a desire for more time to allow the best ideas and language to emerge and mature. And that’s because writers know what’s at stake, writers know what the right words can unlock.


These days a lot of written content feels disposable, unhelpful, noisy [add your descriptor here].

It feels like fast food: quick, convenient, seemingly necessary, but also lacking. And just like fast food, disposable content feels even less fulfilling after its consumed.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Even the shortest post can have a powerful impact.

The deception is in how easy it appears (but now you know the truth).


Slow down.

Think it through (ask more Qs and then think some more).

And then write some really good sh*t.   

 

 

** For the record, I wrote and edited this piece across multiple days and sittings, challenging myself and what I believe about the process. Nothing comes easy.

 

*** The photo image is the cover of Steven Pressfield’s book of the same title and is a must read for writers.

Your bespoke, game-changing copy is the problem

photo credit: Greg Rosenke

You lost me at… bespoke.

It's one of many words that, when pressed, organizations don't really mean or embrace.

Words that would rarely, if ever, come up during conversation, let alone a contract negotiation.

Yet there it is... part of the web copy, the pitch deck, and the promo ad.

Not everyone cares about your word choice.
(but some do)

Not everyone sees you borrowing from the competition's vernacular.
(relax, most people don't believe them either)

So keep this in mind:

  • There are few one-of-a-kind hand soaps or social services providers.

  • There are even fewer game-changing law practices or pumpkin patches.

  • And fewer still... bespoke agencies or pest exterminators.

Then ask:

  • What do we do well enough for the ideal customer or client to say, "We could benefit from that"? (we're not even aiming for uniqueness or greatness yet, just relatability to their needs)

If they have to look up bespoke or question your unverifiable claim, they’re likely seeking out the competition next to see if they speak plainly to their pain point.

Make it EASY for people to choose you.

And when it doubt, always simplify.

The "Attention" Graphic

“PROGRESS” via Visualize Value

One graphic. Two vastly different perspectives.

 

1. WHAT deserves my attention?

2. WHO deserves my attention?

 

In the WHAT scenario, this exemplifies focus (good).

 

In the WHO scenario, this signals missed opportunities. (not so good).

 

I also see the WHAT-WHO as interconnected.

 

When I am hyper-focused, I have little time for distractions and interruptions. It’s part of our conditioning to always "strive for" a level of focus that leads to breakthroughs or better outcomes.

 

But it can come with consequences.

Human consequences.

 

And if I am to effectively lead a team, my business, clients, or my family forward... I need A LOT more of the Xs on "WHO deserves my attention?" to become checkmarks. (I also think of an X as a person coming back multiple times).

 

Doing focused work isn't a hall pass to ignore the needs of people who seek your insight, guidance or encouragement. We might not always have the time, right this minute, but we must find ways to make time and space for the people who need us.

 

Those who get it will have a more profound impact on the people in their sphere of influence.

 

NOTE: this graphic is originally titled "PROGRESS" from Visualize Value, which prompted how we define & measure progress.