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The stories holding you back from writing for your business

You might think that, obviously as a Copywriter, I spend a lot of time writing. Telling my own story. Helping my clients to tell their stories.

But I also spend a fair bit of time not writing. Procrastinating. Pondering. Periodically paralyzed.

I think you probably resonate quite a bit with that second view. You might say copywriting isn’t for you or that you’re not a writer. Maybe you’re putting telling your business story at the bottom of your list. Making it a nice-to-have rather than an essential element of your client attraction toolkit.

And the reason you’re doing that? Well, to quote Oasis, it’s (Probably) All in the mind. Perhaps we should do a James Blunt and ask, Where is my mind? Because the reason you’re stuck is less likely to be about your skills as a storyteller and more likely to be your mindset holding you back. I think you might have a Dolores – and she needs dumping.

How your mindset can impact your business copywriting

Recently, I’ve had so many more conversations that revolved around mindset blocks around copywriting… 

  • I spent last Saturday with a couple of family members, one of whom is a business owner. We walked for miles and discovered that her mindset was where she was most stuck in telling her story.
  • I had a 2 hour messaging mentoring session with a new Conscious Connection Experience client where we uncovered how big a role the stories she was telling herself played in how she showed up in the world.
  • I joined Rosemary O’Shaughnessy as a guest on her podcast and chatted about how you can use copywriting to attract clients to your business. And mindset came up time and time again. (You can get a sneak preview of that chat with this LinkedIn Pulse article I wrote about it).
  • I got to be part of Vicky Shilling’s podcast recording event as part of her book launch where all of the business owners in attendance shared honestly and openly how much their inner stories had previously held them back in their businesses.

…that I think we need to continue exploring this. That’s why I’ve dedicated a blog post to the stories holding you back as a writer 👇

Your biggest storytelling block might actually be your inner critic

Have you been struggling to get your words out into the world lately?

Found yourself stuck / blocked / bound up in knots when it comes to telling your business story?

Feeling a bit like a stuttering Neville Longbottom facing down the thing that scares him most even though you are so deserving of being heard?

I see you.

And I think I might know what’s getting in your way.

It’s not the fact that you are not a writer. It’s not the fact that you’re a technophobe. And it’s not the fact that you don’t know enough.

No, what’s getting in your way as a storyteller is, well, YOU. But not the you that you are most aware of. This is the inner critic version of you. The one who lures you into playing small and quiet in order to keep you safe. I’ve decided to personify this inner meanie as Dolores Jane Umbridge, the passive aggressive Pink Nightmare.

When you go to craft your own business story, does the following ever happen for you?

🐸 A passive aggressive voice pipes up: “Something you’d like to say, dear?”
You immediately freeze, afraid to put a foot wrong.

🐸 You’re mid flow and rudely interrupted by an irritating “Hem, hem”.
You lose the flow of what you were doing and decide that someone else’s voice is more important than yours.

🐸 You go to hit send on that newsletter you lovingly scribed when you hear an, “It’s so silly of me..but it SOUNDS as if you’re going to SEND this to people…” pipe up.

You berate yourself and feel desperately sorry for your community for bothering them.

If this all sounds eerily familiar, you’ve got a Dolores. Your own pet Pink Nightmare. And she needs dumping.

There’s good news though. Dolores can be vanquished. Perhaps not overnight, but certainly over time. And there’s no magic wand required.

When she pipes up, remember that she’s the part of your brain trying to keep you small and safe. And tell her:

“I’m sorry Professor, I must not tell lies.”

Because you know:

🪄 There is no wrong, this is your story, you get to tell it however the heck you want.

🪄 Your voice is so needed. Your soulmate clients are waiting to hear from you RIGHT NOW.

🪄 That community of yours is bloody lucky to be a part of your circle. You give them so much value.

 

Some of the stories you need to overcome as a business owner to get writing

    1. I don’t know enough.

This is a big one. You’ve got caught up in the “How” and you’ve stayed stuck there. It’s natural that you’re there; you just invested lots of your precious time and money on learning amazing stuff as part of your dedication to your methodology. You’re here to help people with your new superpowers and you want to be doing THAT. So, when it comes to writing for your business, you dive straight into the how. And then maybe you get tumbleweed. People aren’t buying. Maybe you don’t know enough? Maybe you should go and do another course? Nope, that’s not the answer my dear. You already have heaps of wisdom and can give your clients tonnes of value. You need to show them that value. Take them on a journey. Draw a picture of the transformation that is possible for them.

2. I’m not interesting enough.

This is straight up untrue.

Your story is a rich tapestry, when you start following all of the threads of what makes you, you. But let’s approach this in a different way. Let’s frame your story in terms of your ideal clients. Most of us do what we do because we want to be that person we wish we’d had when we were struggling. So if you look back 5 or 10 years and what you were struggling with and what you dreamed of having, that’s likely to be where your ideal clients are currently at. Now they are incredibly interested in how you got to where you are today, which is where they dream to be. Talk to them about that and you’ll have them hooked.

 3. Should I even be saying that?

Gosh, “should” is such a horribly loaded word. Let’s ignore the “shoulds” and cookie cutter approaches. Being seen as “professional” is much less important than being human and making heartfelt connections with your ideal clients. Think about how you would talk to a friend about the work you do. And accept that some people won’t resonate with your story; you are not for everyone and that’s ok. Not everything that’s true to you is true to others, nor is what you have to say always going to be popular with others. Does that mean you shouldn’t say it?

Is it really easier to stay where you are?

If you’ve reached this point and you’re still thinking, “But it’s nice and safe in this little bubble I’ve formed around myself Lea, I’m not sure I want to smash through these limiting mindsets” here’s a different way of looking at things. Think about how NOT showing up fully and speaking your truth makes you feel.

What are all of the emotions and physical sensations you experience when you hold back or bite your tongue or say something that you think you are expected to say?

Angry

Frustrated

Disconnected

Dishonest

Trapped

These are some of the words that I feel towards myself in situations where I’ve backed away from speaking my truth. And if it feels that bad to not speak up, how could speaking your truth feel worse?

There are so many examples of scenarios where we keep schtum or dilute our voices to pacify those around us, I bet you could give me at least 3 examples from your day already! From shrugging it off when someone gets your name wrong at a meeting, to congratulating someone for something that doesn’t feel natural to you to congratulate because it’s seen as the thing you do; to keeping quiet when you witness an injustice, the outcomes can seem so small sometimes, but if you counted up all the times you stayed quiet in the last week/month/year, instead of speaking your truth, what would that add up to?

So, what does it mean to send these mindset blocks away with love? And how does it feel to start writing for your business from that place?

Rebellion

Freedom

Honesty

Wholeness

Relief

Empowerment

Courage

Strength

All of this and more I wish for you. You deserve it you magical human. And by tackling those mindset blocks, dumping your own pet Pink Nightmare and unleashing your inner storyteller you can claim this. Yes, you are interesting, you know loads and you can do it your way.

Now, if this all feels super overwhelming and something you can’t quite tackle on your own, help is at hand. You need to know that there’s no magic, mysticism or secret sauce to sharing your business. Since I started using the Conscious Conversations approach, which puts your “who” and “why” at the heart of everything, I’ve found that clients find me and book with ease – no hard “selling” or “ick”. And I want to share this approach with you so that you can experience the conscious conversations difference. Any heart-led business owner can learn to do this. You are 100% capable of doing this thing! With loving guidance and dedicated space, you’ll be able to write the stuff that sells, from your heart, with ease.

 

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