Mel,
Recently a copywriter I know told me how he had this really disturbing dream...
He's still pretty new to the whole freelancing game, but I like his work, so I've thrown a few projects his way.
His confession came after he handed in his most recent assignment.
In his dream, I, Perry, had sent him a withering "poison pen" critique of his copy.
"You're a fraud," said Nightmare Perry. "You'll never amount to anything as a copywriter. And who do you think you are, anyway?"
Wow.
He continued:
Lately I've found myself facing each work day with a vague sense of dread.
I was starting to get discouraged, because it reminds me of how I felt about my Dilbert cube job right before I left.
I was thinking, "Is this what I was working so hard for? Did I just replace one job I couldn't stand with another that I dread?"
But then I realized this constant white noise background hum of apprehension is just because EVERY FRICKEN THING I do is waaaaay outside my comfort zone.
All day, every day.
Boy can I ever relate!
It's the same feeling I had sitting in on sales calls as a kid in my mid-twenties—Andre The Giant, wringing my guts like a dishrag.
It's the same wobbly-legged sensation I had when I hung out my shingle as a marketing consultant, the dust from the Twin Towers still thick in the air...
I've come to recognize this intense discomfort for what it is—
A sign of growth.
When you're pushing yourself toward your heart's deepest desires...
That's when your "inner orphan" wakes up and starts wailing like a banshee.
Now these days my "comfort zone" has expanded.
I can rip through consultations, hot seats, even live "look over my shoulder" copywriting-as-performance-art sessions without breaking a sweat.
But ever since I sat down and started writing the book that became Evolution 2.0...
Those familiar doubts and queazy feelings came roaring back.
Just a few days ago I showed up to a radio studio to debate PZ Myers, a famous biologist and cantankerous atheist.
And ol' PZ spent 80 long minutes trying to hack my legs off at the knees:
How dare this uppity electrical engineer write a book about Science!
Some days I wonder if I made a mistake picking this fight...
But then out of the blue someone will post an Amazon review like this:
Perry, I'll be honest. I thought you were going to go off on some Christian rant and start telling me how great God and Jesus are and how they should be in my life.
Should have known better.
Refreshingly honest and backed up with some straight talk and facts.
I thought it was one the best reads of the last 20 years. Honestly I learned stuff and have changed my opinion from being an Orthodox Atheist to thinking... Code. Could it be that simple? It does seem to make a lot of sense.
Really surprised many of the points raised in this book are not covered in detail elsewhere.
Thank you for writing it. It has taken a major place in my life already. A journey that is just beginning.
Hear me on this, Mel:
You didn't "just get lucky."
You worked hard to get where you are.
You earned your spot at the big kids' table.
So next time YOUR inner orphan starts beating on the cellar door, just smile...
Cuz things are about to get GOOD.
Carpe Diem,
Perry Marshall
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