WC 010: I Don’t Know How Writers Do This …

I don't know how writers do this.

Creating this newsletter has given me more empathy and compassion for those who have chosen this game as a profession.

It's one thing when you are a marketing strategist talking about how content dovetails with other growth and funnel strategies for your clients. Having put myself in the driver's seat these past two months has been an entirely different beast.

And while I often experience heavy resistance to the creative process, the conversations and chats that have been the result of this endeavor have made it all worth it.

You all are amazing.

So I guess that's why and how writers do this. I've answered my own question :)

As a matter of chance, I'm experimenting with abstaining from coffee this week, while also embarking on a 30-day writing challenge.

Sitting here this morning, I feel blunted by the lack of coffee coursing through my veins for the first time in a long time. It's contributing to a rising fear that I won't be able to live up to the "perceived" expectations of you, the reader.

Frankly, it feels like I'm always racing against a deadline, while praying that just maybe I'll have a novel thought or idea dawn on me that will be worthwhile of your attention.

I've received overwhelmingly positive feedback these last 9 weeks since I began sharing, and the thought of messing with the "magic formula" is a dreadful one.

Will people still want to hear what I have to say?

Will my writing still have that sharpness without the edge that I perceive the caffeine provides?

My daily writing routine has been to hit a 16 oz pour over, crank up some tunes, and see what flows.

Sitting here, my mind struggles to even focus on the page, as it's somewhere else, dreams interlaced with thoughts bubbling up of a hot almond milk latte.

There are many changes we desire to make in life that often get pushed to the back burner out of either fear, or the discomfort that comes with trying.

I think we've all been there at one point or another.

This week, I'm allowing myself to experience this discomfort, while also remaining committed to shipping.

I'm also offering a reminder to give yourself the permission to do the same when you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by changing weather patterns in life.

We've got this.

I leave you with a thought to reflect on:

Even when you think things are going downhill, you are held in grace.

When you surrender, prepared to lose everything - magic begins to happen.

⚡⚡⚡ Magic
​
Sending love.

Here's What I Want to Share This Week:

1. I continued down a path of Web3 education this week and wrote on three topics: Looking for a bird's eye view on Ethereum or Cryptocurrency, and why this matters for creators? Got you covered. I also took a stab at summarizing the 6 key priorities to be aware of as it relates to President Biden's Crypto Executive Order.
2. I caught up with an old friend, David Casey, and planted some exciting seeds for partnership. Dude is next-level smart. Resource Network is a decentralized, circular economy fueled by local resources and human potential. More on this coming soon, but I suggest giving this platform a look. Beautiful creator-friendly design too :)
3. I kicked off participation in Ship30, a 30-day writing challenge to further fuel the creative output. Beyond the challenge itself, the founders, Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole deserve a ton of props on the marketing front. The gamification and social loops they create within this cohort-based program are next-level wizardry. The Program starts again in April, and I highly recommend it for the meta-learning as a marketer, even if writing isn't your thing.

Who We are Celebrating This Week: Jesse Hanley

Jesse and I connected through this newsletter when he was kind enough to offer some feedback on something I wrote recently.

I learned he was the founder of a kick-ass marketing automation platform called Bento. The product is quirky by design, self-funded, bootstrapped, and doing some really innovative things. Mad props!

ActiveCampaign remains my numero uno email service provider for the time being, but Bento is a platform to watch. I'm naturally interested in seeing how some of the Automated Intimacy frameworks might translate with Jesse's approach to event-based workflows and personalization.

On a personal level, Jesse lives his life in a way that is highly aligned with my values of simplicity, connection, and only taking on work that feels alive.

The way he described his days really stuck with me:

"I wake up, code some stuff that excites me to build, talk to some awesome people, and then go to sleep".

I dig it.

Side note: Dude has a slightly mysterious vibe about him, lives in the south of Japan, and I couldn't find that many pictures of him on the webs, so you get this avatar instead :)

You can also catch him on Twitter here.

This Week's Curiosities :

Ultimate Travel Spreadsheet (Link)

I don't know about you, but I'm really ready to start traveling more this year. I'm kicking things off in April with a month in Nosara. As such, I've got a bit of planning to do. I found this spreadsheet from Johnny Africa, and I think I'll use it to get organized.

The Humble Hero (Link)

This is a gem of an email template from the Coaching the Conversion archives that was originally offered as a bonus. It came up on on one of our coaching calls this past week, so I thought I'd share it here as an additional subscriber "perk".

It's best used in one of the three situations:

1. If it’s been weeks or months since you’ve made a clear, direct offer.
2. If you’ve been sending free content (podcasts, blog posts, videos, etc.) for so long that your subscribers may not even know how you can serve them more deeply.
3. If you’ve made a pivot in your business (who you serve / how you serve them)... and want to pull out the most qualified subscribers.

Effortlessly (Link)

Ad inspiration from top brands, hand-picked, and deep-filtered. A very cool ad-inspiration library.

Under The Radar (Link)

"Discover the next big trend before anyone else". This is on my list for weekend testing fun. In full disclosure, I haven't tried the service yet. I've used a different offering by the creator, Jakob Greenfeld, who is also a subscriber here at The Wizard's Chest. He overdelivered on that particular project (a data-enrichment process for Twitter that he offers). Based on this experience, I'm inclined to think that this is worth a look for sourcing new content ideas and keeping up with market trends.

Memorable Quote:

"Post-technology technology, if I may use such a phrase, will take as its model the cycles of nature and in particular, the “magical” practices of ancient people. It will seek attunement and not conquest, and it will be occupied not with control but with beauty. This mode of technology, which I will describe later in the book, will not be a separation from nature at all, but rather an organic extension of nature that will return us to a timeless life in which linear time measurement is but a plaything."

- Charles Eisenstein, The Ascent of Humanity

With appreciation,
​
Phil

Check It Out On Twitter 👇👇

Come join the conversation on Twitter, it’s much more fun with friends.