It’s a question that pops into most aspiring—and even established—copywriters’ minds at some point: “What if I fail?” Our brains LOVE to catastrophize and fear the worst (just another great perk of being a human…). But if you notice yourself descending into a spiral of negative thoughts, the good news is that one simple method can combat all of your panic-inducing “what if” scenarios.
If you’re the type of person who tends to give yourself a hard time over every little setback (yes, we’re looking at you, high achievers!), you’ll definitely want to listen in to today’s episode. Join Nicki and Kate as they unveil a powerful tactic to reboot your confidence and remind you that, yes, you *can* do this!
TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[1:44] Nicki and Kate are going to be digging into a question that pops into everybody’s mind at some point, especially when starting a new career in copywriting: “What if I fail?”
[3:10] Unfortunately as human beings, our brains tend to catastrophize and look for danger. And so when you’re interested in something new, it’s natural to start thinking, “What if I can’t do it?”
[4:27] If you’re thinking about failing as being a possibility, then why can’t success be just as likely? If you’re not giving up and continuing to take the right actions, then you’re most likely going to get to where you want to go.
[7:10] Whenever you start to notice yourself going down the route of catastrophizing, make a note of the alternate version of the “what if”.
[7:53] High achievers tend to hold themselves to high standards, which means they’re also more likely to worry about failure, and to count small setbacks as “failures”.
[10:50] If one of your friends wants to achieve something, you’d most likely be cheering on their success. So why aren’t we doing that for ourselves?
[12:02] A lot of us think we need to rely on motivation to stick with something. You might use motivation to get started, but when it inevitably disappears, you have to move into the commitment stage.
[15:45] Sometimes, we get muddled about what success really means to us—especially with social media! Make sure you’re focused on your definition of success—not anybody else’s.
[17:36] Success is not just one final destination. There are lots of successes to experience as you make your way through the process to where you want to be.
[19:36] You can’t predict where the path is going to go, so stay open to the fun opportunities that might come your way. A lot of CCA students have experienced success that looks a lot different to the success they originally set out for. (Carli’s story is a great example of this!)
[23:19] Self-doubt is a natural part of the process. But there are tried and true steps that you can take to get yourself out of that self doubt and onto the next step (like reaching out to the community or hopping on a coaching call).
[25:12] The fear of failure will come up at various points throughout your career. Our hosts encourage you to share your experience (our student-only Facebook group is a great place for this!) so that you feel less alone and realize that you CAN do this!
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“Think about what success is for you. What if I achieve this definition of success? I might not achieve this other definition, but do I even want to achieve that? And thinking about motivation, it can be very demotivating if you’re like, ‘I’m not achieving what I think I should be’ but ask yourself, ‘Do I even want that? Do I even want that to be what my success looks like?'” – Kate
“You can’t predict where the path is going to go. Things are going to come your way, things are going to change, you’re going to learn more, you’re going to have more opportunities and as you see and identify those opportunities, you might use that copywriting skill set in a different way but it might not have been the “success” you set out for.” – Kate
“Success is not just one final destination. Success is all kinds of wins on the way to wherever you eventually want to get to.” – Nicki
“You’re never in this alone, I guarantee that whatever you’re feeling, whether you’re at the very beginning of the process and you’re thinking, ‘I don’t know, I’m afraid that I’m going to fail’, you are not alone. Every single person that is a successful copywriter now started in the exact same place, knowing nothing about copywriting. No one is born knowing anything about copywriting so if that’s where you are, you are in excellent company because that’s exactly where everybody who is a successful copywriter now, or is a student now, who is working their way, everybody started in that same place. Often our emotions make us feel like we’re the only person experiencing it, right? Experiencing the self-doubt, experiencing that fear, you are not the only person, but it will feel like you’re the only person as long as you just stay within yourself, and you don’t share that experience.” – Nicki
Mentioned on this Episode
Related Links
- Why People Tell You “Copywriting Is Hard to Get Into”
- Fight These 10 Fears with a Systematic Process
- Why Setbacks and “Failures” Don’t Mean What You Think They Do
Get an *Exclusive* Bonus Recording!
Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it!
Get all the details on how to get your recording here »
About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
See Previous Episode
Ep. 177: Reframing Your Copywriting Goals to Align with Your Values – with Jessica Lackey
Last Updated on June 10, 2024
