On a recent call, one of my coaching clients outlined one of the key problems he was having.
Content overload.
You see, he'd already read 5 copywriting books, over 10 self-books, and listened to a ridiculous amount of podcasts.
And yet, he wasn't making any progress.
This is a problem I also encountered during my first two years of copywriting.
I followed the advice that most gurus give, and read every piece of content I could get my hands on.
I read copywriting books.
I broke down self-help podcasts.
I hand-wrote sales letters every day.
But my income was stuck.
I'd hit a brick wall.
That was until I hired my first copywriting mentor, who helped me create a mindset shift that allowed me to scale my business:
"Reading and studying without action is just another form of procrastination."
Think about it.
If you wanted to become a fighter, you'd go to an MMA gym.
If you wanted to become a football player, you'd play football.
If you wanted to become a basketball player, you'd play basketball.
So why is it that with non-athletic skills, we think reading everything is the key?
It's because you've been programmed to.
In school, you study for a test by learning the content of a book.
You recite that content and pass the test.
In reality, things don't work like that.
You can read every book in the world, but if you don't actually do the work you're not going to make progress.
You have to put in the work, see what is working now, and then apply that to your business.
It's a process of trial and error that you go through time and time again.
So how can you break the cycle?
1) Read > Apply > Repeat
This is a concept I've had to teach myself.
Essentially you do the work until you come across a problem.
You find a book/ course that offers the solution and study it.
Instantly apply what you learn to solve the issue and repeat.
This prevents you from falling into the loop of endless reading.
2) Hire A Mentor
Hire someone who has already achieved what you want.
Hiring a mentor was the best thing I ever did in my business.
My income doubled, I made great new connections, and my skills allowed me to completely outperform the competition.
So, if you find yourself in this loop, don't go and get another book.
Apply what you already know, discover a problem that stops you from achieving your goal, and find a solution for it.
If you mindlessly consume, you're never going to make process.
P.S. I still have one spot open for my 1 on 1 coaching program I'm going to open next month.
If you want to increase your income, learn how to land new clients, and improving your copywriting skills, reply to this email with "Learn more" and I'll send you the details.
Have a great week,
Copy "avoid the consumption trap" Mav
