5 Reasons to Start Your
Writer’s Life Today
By Jon Stoltzfus

One night after dinner, my middle daughter — who’s starting to decide on a college major — asked me a question:

“Do you ever regret not being an engineer anymore?”

I didn’t even hesitate to respond …

“No. My only regret is not becoming a copywriter sooner.”

When I first bought AWAI’s Accelerated Copywriting Program in 2006, I was in a bad place mentally.

I had over a decade in the defense industry as an engineer, and I was regularly working 60–70 hours per week.

On top of that, I was dealing with the annual stress of budget cuts, contract renewals, and supporting my family amid all that uncertainty.

In short, I was miserable. I hated my job and my life. That’s what led me to look for other options.

That’s when I stumbled across copywriting (a term I’d never heard of before) and AWAI.

I ordered and started going through The Accelerated Program … and then I put it on hold because I was too busy — or so I thought.

I now realize I was afraid of change … of not being successful … and of putting my family’s welfare in danger.

It took me seven years and finally losing my job to defense budget cuts to dive back in.

I only wish now I had considered all the positive impacts on my life instead of the negative ones …

And because you may be having some of the same doubts today, I want to share the top five reasons I wish I had started copywriting earlier and why I think you should take action today:

1. You have the power to choose how your career unfolds

In a typical job, your career path is pretty much known …

Periodic promotions and raises, what your job will look like for years to come, and even what your ceiling is — just how far in your company you can rise (if at all).

And much of it is out of your control.

As a copywriter, you have a lot more control over your career and your life.

You can choose which projects you work on and which clients you work with.

You can set your own wages and get paid what you deserve.

And if you decide you need a change of pace, it’s easy to take on different types of copywriting projects or even change your niche from time to time.

It really is your writer’s life and you’re in control.

2. A newfound confidence in yourself

I questioned more than once whether I could really make the transition to copywriting.

And even today, I sometimes struggle with impostor syndrome after a promotion flops.

But one thing that WILL happen if you take this leap is you’ll develop confidence in yourself and your abilities.

You’ll get better at researching topics and developing big ideas …

You’ll get better at writing every day and writing with a purpose …

And you’ll get better at finding and landing clients.

All of it will build a confidence in yourself you may doubt you even have.

But you have to take that first step.

3. The Money

This is the dream, right?

And yes, you can absolutely make money — potentially a lot of money — writing sales letters, emails, newsletters, website copy, and many other forms of copy and content.

But here’s what really matters …

You’re in control of how much you charge, how often you work, and how much you make.

If you’re a talented copywriter, generate a lot of sales, and are willing to put in the work, you can absolutely make six or even seven figures per year.

But if you’re just looking for a little extra cash to fund the vacation account, you can also choose to write just a few hours a week and pick up projects when you want them.

It really is up to you.

4. You get to redefine retirement

Many people are already redefining retirement and working later in life.

But as a writer, you can take this even a step further.

Not being tied down to any one location or a fixed schedule really opens up the possibilities.

My wife and I are already starting to look ahead to our empty-nest years to decide what we want to do.

She’d like to travel a lot and I’ve told her … I can write from anywhere.

And for me, I don’t intend to ever stop writing in “retirement” … I’ll just work the hours I choose.

5. You get to decide why you work

Even though I’ve chosen to work full time as the copy chief at Lurn rather than as a freelancer right now, I can tell you my vision of work has changed from what it used to be when I was stuck in the corporate world.

I no longer look at work as the place I go to earn enough money to support my family …

But as what I do that defines who I am, what my priorities are, and what I have to offer the world.

When you finally start your writer’s life, you’ll give yourself the freedom to decide what motivates you to get up each day and sit down at your desk.

And that freedom is exhilarating.

So if you haven’t yet made the leap to starting your writing career, I have to ask …

What’s Been Holding You Back?

Fear of failure? Lack of confidence? Do you doubt this is even possible?

We’ve all been there. And it does get better.

But if you want to go from where you are today to actually getting paid to write, you will have to take the next step, whatever that may be for you.

I just want you to do one thing for me …

Make a list of the positive things that could happen in your life and post that next to your computer or in your journal.

Every day, take a look at that list when you need to keep the negative thoughts from creeping in.

Then, remember there’s a whole army of successful copywriters supporting you, and take the next step in your journey.

If you want to be living your ideal writer’s life — and I highly recommend it — you just need to take the steps that will get you there.

For the ideal kick start, check out AWAI’s 4 Days to $400 Writing Challenge. It’s a virtual training program created specifically for brand-new writers. You can read all about it here.