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A Copywriter’s Journey to Moving Forward – Breaking the Cycle

For years, I felt stuck—like I was pedaling hard but getting nowhere. I had dreams and goals but couldn’t seem to move closer to them.

In Part 1, I listed strategies that helped me shift gears. Now, I’m exploring what held me back and how I finally started to make progress.

Ahhh…the start of a new year is so full of promise, isn’t it? A new year symbolizes a new you and a better life, right?

For me, the past few years have started out with so much potential, but as the months passed, resolutions faded, and my situation didn’t change.

This year, however, I was so tired of spinning my wheels. To break free, I had to get to the root of my self-sabotaging patterns. If I wanted to reach my goals, I needed to do a lot of reflection. And I needed to be completely honest with myself.

Enough is enough! I don’t want my comfort zone and my fear to win. I don’t want my current situation to limit the level of success I achieve in the future.

I reflected on my behavior and noticed my good intentions weren’t translating into meaningful action. I recognized three things that held me back: Procrastination, perfectionism, and analysis paralysis. Maybe you’ve heard of them? Maybe you’ve had a similar experience?

First up, procrastination. I was putting off important tasks. For example, I knew networking was important, but I struggled to follow-through, stopping after the first week. Similarly, I started a flagship copywriting course twice but never finished.

Next was perfectionism. Fear of failure and the endless pursuit of external validation kept me stuck, questioning myself and my path.

To round out this trifecta, there was analysis paralysis. I looked to webinars, courses, and experts to nudge me onto the right path. There were so many…too many…options, and I felt overwhelmed.

Ultimately, these struggles were rooted in imposter syndrome—a deep-seated belief that I wasn’t skilled enough to succeed. Acknowledging this pattern pushed me to find solutions.

Ironically, this mindset kept me from the very actions that would have proved me wrong.

So then, maybe the cure was to take action. But it had to be the right kind of action.

If I want different results, I need to do things differently.

David Meltzer, business coach and author, says, “If you’re struggling to start something new, lower the bar…I believe in consistent, persistent behavior. If you do something for two minutes a day, it’s better than doing it for two hours on Saturday.”

With that in mind, I decided to lower the bar. I no longer overwhelm myself with 12 to 15 tasks each day. Instead, I ask myself, “If nothing else gets done today, what are two or three doable priorities that, if completed, would make me happy and productive?”

My “if nothing else” list has helped me complete tasks consistently and has relieved so much pressure that I put on myself.

Earlier in the year, I listened to author Mark Manson’s podcast named after his book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck. His guest was Noah Kagan, founder and CEO of AppSumo.com, and author of Million Dollar Weekend. Kagan mentioned “The Law of 100.” The idea is to do something 100 times before you give up—for example, learn an instrument or post videos on YouTube. So many of us give up too soon if we don’t see results right away.

After hearing this, I decided to challenge myself by publishing new blog posts. Applying this to my writing felt very intimidating at first—my inner critic was loud—but hitting “publish” taught me that progress matters more than perfection.

Ilise Benun (author and co-founder of Marketing Mentor) teaches a course on networking using LinkedIn. I took the course a couple of years ago, and when we got to the part where we had to send connection requests to three people, I stopped. I was terrified to contact people outside my network.

I took the course again at the beginning of this year, and I completed it. You know what? The world didn’t end when I sent out connection requests! Some people responded, some didn’t, and that’s okay! AND…the world is still spinning!

I’m currently gathering a list of companies and agencies I would like to connect with. I’ll start reaching out in the next few weeks.

In addition, Tiago Forte, author of Building a Second Brain (a great book, BTW), suggests having enough projects going on so that if one thing feels stalled, you can move on to another project. I like this idea because I think it will help me stay productive.

Ongoing challenges and lessons learned

While I’ve made progress, I still face challenges. This is not a linear process. I have to constantly remind myself to stay focused, and to revisit the lessons I’ve learned this year.

Mindset and action have a symbiotic relationship. The right mindset will motivate me to act, and taking action will boost my confidence and help my mindset.

Conclusion

This year taught me the power of small, intentional actions. Overcoming self-doubt isn’t about waiting for the perfect moment or plan—it’s about starting where you are and moving forward, one step at a time.

What’s one small, intentional action you can take today to move you closer to your dream?

Remember to show yourself patience and grace when things get difficult. Meaningful change takes work, but it’s worth it. Trust the process, be intentional, and keep going. Your future self will thank you.

Writing this post reminded me how far I’ve come this year, and I hope it inspires you to take that first (or next) small step toward your dream.

Hi, I’m Clarissa and this is my brand new blog. I’m so happy that it’s finally launched and that YOU’RE HERE! Thank you!

A little bit about me…

I was laid off earlier this year. Unfortunately, it’s a common story these days with so many companies downsizing or going out of business. In my case, I worked 20 years for a corporation that will be closing its Los Angeles office by the end of this year. I was in the first group of lay-offs so I had two months to wrap up my projects and my position, and to train my replacement in Denver.

Even though I was laid off, I feel fortunate for all that I accomplished in the last two decades. During my tenure, I raised two kids, became a homeowner, and grew my 401(k). As my job responsibilities increased from recent downsizing, I adapted and had to be even more organized and efficient to take on new duties.

I got to know some amazing people who became friends. We ate lunch, we walked downtown, we had book clubs and support groups. Our conversations showed me that I’m not the only one seeking life balance and fulfillment. Their advice and words of encouragement were and are invaluable to me.

I was also grateful that my employer partnered with a career transition company that would provide assistance to everyone who was laid off. This company helped me update my resume (which I hadn’t seen in about 15 years) and offered seminars, webinars, and counseling to help with the job search. I took full advantage of the resources available to me.

I looked for positions similar to my most recent title, Executive Assistant and Report Coordinator, at companies similar in size, industry, and culture to my previous company. I scheduled a few phone and in-person interviews. I discovered that many corporations left Los Angeles and relocated to far-away places like Woodland Hills, a commute that would be about 60 miles for me.

The more I searched, the more I felt something tugging at me, trying to get my attention. A moment of clarity came when I realized I can redefine and reshape my career right now. But shape it how? I wasn’t sure which way to go.

In high school and college, I loved to write. However, as my work went from retail jobs to the music industry to financial services, I wrote less and less. I was inconsistent with my journal but I managed to embed a common theme: Longing for a writing career, or even just writing projects that would hopefully—someday—lead to a writing career.

So how did other people do it? How did they find their dream jobs, their calling? What inspired them? And how did they know what they wanted? Some find it at an early age. Or it might be a process of trying one career after another. And for others, fulfillment might be found away from work as a volunteer or as a little league coach. Everyone has a unique path…

…and here we are. Welcome to my blog!

This is where my writing and exploration come together. Of course, my blog will have my ramblings; I also intend to include interviews with dynamic people who forged their own way to a life they love. I’ll also review products or services that I come across along the way.

And, if you have any ideas or comments, please share! For example, if you know someone who LOVES their job or found their passion, and you think others might be inspired by them, please let me know.

If you would like to contribute your thoughts on future topics, please go to the YOU TELL ME tab. You’ll see a list of ideas for upcoming blog posts and your input might be included in the future. I look forward to hearing from you.

I’m so happy that you stopped by. Have a great day!

Clarissa Kemp