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Introduction to Smart Business Writing · The Daily Writer

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hey friends, welcome to episode 120 of the Smart Business Writing Podcast.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Kent Sanders, and this is the show dedicated to helping you share your message, increase your impact, and grow your business through the power of writing.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, today is January the first, 2020, so first and foremost, happy new year.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great time for a fresh start, and I don't know what your 2019 was like, but mine was honestly kind of bumpy in many ways.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't say 2019 was a bad year necessarily.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I'd say it was a very good year, in the sense that it was a year of a lot of growth, clarity, and learning for me.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: So those kind of things can be good, even though when you're going through them, it's kind of a pain in the behind.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Well, as we talk about a fresh start, though, this is also really appropriate because this is the introductory episode to the Smart Business Writing Podcast.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought it would be good to take a few minutes and give you an overview of what this show is all about.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd like to cover several things, such as who the show is for, what you'll learn, the show format, what the show is not, and then finally some guiding principles that form the foundation of this podcast.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: So first and foremost, if this is an intro episode, why is it labeled episode 120?
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's kind of a weird thing if you think about it.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the answer is that this used to be called the Born to Create Podcast, which was a show all about the process of creativity.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: However, I wanted to pivot the podcast and niche down, so to speak, so I could focus on writing, specifically writing for business leaders and entrepreneurs.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: I talked a lot about writing on the Born to Create podcast, and if you go through the episode archive, all the 119 episodes before this one, you'll see a lot of episodes where either my guest or myself that were talking about writing.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: So this was kind of a natural transition to go from the overall topic of creativity to funnel that down to the more specific topic of business writing.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I decided to keep smart business writing on the same podcast feed as Born to Create because, again, because creativity and writing are closely related.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I'd say that writing is one specific expression of creativity.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, there's a lot of good stuff in the Born to Create podcast that in many ways is foundational to what we're going to be talking about in the Smart Business Writing podcast.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I've gone ahead and left the archive in this feed, even though it might be a little confusing to some people for a little while.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, all things being equal, I'd rather leave the old episodes in there than start a whole new podcast from scratch.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thankfully, it's pretty easy to do because you could change the title of the podcast, you can change the artwork and other items, and update it quickly across all the platforms.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, I'd also recommend that if you want to dive into my reasoning for pivoting this podcast from Born to Create to Smart Business Writing, I would recommend going back and listening to episode 119 that I released last week.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll think you'll find a lot of good insights there.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's get into the meat of this episode.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: First, let's break down the title, Smart Business Writing.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: What exactly am I talking about when I say smart business writing?
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: And this might be a little anal retentive for some of you, but that's okay.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Just keep in mind that in my day job, I'm a college professor, so I tend to break things down.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, one time I heard John Maxwell say that communicators take complicated things and make them simple, while educators take simple things and make them complicated.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that in my experience is very true.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: I have the tendency to do that, and if you talk to my wife, anytime she will definitely tell you that I tend to overanalyze things and over-complicate things to a certain degree.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: So that may be the case here.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: However, this being the very first kind of foundational episode of this new direction on the podcast, and I think this will be really helpful for you to get a clear sense of the direction this podcast is going.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: So let's break down this title, Smart Business Writing.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, what does smart mean?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the term smart really describes how I'm approaching this topic of business writing.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I want us to be smart.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: And being smart means that we learn from the best.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: We pursue excellence in everything that we do.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because we want to be good at what we do.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to be mediocre writers or half-hearted writers or average writers.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: We want to be excellent writers.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: And because we want to pursue excellence and serve people the best way and be our best selves, so to speak, we want to be smart as we approach that.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: I'm in a really awesome online community called Total Life Freedom, led by Vincent Puglisi.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, you can listen to my interview with Vincent on episode 95.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: And one of our group members, Andrew Mundy, a couple weeks ago, he gave a really excellent suggestion in our group as we're going through our planning for the year 2020.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And Andrew suggested going back and reading your journals from the past year to see how far you've come and just to revisit the lessons that you've learned this past year, but you may have forgotten about as you've written them down in your journal and just kind of moved on.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I did that and wow, that was a great suggestion from Andrew because I had forgotten so many things that happened this past year.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: And in my journal, I came across an insight that I really liked.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if this insight is original with me or if I borrowed it from somewhere else.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Either way, I really liked this insight.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I had written down in my journal that many times our writing is all about notice me.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: We want people to notice us as we write.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: We want people to see how creative and intelligent we are.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: But really the most effective writing and the writing that impacts people the most is not writing that is about notice me, it's writing that is about noticing others.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, it's writing where we address their pain points and their needs and we give solutions to the problems that they're facing.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe we write a great story or entertain them or take them out of their real world problems for a few moments so they can, you know, escape into a fantasy or into a great story.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: No matter if you're writing fiction or nonfiction, good writing is all about not saying notice me, it's all about saying I notice you and I want to serve you.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Great writing is about serving and helping other people.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the day, isn't that what business is all about anyway?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Business is really all about serving and helping people, or at least, in my opinion, that's what it should be about.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: So when I talk about smart business writing, I mean that we should seek to be better.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: We should seek to learn from the best and to give our best to other people.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that means on this show, we're also going to be talking a lot about topics like mindset, attitude, perspective, personal growth, and related kinds of topics.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: So that's all about the term smart in smart business writing.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's go to the term business.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what I believe.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Fundamentally, every business is a writing business.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, if you're in business, then you need to use writing to communicate and to grow your business.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: So this show is for business owners of both large and small companies, it's for employees, it's for entrepreneurs and freelancers, it's for pastors and church leaders, and even educators, which is the world that I come from.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, my background, um I actually began as a pastor.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was a worship pastor at a church for a long time in Northern Illinois, and then I transitioned into teaching about 15 years ago, and I taught worship and music and the arts for about 10 years, and then I transitioned over a couple of years, period, over a couple of years' time to teaching communications and new media, podcasting, and storytelling and film and some things like that.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I've had a lot of different experiences in life, but they've all focused around creativity and music and the arts and communication.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: So all of those things kind of come together in the podcast, and you're definitely going to see all that stuff through this podcast.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been with this show for any length of time, you know that I'm passionate about creativity and the arts, and that passion has only gotten larger over the years.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: So that is definitely going to show up in this podcast, even though it's under the auspices of business writing.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Well, back to this idea of business.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: All of us need to use the power of writing to get our message out into the world to serve our customers and clients, as well as marketing and selling our products and services.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, in other words, if you're in a business of any kind, if you work at any kind of an organization or company, or a nonprofit or an educational institution, really this show is for you.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't really matter what you do for a living.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: If you sell products or services, or you have some sort of commercial transaction with people, or if you serve people in some way, this show is for you.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk about a lot of different ways to use words to serve others and to grow your business.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that brings me to the last word in the title, which is simply writing.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Smart business writing.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: And the word writing in this title refers to any kind of content creation.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: I anticipate that on this show we're going to be talking about email, blogging, books, self-publishing, social media, editing, productivity, podcasting, speaking, course creation, marketing, copywriting, and a lot of other topics related to content creation.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: So there you have it.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's really the behind the scenes of what the title Smart Business Writing refers to.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let me move on to talking for a second about what the show format actually is going to be.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's going to be a little different than what you're used to if you've been listening to the show for a while now.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: At least for a while, I envision this podcast to have three weekly episodes.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: On Mondays and Wednesdays, I'll do shorter episodes where I basically am teaching about a topic.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: And that episode might be based on a listener question, it might be based on something I just want to talk about and I'm interested in, or it might be on an area where I know people are struggling.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then on Fridays, I'll do a guest interview.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: And generally the guests will be authors, creative leaders, or business leaders, or other types of authorities who have something valuable to share with us.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I specifically chose this format, two teaching episodes and one interview episode per week, because I'm both a teacher and a student.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: I love the opportunity that a podcast can give you.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: You can connect with great people and have a conversation and then share that conversation with the world via a podcast.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: So on Fridays, that's why I'll be joining you as a student in the classroom of business writing.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: I don't see this podcast as a place where I get up and I'm like the authority on everything and I'm sort of positioning myself as this big authority.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: I see myself very much as a student.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I do have some things of value to share with you.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think I have some knowledge and some experience and wisdom that I can pass on to you, and I'm excited about serving you in that way.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: But please don't ever think that I view myself as kind of the end-all be-all expert on this topic, because I am very much still a student.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm learning right there alongside you.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I hope that we can learn together on this journey of becoming better communicators and writers as we serve people through whatever kind of business that you do.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now that I've talked about the content of the show and who it's for as well as the format, let me take a couple minutes to talk about what the show is not.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: And this is going to help to give you my perspective on how I'm approaching the show.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now it may sound kind of strange, but I think this is important to articulate not only what a show is, but also what it's not.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: And there are two specific things that I want to hit on right here.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, this is not a place where we have all the answers.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I just talked about this a second ago, but let me expand on this a bit.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: This show is a place of learning and growth.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I'm right there alongside you on the journey of learning and improvement.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, I really believe strongly that when you create a blog or a podcast, that's one of the best ways to learn because it forces you to put out regular content.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: One of the very best ways that I learn is by writing about stuff.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's by answering listener questions and about and by putting out podcast episodes and blog posts and social media content.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to grow, one of the fastest ways to do that is to teach other people.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I would encourage you to just crank out content.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's not always going to be A plus content.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's not always going to be, you know, Pulitzer Prize winning books and articles and stuff like that, but you have to do that to get better over time.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned just a minute ago that we have leaders and authorities on the show on Fridays to help to teach us.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: And these are going to be the podcast guests.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now you might have noticed that I specifically did not use the word expert in describing my guest because, in a sense, nobody is an expert if they're continuing to learn.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: The term expert implies that someone has reached a certain status and they're at a level where they cannot grow any further.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think that's ever really the case.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think everybody, I don't think anybody ever gets to a place where they need to stop growing and learning and that they've totally mastered their field.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: True masters realize that you don't ever know everything in your field and that there's always something new to learn and to integrate in your expertise.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: I want our posture on this show to be that of constant learners who are seeking to grow in our wisdom and are seeking answers and we're seeking learning from other people.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: The world is changing really fast, and we cannot keep up if we're not constantly learning.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, number one, this is not a place where we have all the answers.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, this is not a place for comparison.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Many times when you hear people on a podcast, or especially when you listen to interviews with successful people, let's just be really honest.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy to feel bad about yourself for what you have not accomplished.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to be really clear up front.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: Your journey is your own journey.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the only person you should be comparing yourself to is who you were yesterday or last month or last year.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: You can learn from other people, but you have to travel your own path and take your own journey.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever you hear from other successful people and the cool things that they're doing and the wins that they've had, don't just use that as a reason to feel bad about yourself or to feel jealous because of their success.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, use that as a chance to learn something and to improve yourself.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: As my friend Andy Storch says, and by the way, I interviewed Andy back on episode 106, was a fantastic interview.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: I had so much fun doing that interview.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: As Andy says, don't compare your life to somebody else's highlight reel.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there's a lot of wisdom in that.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, the last thing I want to hit on in this introductory episode is what I'm just calling five guiding principles that form the basis of this podcast.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to come back to these principles from time to time, but I want to consolidate them here just for the sake of clarity and for the, again, for the sake of laying a foundation for what this episode or what this podcast is all about.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: And also I want you to know how I approach the world.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to know how I view the world because that colors everything on the podcast.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to know me and what my approach is.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, who knows, these five guiding principles might change over time, but for right now, I've kind of settled on five things.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before I get into these, though, I've got to say this.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever seen the movie Citizen Kane, these are sort of like the declaration of principles that Charles Foster Cain wrote on the front page of his newspaper the first day that he was the new owner of this newspaper that he became in charge of.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this happens to be one of my two favorite movies of all time.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: The other one is It's a Wonderful Life, closely followed by movies like Back to the Future and The Wizard of Oz and The Dark Knight and The Godfather and many other movies, but Citizen Kane is right up there for me as like the number one greatest movie of all time.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: I absolutely adore that movie.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: And if you talk to any of my college students, they will tell you that I use that movie in a lot of different classes because it's such an awesome movie for so many reasons.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: So this is kind of like my declaration of principles.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't seen Citizen Kane, don't worry.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: You can go back and watch it and you'll understand what I'm talking about.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in here.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: These are five guiding principles that form the foundation of this podcast.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, every business is a writing business.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now I've covered this a little bit already, but I want to say this again.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a product or a service that you're selling, if you have a message to get out, you have to use words to do that.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: None of us gets away with not having to use words.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: We all must use words and language and sentences and paragraphs and all those kinds of things.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: We have to use that to communicate with people.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: So it it really means that we have to do this as good as we can because words are ultimately what persuade people.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: So by definition, if you have a business, you automatically have a writing business because you have to use writing in your business.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: So number one, every business is a writing business.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, you are a writer.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: Jeff Goines wrote a fantastic little book a few years ago, and it was simply titled This You Are a Writer.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: And that is so true.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: You are a writer.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you write, by definition, you are a writer.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now many people don't see themselves as writers.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the reason for this goes back to how a lot of us experienced English class back in junior high and high school.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: We experienced it as something to be something to be feared and something just to kind of put up with and something just to trudge through.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Which is too bad because being a writer is one of the greatest things in the world.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to forget all of the negative experiences that you've had as a writer over the years.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: You are a writer and you can learn to do it better, and you can learn to enjoy it, and all of us can use the power of language to create great change in people, to change people's lives, to communicate things, to share messages that we have, and to leave things for future generations.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: So forget all that negativity that we most of us experienced, you know, back in junior high and high school and having to write term papers and all that stuff.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because on this podcast, we're going to learn to love writing and enjoy it and do it the best that we possibly can.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: So a big part of your growth begins with simply acknowledging and affirming that you are indeed a writer and that you can be excellent at writing and that you can truly enjoy it and come to love it.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a pretty cool thing.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know why?
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's because writers change the world.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now, listen to me really carefully here because I want to communicate this concept really, really clearly.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: Who writes the songs that we listen to?
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Who writes movies and TV shows that we love?
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: Who writes the history books that determine how we view every past event that's ever happened in human history?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Who writes the speeches that are given by leaders and presidents?
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: Who writes the novels and the stories that transport us to faraway places and help us to escape from reality?
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know who creates all those things?
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: Writers create all those things.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's why writers rule the world.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because literally, we create everything.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a pretty amazing concept, and I am proud to be called a writer, and I hope that you are as well.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, guiding principle.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: You can learn the systems, processes, and tools for business writing.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, a lot of people are really intimidated by blogs, email marketing, social media, self-publishing processes, and all the stuff that goes along with those things.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: But just hear me out on this.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: You can learn those things.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, right now I'm working with a client who just about eight months ago, she had zero experience with websites, email marketing, and so many other processes and tools and online services.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: And now I've set her up with a website.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: We're working with ClickFunnels, which is marketing software, and also I've set her up with Convert Kit, which is email marketing.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: And literally, she wrote me an email the other day and said, I really love using ConvertKit.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's so fun and easy to use that I've not had any problems with it.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's pretty cool.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: So you can learn these things if you're willing to just expand a little bit and become uncomfortable and to get a handle on all these tools that we're going to be talking about.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be intimidated by those things.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: Guiding principle number four, habits are a major key to success.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk a lot about habits on this podcast.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: And as with most things, it's the little daily steps in the right direction that produce big results over time.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's great to have big, lofty goals, but it's really the small habits that are going to get you there.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, guiding principle number five, people are another major key to success.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: This is why we have guests on the show.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: My biggest growth comes when I hang around successful people and learn from them.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just about getting around other writers, it's also about getting around other successful business people, people who are big thinkers, people who have a big vision, people who have accomplished things that we have only dreamed of accomplishing.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's only when we get around people who are bigger than us that that we become enlarged.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: If we only hang around people who are on our level, then we're then we're never going to grow.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's just a fact.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to get uncomfortable.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: We have to in a Sense, you know, step aside from our insecurity and get around people who can really help us to stretch and grow.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I speak as someone who has been stretched a lot this year, and I'm going to be really honest with you.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: I've been really uncomfortable this year, this past year, as I've started to hang around people who are way more successful than me.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And at times I have wrestled with my own sense of worthiness.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: I've wrestled with imposter syndrome a lot this past year, feeling like maybe I don't have that much value to add.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: I've wrestled with my own insecurities, probably more than I have in my whole adult life in the past 12 or 18 months.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: So emotionally I've kind of like been through the ringer.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: So when I talk about hanging around successful people, I realize that many of you listening to this are probably thinking, man, I can't do that.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to just feel so awkward doing that.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, you're right.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: When you start to hang around people who are highly successful, it is going to feel awkward at first.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: But then you soon realize that those people are successful for a reason.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: They're successful by and large because they're generous and because they have goals and because they have habits and because they hang around people who are more successful than them.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I just want to encourage you that, man, people are such a huge key to your success.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I hope that I can be a really, really tiny part of your success by adding value to you.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: Once again, I'm very much a learner.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very much in growth mode.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I don't have it all together, and I don't have it all figured out.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: Trust me, I do not have all the answers.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: But if I can help you a little bit on your journey of becoming a better writer, then I will consider that a huge privilege.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: As I mentioned before, I come from the church ministry and the education worlds.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's what my background is, job-wise.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: And those are two areas that are oftentimes really slow to change.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: And oftentimes those are slower-paced places to work and places to be engaged.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I knew that it was important for me to start spending more time with business people who moved at a faster pace and challenged me more than maybe the areas where I tended to spend a lot more time.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's part of the reason why I'm doing this podcast.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's to challenge myself and to put me in situations where I will grow more.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: All right, friends, I know I've covered a lot of ground here.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: I know I've said a lot of different things, probably way too much.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: But I hope this is helpful and I hope that it gives you a clear idea of what to expect on this podcast.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate you listening to all this, and I hope this has been helpful.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, hey, those are my thoughts, but I would love to hear what you think about this episode.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: What are some principles that guide your writing?
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'd really love to hear about those.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: You can do that by heading over to KentSanders.net slash one two zero and leaving a comment on this episode.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, that's also where you'll find the show notes and the links for this episode.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd also be grateful if you would consider heading over to Apple Podcasts and leaving a rating and a review for the show.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: So here's a preview of what's coming up on the next couple of episodes.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: On the next episode 120, my friend Marian Renner is going to talk about moving from chaos to clarity in our lives and businesses.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm going to follow that up with a couple of solo episodes where we're going to talk about seven trends for business writing in the year 2020.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: Those are going to be really fun episodes, and I'm looking forward to them.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well, hey, once again, my friends, thank you for listening.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that your writing has the power to change people's lives.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you in the next episode.