My Copywriting Journey. Episode #2

I’m back!

Yesterday was my very first story, where I explained why I’m documenting my copywriting journey.

Today I’ll talk about my personal journey, getting started in the writing biz in the first place.

Because, my original profession was a Reiki Master!

I learned a very unique style reiki, from the guy who developed that particular style, called Alef Reiki. (One of my friends affectionately called it “Jew Reiki” because it’s based on the Hebrew alphabet and kabbalistic principles, lol.)

And this Alef Reiki was its own system, taught in 4 different levels.

Several years after I finished the 2nd level, I called my Reiki Master in NY to ask about doing Level 3 and getting my Masters. (I was flying into NY that weekend anyway, and wanted to make the most of my trip.)

Surprisingly, he tried talking me out of it. He said there are so few people interested in learning Alef Reiki, it wouldn’t be profitable.

But something inside, something beyond logic, was driving me to do this at all costs. So, after he failed at convincing me to NOT get my Alef Reiki masters…

He confessed that I would be the first to ever make it all the way through his first 3 levels and up to Master :)

Which makes me and him the only two Alef Reiki Masters in the world :)

Ok, cool, so what does that have to do with copywriting? Why did I stop doing reiki? Are there any weird, unexpected similarities between the two?

Well, I’ve always been a writer.

My creative writing teachers in school would love my work.

I was my grandpa’s only grandchild to write him letters on a regular basis. (This was before email was invented, if you could imagine such a thing, lol. He was living in Israel, and international phone calls were very expensive.)

So anyway, this was just a natural gift I never thought much of. And until I discovered copywriting, I always thought writers are limited to a newspaper column or book. Ha!

So, making a living as a writer wasn’t even on the table.

Now, back to reiki for a sec —

I was incredibly good at what I do. (I even developed two unique methods for helping people with body shame to feel safe and at home in their body, and at peace with who they are, so they can live life turned on!)

But what I was NOT so good at, was selling myself. Talking about my work in a way that made sense to people, made them value what I did, or lead the conversation into a consult or booking a session.

It was madly frustrating to have all these skills, talents, and gifts… with no one to receive them.

Plus, along the way, I also picked up some new modalities, got new certifications, including a license to teach and certify others.

All that did was exacerbate the frustration- because now, instead of just one or two things for people to reject… Now I had a plethora of things no one wanted from me.

This crushed my self worth even more.

After years of giving up, resorting to doing trades with other energy healers, I eventually discovered a marketing program designed for coaches and holistic practitioners. (Y’know, those woowoo folks who geek out on things that don’t really impress their potential clients, or speak in a way that lands with them?)

But the problem I kept bumping into, even though their program was amazing and seemed to be working well for almost everyone else… Was I don’t enjoy meeting new people or having one-on-one conversations.

I hadn’t realized just how autistic I was.

I probably wouldn’t have joined, had I realized my problem had little to do with how I describe my work — my problem was how I relate to people in general.

Ok, so now I was out the $7k plus installment fees plus all the travel expenses for their live events in another state.

But at least their methods made back around $2,300 from one client and a few class participants. Not a bad ROI, eh?? (sarcasm!)

So, now what to do? Get a job??

I’m just not cut out to be an employee.

I’m the guy who works just long enough to cover basics. Then quit, live like a pauper. And eventually get sick of poverty just long enough to get another temporary job.

But worse than that, now I had to pay off that marketing course, so I didn’t have the luxury of squeaking by with meaningless, tear-your-hair-out work. I had to push through long enough to pay it off.

While I was in one of my “working” phases, where I had some income, I discovered a copywriting course.

It reminded me I had actually already taken a copywriting course, several years back! But for whatever reason, I hadn’t done much with it.

I think maybe because it was a DIY course, just reading through their book and doing the writing exercises on my own. There were were no classes, no accountability, no one reviewing my work.

And so it was almost an intellectual sport, with no real tangible stuff happening.

Anyway, this new course a renewed faith in copywriting as a career. And I forked over a full pay $2,500.

I enjoyed the course so much, I allowed them to upsell me into their $25,000 inner circle. My logic was if they were able to upsell me into something way outside my perceived reach… then they are definitely someone I want to continue learning from!

So… what about reiki? Isn’t it true that once a Reiki Master, always a reiki master…?

Well, reiki is a transference of energy.

And “Copywriting is a Transference of Emotion.”

And as they say,

“Emotion is Energy in Motion.”

So, in the end,

Both Reiki and Copywriting are a Transference of Energy!

And when I write copy for other people, I’m essentially transcribing their energy. Into words that inspire, uplift and upsell!

And the interesting thing is that once I built my confidence with copywriting, and saw I had clients eager to pay me to help them promote themselves, this confidence overflowed into my energy healing business.

And I even raised my energy healing rates.

As soon as one person asked for a session with my new rates, this built my confidence even more, as a person. I started perceiving myself as a person of value. Of having gifts others are happy to pay for.

And this, in turn, overflowed back into my copywriting gifts.

I felt more confident and bold advising my clients to add more pieces to their funnel and email sequences.

Not because I was trying to upsell them or squeeze more out of them- but because I was confident in my writing and strategies, knowing what they needed, more than they could have understood on their own.

It changed the conversation from, “This is my budget, what can you write within it?” To,

“These are the results you’re asking for, and this is what it will take to provide them for you. Since these are my rates, this is the total it will cost.”

So, there you have it- the connection between Reiki Master and copywriter :)

I wonder what I’ll write about tomorrow? Drop a comment with what you’d like to hear!

Gavriel