Lesson 4: Your Writing Passion

Lesson 4:
Discover Your Passion

In Lesson 4, you learned:

 Why writing boundaries are crucial to getting strong results

 The questions you should ask yourself so you can stay focused
 How your passion for what you do helps your writing shine

This worksheet will help you put your new knowledge into practice. Print it out and use it
immediately for tangible results.

You'll also want to print a copy of this worksheet and keep it handy in a folder, as you may
need it later in the course.

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 Lesson 4: Your Writing Passion

S
ticking to your focus with intention makes a huge difference in your ability to generate
content that works hard for you. It also makes writing that content a helluvalot easier in
the first place.

No more "I don't know what to write," and no more "I don't even know who'll read this". You'll
know exactly what to write, for whom, and why you're writing it.

First, get the basics down:

1. What business are you in, and what do you do for your customers or clients?

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2. What drives you to do a good job? What do you believe makes for a job well done?

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 Lesson 4: Your Writing Passion

3. Why did you decide to focus on this particular type of business versus something else?

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4. What do you believe about your work and what you accomplish in the world because of

it?

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 Lesson 4: Your Writing Passion

5. What is it about THIS (whatever it is you do as a business) that really turns your crank?

What fires you up? What gets you excited about it?

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Toss the above questions around. Think emotionally, not factually, and take the time to
contemplate what you feel deep down inside before writing your answer.

Don't riff off what first comes to mind. Be sure about it. And don't try to get these questions
"right" either. There's no right or wrong answer; there's only what you feel and believe.

You may actually have a bit of a wake-up call as you complete this worksheet – many students
do. They discover they feel differently about their business than they thought they did, or that
what they'd really like to do is something completely different than what they're doing now.
Some have even changed their business model because of it.

Others find themselves really digging into the exercise – they reinforce what they love about
their business and get even more engaged with the work they do every day, and why they do
it. That's fantastic as well.

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 Lesson 4: Your Writing Passion

Write Your Passion Points

Look over what you wrote for the previous exercise. Distil it down to 5 sentences that drive
home what you believe about the work you do, your business and the goals you want to
accomplish. Think in terms of "I believe…" and add your thoughts.

For example, one student whose business focused on training companies how to have happier
staff wrote these "I believe" statements:

1. I believe in good managerial leadership

2. I believe that a good manager treats staff well
3. I believe that well-treated staff reward managers with better work and ultimately, profits
4. I believe that staff and management should be proud and happy to work for their
employer.
5. I believe there are many toxic businesses that don’t have number 4 right now.

Now it's your turn. Write "I believe" statements about your business, your goals, and the work
you do:

1. I believe… _____________________________________________________________

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2. I believe… _____________________________________________________________

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3. I believe… _____________________________________________________________

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 Lesson 4: Your Writing Passion

4. I believe… _____________________________________________________________

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5. I believe… _____________________________________________________________

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It may take some time to find these "I believe" statements, and that's okay. Really give this
exercise some thought, and you'll reap the business rewards of finding clarity, inner
confidence, and conviction in your beliefs.

For example, I believe in helping change people's lives for the better, either personally or in
business, and that passion shines through to my clients and students. This belief creates focus
and business boundaries.

If I can't change a client's life? Then it's not a good fit, and we don't work together. If the client
wants something that is ill-advised and that won't change his life for the better – or even make
it worse? Then I simply don't do it, and I explain why. I feel passion and confidence about what
I do, and I can say no with integrity to what doesn't match my beliefs.

That's inner strength you can find for yourself. Print out and post your "I believe" statements
where you can see them on a daily basis so they provide fuel and energy to your work.

Every six months, review the list to see if anything has changed. If it hasn't, great! You're on
the right track. If it has, think about what's changed, and how you feel about it.

Revise your "I believe" statements as needed, when needed. They're valuable to you!

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