The Power of Hope
Charlene Burke
Marketing & Sales Communication Pro | Co-Founder Email Skills | Author of Email Copywriting Secrets: How to Write Killer Emails That Get Results
I've been on the edge the abyss, convinced I could not possibly get through the pain, and then someone shared their Hope with me.
In today's edition of Burke's Bits:
=============================
The Power of Hope
The only reason I am sitting in my recliner and writing this is because...
during the darkest moments in my life, I had someone near me who offered me hope.
Someone who shared with me what tomorrow could look like - if I waited it out.
Someone who shared with me what my feelings could be - if I let go of the fear and pain.
Someone who shared with me what my life could be like - if I changed course.
My own experience with hope has shown me that it is not a wish for things to be better. It's much deeper and stronger than that. It is a belief that comes from the heart not the mind. It defies logic and reason. When tapped or beckoned it brings incredible strength and fuels the belief that I will overcome...I will persevere...I will endure...I will survive. Whatever comes my way.
Hope has been the only thing between me and the abyss. As long as I have hope I know I can recover from anything.
It gave me strength to leave an abusive relationship.
It fueled the fight after the cancer diagnosis because I believed a cure is possible.
It helped me see after a disaster that left us unable to live in our home, financially destroyed, and then lost many personal possessions that we still had each other and that we can start over. Again.
It came as a small light in a dark abyss when someone cared enough to share that they, too, thought life wasn't worth living...that when they took simple daily actions their life was now filled with love and joy.
Today, after having experienced a bit of Life and what it has to offer - the good, the bad, the ugly - and now that I have a belief and faith in something more powerful than myself, I willingly share my hope with others.
I don't tell them it's a mindset. That it will remove their pain. Or that it will make today, the day the worst of the hurt or loss or fear is being felt, brighter.
I do as others have done for me: I sit quietly and listen. Then I share my own experience with that kind of hopeless feeling. I share how I understand that in this moment the hurt is so deep it feels like you're drowning and you just can't feel this way another moment or another day. You are certain there is no end to it.
Then I share how I tap into my faith in a power greater than myself for guidance. I focus on what I can be thankful for. I accept the love and support of friends. And because I do this I believe this feeling will pass.
Because of my own experiences with trauma, disaster, and loss I know that it is within each of us to face the toughest of times and survive.
To this point, there are three things I do to keep hope alive and well in my heart. They are:
The truth is that when you, or I, have times of extreme stress and pain...when we believe that this, too, shall pass...we have Hope. And trust me, it makes a difference.
=============================
Copy Tip
Direct response has gotten quite a beating lately. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cracked down on health supplement and financial copy...hard...these past couple of years. In December, 2020 the FTC sued RagingBull.com LLC and the company's co-founders, Jeffrey Bishop and Jason Bond, in Maryland. FTC attorneys sought federal court orders to freeze company assets, halt the alleged fraud scheme and award relief to consumers, including refunds and restitution. They won. Ragingbull.com, an online investing site, was ordered to pay more than $2.4 Million for bogus stock earnings claims and hard-to-cancel subscription charges. You can see it all here:?FTC vs RagingBull.com
This caused a disruption in both industries. In my opinion: this is a good thing. Copywriters, me included, are making sure our copy is honest, that testimonials used are real, and that while the headline might seem hypey it is rooted in truth.
I don't write financial copy. I do write health and wellness copy.
When I write copy for health supplements I tap into the "doubting Debbie" of the audience I'm writing to. Does it sound too good to be true? If so, I need to clarify a claim, to support a testimonial, to show why it is indeed true.
Recently I listened to a Copy Chief podcast episode about Copy Compliance.
According to "badass attorney" Peter Hoppenfeld, the ONE thing we can be sure of is that the law will follow the complaints, the money, and the headlines. I like what he shares about the nonsense he's seeing from new copywriters who don't know the risk they're taking and the phrases he says we should all stop using immediately.
My copy tip for today is to?listen to this episode ?and make your copy better.
=============================
From the Research Files
aka random bits of info you may or may not be able to use in your life
Man's Search for Meaning ?is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl. It details his horrifying experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II along with his psychological approach of logotherapy, which is also what helped him survive and shows you how you can – and must – find meaning in your life.
The book has been shared by many to show how one can tap into faith and hope and be able to survive anything.
=============================
Pun of the Day
What was the one thing the cross-eyed teacher couldn’t control?
His pupils.
With Gratitude --
Charlene Burke
Let's Connect
“The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.”
― Richard P. Feynman
Don't miss an issue. Delivered every Sunday morning to your inbox: Subscribe to Burke's Bits