#Personal Development
#Change Management
LAURA PAISLEY BECK
Wa’amWrites, LLC
Copywriter and Content Strategist
WaamWritesLLC.com / Laura@WaamWritesLLC.com
Have you ever found yourself stuck in that Talking Heads song?
Letting the days go by… And you may ask yourself,
“Well, how did I get here?”
I have.
Have you ever caught yourself in a default behavior that suddenly feels terribly unhealthy? And then you hear a voice recant the definition of insanity?
I have.
Feeling stuck has to be one of the worst feelings on the planet. So, I’m going to make grand claims here: You don’t want to be stuck. Your clients don’t want to be stuck.
I sure as heck don’t.
In a desperate attempt to help someone out of a downward spiral of depression, I bought a 52-page notebook and hand wrote a personal “Choose Your Own Adventure” book. I did research on places they dreamed of visiting and why and what they could do there. I fantasized about how they could end up meditating on a beach only 3.8 miles away from the house or waking up tied to a chair in a forced intervention with concerned friends. I created a code system to make sure every passion, nightmare and important friend in this person’s life was referenced and played out.
Yeah. The cynics guessed it. He never read it.
A few months later I realized it was more important for me to write my own adventure story, and it truly honestly (I am being 100% genuine here) saved my life.
We land in a crossroads of quandary on a regular basis. The consequences of these decisions can vary greatly from award winning to devastating. Use this fun exercise to work out the radical paths your decisions may take you. This could be fun with the right client too.
Here’s how:
● Grab an unused notebook (paper or digital).
● On the first page, detail out your quandary.
● Drop down the page and list out the different choices before you.
● Think of choices you feel pressured to take vs. choices your heart requests.
● Dedicate a page for each choice and bang out how each unfolds.
● Repeat as necessary per scenario, watching the multiple adventures play out.
● Reference these decisions by writing page numbers to turn to, creating your personal adventure story. (Example: “If you decide to quit the agency and write for a career, turn to page 5.”)
● Don’t forget the decision to do nothing. Play that out too.
Let it get wild! You could surprise yourself at your own creativity, humor in a tough situation, and passion that shines through. Your subconscious might speak up in unexpected ways. You’ll teach yourself what consequences you face with certain people, places and practices. Facts vs. feelings. Dangerous traps. Helpful resources.
Heck, you could get eaten by sharks or win a Nobel Peace Prize! If you ever want to share stories or ask for help in this exercise, absolutely reach out to me. May your best adventure reveal itself.
LAURA PAISLEY BECK
Laura Paisley Beck is an award-winning salesperson who now writes copy for businesses. Owner of Wa’am Writes, LLC, she helps businesses lure their target audience to take the desired actions in their digital advertising, websites and other marketing strategies. She also plays well with designers who need wonder writers to help carry out their client’s message.
Laura has recently written feature articles for Natural Awakenings Magazine national and copy for several solopreneur clients. Current fiction books in the works include an interactive adventure book titled, “Licensed to Sell,” in which the reader is an insurance agent acting like a secret agent. She will be teaching sixth graders how to write their interactive adventure stories at a Writers’ Network and Young Authors’ Conference for the Waukesha School Districts, October 2021- May 2022.
Laura’s past writing includes many feature articles for Door County Living and a sassy dessert review column called Sweet Spot for the Peninsula Pulse in exchange for full color advertising. Other commissioned pieces for friends were paid in fine wine and dark chocolate.
Laura is no stranger to adversity and major life change. She is a native of Door County, current Madison resident, seasoned entrepreneur of many different business types (women’s clothing boutique owner gone Fortune 500, B2B salesperson to insurance agency owner), healing divorcee, and cheerleader/networker. She’d love a walk-n-talk with you!
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