It’s true: We’re all our own worst enemies. After all, who hasn’t been going along just fine when, all of a sudden, you’re hit with the certainty that you’re not good enough? That you just don’t have what it takes and you’re going to fail? It’s coming…so let’s talk about how to deal with it.
“What do you do when you feel inadequate?” is one of the most common questions I get. Why? Because at some point everyone will feel it. It’s part of how we operate: As soon as we start moving forward and pursuing a dream, one of the first things that will happen is that our brains send out alert signals to keep us in the status quo. And this alerts take the form of thoughts like, “You’ll never make this work” and “You’re not good enough to do this.” Pretty crummy, huh?
But, here’s the good news: you’re not alone and these feelings can actually help you.
Everyone Feels Inadequate—Even the Pros
There’s some comfort to take in knowing it will come and knowing that everyone else feels it. In fact, I’d put out there that there’s something wrong if someone doesn’t feel it. The feeling is crummy, but it also forces you to do a little self-searching and there’s never anything wrong with that.
And when I say “everyone else feels it” that includes people you might not think of. Even the most brilliant, celebrated, successful copywriters in the industry have questioned themselves and felt inadequate. Plus, at each stage of your career—if your goal is continue growing—you’re going to continue to hit these walls of doubt.
No One is Born Writing Copy
One very key thing to remember is that everyone starts in exactly the same place: Not knowing anything. No one is born knowing how to write great copy. Everyone had to learn it—including copywriting geniuses, including me, including you.
As adults, it’s not often that we have to start completely at the beginning on something. Think about it: When was the last time you had to do something that you were brand new at? That just makes it especially scary since we haven’t done it in so long; we’ve lost the feeling we had as kids that it was natural not to know anything about a new subject and not to fear digging in.
Learning Means You’re Growing
You might think you’re inadequate. You’re not. You’re learning. You’re probably not going to feel comfortable with writing copy for a while—and that’s good. This discomfort is how we grow. Think of it like working out. To build muscle, you have to take your body through some discomfort. You suffer through it and gradually your body gets better at performing the exercises and your muscles increase.
Learning and practicing makes you better, but it also makes you feel better.
Don’t beat yourself up. If you’re feeling inadequate or you’re wondering if you’ll be able to do this, it’s not a message from your intuition. All it means is that you’re on the right track and your brain is kicking up some self-doubt, just like it does for everyone when they push themselves at all outside of their comfort zones.
You’re on the right path. Keep fighting through that self-doubt. You can do it. 🙂
P.S. For a good reference on what he calls “resistance,” check out Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art.
Watch More
On episode 72 of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate are sharing their top 3 tips for combatting imposter syndrome. The I’m-not-good-enough thoughts will always try to derail you, but here’s how you can make sure you get your work done and fuel your confidence rather than your doubt.
Your turn! What crummy and fear-mongering thoughts has your brain fed you? Let us know in the comments below. (I’ll start—when I’m in a situation where I feel unsure, I think that I’m going to fail because “there’s something wrong with me.” It always knocks me down until I can eventually remember that it’s only fear trying to keep me from growing. Fight it. Grrr.)
Last Updated on June 30, 2023
Very good article Nicki. You’re right all creatives have that inner voice keeping them down or even more tragically causing their death. It doesn’t matter how successful a creative person becomes the negative tape player continues to run in his or her mind. David Foster Wallace was a brilliant and successful novelist, but that didn’t stop the voices from telling him that he wasn’t good enough; as a result, he ended his life. The late poet A. R. Ammons, a successful poet and professor at Cornell, wrote a poem about the doubt that gripped him–he was in his 70’s when he wrote it.
My fear is that I’m too old to be doing this. My faith shuts off that voice. I’ll remember that nothing is impossible with God and that age doesn’t matter. There are so many saints and artists that defy age; they’re my heroes.
Hi Tim,
I know—fear hits us all in different ways. What I can tell you, though, is that one of the great things about copywriting is that it’s an entirely merit-based career. People don’t care how old you are, what you look like, what your background its, etc. as long as you write great copy. If you write effective, insightful copy for them, you’re valuable to them, and they’re happily willing to hire you to do it. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
This is so very true!
Hi Sheree,
Sadly, it is! For some reason, all of us let ourselves beat us up to some degree. A little perspective on that tends to help. (Also, sometimes, a glass of wine. 😉 )
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Thanks for a great post Nicki! It’s crazy how some days you can feel so high and excited about everything and the next your mind kicks in with all this crap. The one that gets me is “You’re really not as good at this as this as you think you are.” It doesn’t happen all the time (thank God!) but when it comes it really pulls me down and keeps me in a nasty negativity funk for a while. Knowing that everyone goes through this helps to let it go and keep pushing through.
Hi Brittany,
Yep—it’s really true that *everyone* goes through it! And I wish I could say that it will go away eventually, but it doesn’t. However, it doesn’t happen quite as often and you’ll also have the experience (both life and work experience) to be able to shake it off a lot faster. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
I fear I’m not funny enough to become a copywriter. I see hilarious ads on TV and think, “I can’t compete with that!” Do ad agencies expect me to be a comic genius? I could easily turn a funny ad into a tragedy and scare off customers, but I’m not that hopeless! I don’t want my copy to be overly serious, though. Any advice?
Hi Victoria,
I definitely understand your concern, and it’s not an uncommon one. But no, ad agencies do *not* expect you to be a comedic genius. Some copywriters have that gift and some other (perfectly successful) copywriters do not. The much more important thing is that you understand the messages that need to be conveyed and how to make your target audience understand and respond to them. *That* is the most valuable skill. And it also doesn’t mean that your copy will be overly serious. (But you should also know that serious copywriting is very valued. Investment firms or pharmaceutical company clients, for example, aren’t generally looking for comedy!)
You may, too, find that as you get more comfortable writing copy, that you find a bit of comedy developing in your skills. You can’t be funny with skills you don’t feel comfortable yet; you may find that that ability comes later. But even if it doesn’t, you can still have a successful (and fun) copywriting career. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki