This week's episode is a conversation I had with the great Lee Cockerell, former VP of Walt Disney World and a master of creating that Disney Magic.

Lee is one of our favorite people to learn from. I say "our", because my company invested in The Cockerell Academy which has benefitted our entire team.

Lee teaches entrepreneurs and business leaders that you don't have to be Disney-Sized to make magic. Excellence, like so many other things, is a state of mind and learning that it is within reach will motivate you to be better.

Learn more about The Cockerell Academy by clicking here.

How You Can Help

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My book is now officially available for purchase. For now, you can get it the Kindle or Nook version for only .99¢

Even though this book is one of my biggest accomplishments and, I believe, will enrich the lives of those who read it, I still felt weird doing a monologue podcast about my own writing.

Instead, I got permission to borrow some audio from my friend Dan Miller's podcast.

Dan recently interviewed me about the book and definitely did not softball me any sales copy disguised as questions. He really dug into the "why" behind this book and that's what made me want to share it here.

ATTENTION: We interrupt these show notes to bring you this important announcement:

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Live training will be about one hour per day. This will be fun, interactive and ultimately profitable if you follow the steps. Click here to join the challenge and I'll see you live starting this Friday!

And now...back to the show

How can you reframe an overwhelming list of "have to's" into an exciting list of "get to's"? That's what we're talking about in this week's episode.

Spiritual Foundations 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

In the past I would often wonder what to pray about. Well, it's clearly stated in the verses above: everything. I think these are the things we worry about and stress over even though they are beyond our control. If you can reach the point of release where you can let go of the things which you can do nothing about, I think you will find yourself much less stressed. Let God do the things that only God can do.

Tip of the Week

My tip this week is for my new book Permission to Prosper. It doesn't get officially released until February 16th, 2021, but you can preorder it by clicking here. Also, if you'd be kind enough to preorder, I'll make sure you get a free copy of the audiobook as soon as it's released!

Feature Presentation

So how does one transform stress and anxiety into peace and increase? This is another example of "change your words, change your world". It's about looking at "have to's" as "get to's".

I recommend starting out by writing down your list of have-to's. The example from the podcast was, "I have to increase revenue for my company." That sounds stressful...it sounds heavy. Perhaps overwhelming. It's a have-to that I and probably every other business owner has had on their list at some point.

Truthfully, I've had to deal with that one quite a few times in my career and one day it hit me: We have incredible resources now that we didn't have when I first addressed this "have to". Not so long ago, I didn't have social media platforms to potentially reach millions of new customers for free.

This revelation changed my outlook on things. You and I have ever-increasing opportunities to grow our revenue...we don't just "have to", we "get to". Now, it's important to notice the "revelation" part of this story. I didn't simply pick a new word and *poof* everything changed. I had an epiphany that made "get to" a more accurate way of describing the process. You need to ask yourself what you need to do to make that true for you. I promise you this is a better, more rewarding, exciting and less stressful way of tackling your list.

How To Help

Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there.

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You want to write copy that converts, but how can you do that?
Remember this: Before conversion comes connection. You need to connect with your audience before you start pitching them. In this week's episode, I'm giving you three ways to do exactly that.

Spiritual Foundations 

Do Not Boast About Tomorrow.

“… we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

Many verses of the Bible seem a little vague (hence all the various denominations of Christianity), but this one is crystal clear.

As a believer, I find comfort in this verse during the bad times. If I don't see the good in what is happening in my life, I simply need to remember that the story isn't over. In other words, in the end, I will see the good.

Tip of the Week

My tip this week is for a free app called Threads that is available for both IOS and Android.

This is the tool to use when you want to add close captioning to your Instagram stories (which, for the record, I do on a daily basis right here).

Why closed captioning? Because not everyone scrolls through Instagram Stories with the volume up and having the text on the screen entices them to either turn it up or read it. How do I know this to be true? Because my engagement has increased since I began using it.

If you're posting videos on IG, I highly recommend you get this app.

Feature Presentation

3 Ways To Write Copy That Connects

I don't just write copy, I teach others to write copy and often my students and I review some of their material that flopped. In almost every case, the basic problem is the same: They failed to connect with the reader on a personal level. Their words were...just words.

First connect. Then convert.

Here are three ways to get it right:

1. Pay attention to what your market is talking about.

Whomever your intended audience is, do your homework and get to know them. Try to learn not only the relevant joys, pains and everything in between, but also learn their specific language well enough to echo it back to them in your copy.

2. Help them feel understood, appreciated, justified , safe and vindicated.

Okay, there is a lot going on in that sentence, but it isn't complicated. It goes back to remembering whom you're talking to.

For instance, I've never been in combat, but I've written some powerful copy for our combat veteran heroes. How could I do that if I've never experienced the battlefield? I took the time to listen to their stories...to make an emotional connection, to empathize as much as possible.

3. Be interesting especially when you’re talking about boring things (be different by not being the same)

It would be great if every story we had to tell were filled with action heroes, narrow escapes and surprise endings, but that ain't so.

You have to find a way to make the story interesting even if the subject isn't. There was a time when no one would have considered making a funny car insurance commercial. What's funny about car wrecks? Nothing. But, put a caveman in a suit and tie and now you've got my attention.

How To Help

Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there.

Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Visit Ray's community on Facebook - This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.