On Copywriting

The Secret to Happiness

Here's my "secret" recipe for happiness in life... Find something to do and someone to share it with.

Said another way, happiness in life hinges on productivity and relationship.

Productivity is meaningless without somebody to share your achievements with. Likewise, relationships can become trite and boring if you never do anything worth talking about.

I include all productive human activity under productivity. This is where you practice whatever you enjoy doing. Special emphasis on the word enjoy. Painting, writing, cycling, marketing, whatever.

I include humans, animals, and God under relationships. I believe you ought to have relationships with people you care about (of course!), as well as a strong relationship with God. Pets can be a source of additional relationship, although they cannot replace human interaction.

If you're looking for happiness and are stuck on complex theories about the so-called "meaning of life," stop it. When you boil it all down to the essentials, it's quite simple: something to do and somebody to share it with. That's it.

Wisdom Favors Age

"Wisdom favors age, although age is no guarantee of wisdom." --Ryan Healy

The longer I live, the more aware I am of how many people are walking around in a state of arrested development. Their bodies continue to age, but their brains are locked up in a state of twenty-something immaturity.

Just because a man appears to be wise doesn't mean he is.

Nutrisystem: An Easy Way to Starve

Nutrisystem is an example of great marketing.

Not only do they demonstrate that their system works with dozens of powerful before and after photos, they also make weight loss seem exceptionally easy with perfectly-sized portions delivered straight to your front door.

All you do is plug-in to Nutrisystem, eat what they tell you, throw in some physical activity, and the pounds begin to melt away.

Of course, the marketing works. Tens of thousands of people have signed up. But the funny part is, in spite of all the marketing, Nutrisystem is still just an easy way to starve.

Ultimately, the formula for weight loss is fairly simple:

1. Consume quality calories (eliminate refined grains, sugar, artificial sweeteners, etc.)

2. Consume fewer quality calories than you burn each day.

3. Exercise (both cardiovascular and weight training) to boost your metabolism so that you begin to burn more calories each day.

Do these three things and you'll lose weight. Trouble is, I can't sell it for $50 or $100 a month. Neither can Nutrisystem.