Our Hidden Treasures
This year, I decided to do something unusual for me—I let myself enjoy my Christmas presents.
Don’t get me wrong, I love giving and receiving presents, and I’m grateful for each and every one. But perhaps I’ve cherished them too much: While I eagerly wear the fuzzy socks and devour the books that land under the tree, I’ve always hesitated to break open the perishable and temporary gifts—the bath oils and lotions and candles. Instead, I tuck these treats away to save for a special occasion.
But that occasion never comes. And my treasures molder away in my bathroom vanity, sometimes for years on end. Not cool.
I’m not sure what triggered my mindset change, but I decided this hoarder-like behavior had to stop. So when I returned home after Christmas, I relaxed by treating myself to one of the Korean face masks from my Christmas stocking. The next day, I found bottles of peppermint shower gel and lotion gifted by a good friend a few years ago—they still smelled and looked fresh, and gave me reason to think of our friendship for the next few mornings.
Meanwhile, I began to discover other forgotten treasures as well—several unused gift cards in my wallet, interesting recipes I hadn’t noticed in cookbooks I’ve had for years. I used the gift cards to upgrade some stuff around the house, and had fun trying out several new and interesting recipes. (Incidentally, if you want to incorporate more vegetables into your diet but can’t think of anything fun or interesting to do with them, check out this book.)
And all of this made me realize something: Sometimes, the resources and inspiration we need—the hidden treasures we scour the planet for—are right under our noses.
Inspiration is Closer Than You Think
Often, my ghostwriting and copywriting clients come to me because they’re stuck—they’d love to write a memoir to pass on to their kids or grandkids, but fear they’re “too boring”. Or commercial clients come to me for help with content marketing, but worry about running out of interesting things to say—after all, who really wants to read about plumbing/bookkeeping/dentistry anyhow?
I’ll share one example: Several years ago, I was asked to interview a business owner for a local magazine. She was happy to talk to me, but puzzled: Why would anyone want to read a story about her? After all, her life was pretty dull.
But after a few minutes of conversation, I discovered her life was anything but dull: While she was a massage therapist and spa owner at the time, she had previously been a research botanist with expertise in orchids. And when not giving massages or contemplating orchid genetics, she was also an award-winning painter who regularly showed her work at local art festivals.
These details revealed a creative, intelligent woman driven by curiosity, attention to detail, and a passion for bringing beauty and comfort to the lives of others. For anyone looking from the outside, this constellation of gifts would look pretty remarkable.
But for her, it was just normal everyday life—and thus boring.
The treasure that was her life story was hidden in plain sight. And I’ve found the same holds for just about everyone when it comes to memoir writing. Every person has a gift, life experience, or perspective on the world that would be surprising or educational to someone else: Older people not only have the gift of life experience, but can serve as windows to history. Young people can share fresh perspectives and energy. Someone who’s never left their small hometown may have knowledge of regional folkways and traditions that the rest of the world has forgotten. All of these perspectives can make for an arresting personal history or memoir.
This also holds for my commercial copywriting clients—their potential readers aren’t looking for scintillating stories, but relevant, actionable information, and professionals can get a lot of content marketing mileage from sharing information they feel their customers should know. The hidden treasures they can share likewise come from the seemingly mundane transactions of their business, such as the following:
Answering common questions your customers ask
Clearing up common misconceptions customers have about topics related to your profession
Explaining new trends and products and their pros and cons
Teaching customers to avoid common mistakes
Recounting stories of interesting problems your customers faced and how you solved them
In short, when looking for inspiration for memoir writing, copywriting, or content marketing, look inward—you probably have all the stories and knowledge you need. And this will be plenty interesting for those who are looking for your expertise.
Are you ready to finally write that memoir or get serious about content marketing? Contact me for a free, no-obligation chat—I’m happy to answer your questions.