WIth this blog post, I'm just JUMPING IN:

Here are five words to stop using so cavalierly in conversation and in writing and in your business mindset:

1. "THINK"

Thinking is great. But it's passive if there's no action behind it.

Just yesterday I said to my son as he was churning through his math homework, “Zack, I think you’re doing a great job here.”

I caught myself in the moment and said, “Zack, nope, wrong word choice. You’re doing a great job here.”

That's because "just" thinking equates to procrastination. People who need to “think about it" rarely get around to actually taking action.

And here's the thing ... in most cases there's nothing to "just think" about.

In my business, I weigh my options quickly, DECIDE and then take action.

How many of us get caught in the mindless trap of:

Person 1: “Do you think I should be posting on Facebook everyday?”

Person 2: “I don’t know.”

Person 1: "How 'bout on LinkedIn?"

Person 2: "Nah, I don’t think people really hang out there anymore.”

Person 1: “We could try posting on Instagram.”

Person 2: “Nah, I think Instagram's not the right place to post. But we should be posting somewhere.”

Person 1: “OK, where?”

Person 2: “I’m not sure.”

UGH. And this can go on forever, right? 

Ever sit with someone like this when they're trying to decide what to watch on Netflix?

Brutal. Look, this is no small thing ...

Indecision ALWAYS leads to unhappiness.

This kind of mindset bleeds into your life for the big important stuff too (like deciding to raise your prices so that you can score better clients and have some time to step away from your laptop and breathe ... or go for a jog ... or take your S.O. out for lunch).

2. "WISH"

Wishing is weak.  

Stop wishing. Start DOING.

Weak Mindset: "I wish I had time to go to the gym."

Strong Mindset: "I MAKE time to go to the gym because self-care is important to me."

Weak Mindset: "I wish my website actually attracted my dream clients. That would be awesome."

Strong Mindset: "I'm taking the steps to get optimize the journey prospects take on my website because I'm not the kind of entrepreneur who's OK with settling for less than my true potential as an expert service provider."

You get the point. MAKE IT HAPPEN.

3. "HOPE"

Hoping is another form procrastination. If you WANT something to happen, it’s on you to MAKE it happen.

When we decide to take action, we can be optimistic because we KNOW our actions lead to

results. We don’t have to "hope" for them, since we're working toward our goals.

"I sure hope this will work ..."

"I'm hoping I'll get around to writing new website copy or hiring a copywriter to do it for me or maybe some ideas will come to me while I'm on vacation next month ..."

Bulls*&t. There's no "hope" about it. You either do what's necessary, or you don't.

4. "EVENTUALLY"

Eventually, WHEN, exactly?  

Eventually seldom happens.

Eventually lets you off the hook, gives you a ready-made excuse.

Replace eventually with a firm DATE on your calendar. And then work your butt off to achieve it by

that date.

For example, a couple months ago I decided to totally revamp my website: the focus, the look, the words, the customer journey, the SEO.

At first, I was in the "thinking" stage: What sections do I need? What words do I need? What ...

And then I realized I just had to start DOING it.

Then, everything happened pretty fast ... I wrote the copy in a Google Doc over a few days ... and then got the site up over another few days.

(Check out STRANDWritingServices.com to see the results.)

So ditch eventually. KNOW exactly WHEN.

5. "TRY"

Trying gives you a way out.

(What does Yoda say? "Do or do not. There is no try.")

Rather than "try," how about putting forth your best effort?

TAKE immediate action and do the work required for the result you CRAVE.

Bottom line: As a business owner, as an entrepreneur, as a creative, none of these five words serve you. Stop using them.

Instead, use words like DOING ... WORKING ... KNOWING.

Take decisive action and MAKE IT HAPPEN.

And wanna hear something cool?

Now that my new website is up and calling in prospects ... I checked out my insights and saw that visitors are spending an AVERAGE of 8 minutes on my site.

That's huge, considering that most people bounce off a website after about 15 seconds (48 seconds if you're lucky).

If I was still thinking, hoping or trying, my website would STILL be a twinkle in my eye.

P.S. Does your website stand up to the 15-second test?

That's how long a person stays on your site before bouncing to your competitor's ... the reasons they leave you fast like smelly cheese include an unattractive website design, a clunky experience and lackluster content.

Whether you’ve just launched your business or been around a while, the success of your product, solution or online program rests heavily on your answer to this question.

I’ll give you high-touch, high-impact, ready-to-load, conversion-optimized copy for five key pages on your website. You’ll have all the essential pieces of a drool-worthy, conversion-focused, personality-rich website that gives YOUR brand a giant dollop of personality and panache.

Of course, I'm biased. I happen to know that my Website Copy Sprint works because I've done it for myself and lots of other clients.

Click here to learn more about a very special affordable quick-turn Website Copy Sprint I'm offering.