The Zen Monastery where all my beer money goes

Yes, as many of you know your Ol' Pal, Skinny Bones, has long foregone his days of boozin' and brewin'. Which is why he has a nice little "beer money stash" piled up at the end of every month.

So the question arises... what the heck to do with all that beer money?

We'll get to that in a second.

But first I want to talk about something I brought up in an email a few weeks ago.  Which is... I'm pivoting.

I'm no longer positioning myself as the 'copywriter for meditation teachers'. The reasons are straightforward and follow:

1) I realized I've already dedicated my life to Dharma and discovering the true nature of my mind. I don't think working in the space will help my practice necessarily (in fact, in some ways it's detracted from my practice, which is a topic for another email)

2) The types of meditation teachers I really want to help (the ones who are focused on Buddhist meditation leading to fundamental realizations of the mind... sometimes called 'enlightenment') are not that interested in hiring copywriters. The meditation teachers interested in hiring copywriters are mostly corporate mindfulness trainers and 'coach' types that also teach meditation (nothing against those peeps. I'm working with a corporate mindfulness trainer now and she's an amazing person and does amazing work. It's just not my passion)

3) The meditation industry as a whole isn't that knowledgeable about direct-response copywriting, especially Email Copywriting, which as you can probably tell from the name and topic of my latest book is where I'll be spending all my time moving forward, even more than I have been.

To be totally transparent, it's mostly that last point. The fact is that as soon as I started working in the meditation niche, my marketing 'spidey senses' started tingling. In other words, I tell my clients and potential clients all the time:

"Sell to buyers. To people who are actively looking for what you're selling. Not people you have to educate and convince. No marketing budget can ever pay for an education campaign."

And so I wasn't taking my own medicine.

So now my 'target market' is people who understand direct-response and understand how valuable it is. People with membership sites and other continuity products, info product publishers, and the like (if you know anyone like that, give us a shout).

It doesn't mean I'm giving up on meditation. I'll still write for meditation teachers as long as it's the right fit.

And because I'll be making more in less time (it's easier to get clients in the markets I'm moving into and they'll be more comfortable paying higher fees) I'll have more time to practice, volunteer (like at the local temple that does food redistribution on Fridays), and more money to donate. So I'll probably be helping the meditation community more than ever.

Which brings me to what I spend my beer money on. As I've shared in the past, every Sunday I listen to a Dharma talk given by a Zen Monk named Sokuzan. His monastery is Sokukoji Buddhist Temple based in Battle Creek, Michigan. Not only do they give incredible teachings, they also do a lot of good for the community.

Like go into prisons and teach the inmates meditation as part of the Sokukoji Prison Project. Which is where my beer money goes (and hopefully I'll be upping the amount I give them as well as the frequency soon).

If you have some pocket change or a few sheckles hiding in your PayPal account, consider donating to them. Even a few dollars helps. If you're into grassroots change and you don't want something like The Red Cross eating into your doubloons with administrative and marketing costs, then this organization is the perfect place to donate.

You'll help real people who've dedicated their lives to meditation, discovering the true nature of mind, and helping all beings.

If you'd like to donate, please go here:

http://sokukoji.org/donate/

In addition to accepting donations, they also have a few things 'for sale' in their shop. Two books by Sokuzan on meditation (complete with Sokuzan's artwork... who is an incredible artist as well), a Sokukoji mug with Sokuzan's artwork, two beautiful pieces of original art (these are pricey, but something I will be purchasing to adorn the walls of my home office very soon), among others.

Anyway, whether you donate or not, I suggest checking out their Dharma talks on Apple's Podcast app (they might be on others, but not sure), YouTube, or their website. You can also join them (I suppose 'us', because I'll be there virtually) this Sunday for a YouTube livestream. It's a great way to start the morning and your week.

Anyway, to donate or learn more, go to the link below:

http://sokukoji.org/donate/

Tyler McCune

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