My father always wanted my brother and I to play musical instruments. He owned a veritable musical menagerie, including two mandolins, a flute, a guitar, a trombone (my brother’s instrument of choice), and many others.

Joe (my brother) was good–he picked up the trombone and never looked back. In fact, he still plays it, upon request. Growing up, he practiced nightly (though the trombone really isn’t an instrument you can listen to alone–it seldom plays the melody in a piece of music). Within a short amount of time, he turned into a fantastic trombone player.

Me, I preferred to look through the music books and think about playing an instrument. I’d sit at my desk, no instrument in sight, and stare at the notes that went up and down. Sure, I could tell you what each note was and how long you should hold it, but when it came to actually playing those notes, I always hesitated.

Your newsletter is exactly the same way. You can read all about it–you can read the articles at The Write Exposure’s website, you can read our "Do You Make These Six Mistakes in Your Company Newsletter?" And, when you’re finished, you’ll be able to tell me succinctly the difference between a masthead and a nameplate and the importance of having goals.

But until you actually put what you know into practice, until you publish that newsletter regularly, your skill at publishing a newsletter will match mine at playing an instrument.

Your Turn: Make a commitment to start your newsletter, and do it. It’s only by putting in the practice that you’ll get the results you want!