This excellent blog post from @LaurieFoley, The Secret to Winning, is a standout and keys into some of the reasons I do the work that I do.
It’s not about what other people are doing, it’s about you: your passion and your heart. One reason I work one-on-one with creatives and other entrepreneurs as part of my marketing business: I get a peek at what drives people to take action. I see what makes their hearts flutter. What makes their eyes light up (if it is in person). And hear the change in their voice when they talk about something soulful and meaningful to them.
And that’s where I hone in–and where you should as well.
It’s not about bells and whistles, flash, shiny silk shirts or loudness. It’s not about the toys, gear, certification or degrees. Again, it’s about finding your particular way you operate in the world, appreciating who you are, and working with it to create meaningful connection with others while feeding your soul. (Yes, I just used the phrase “feeding your soul” on my business blog.) Keying into what you love is one thing, but thinking you have to be on Twitter, or have a Facebook page–your marketing efforts should take into account what you naturally are drawn to doing.
Hate networking events? Maybe skip the networking event and invite one person, or a few people for an informal lunch, or for tea. Find what works for you.
Want to start with social media? Pick one of the big three: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and start playing. Answer a question, start a conversation, link to your website–start small, have fun.
The guy showed up. He did his thing in his own, quiet way and he WON. Yes, I’m a sucker for every movie and story where the quietly creative person, the underdog, the outcast, or the misfit toy overcomes adversity. But more importantly, every person I meet has some unique contribution to make. You don’t need to have the adoration of millions to achieve this.
Maybe winning means that you do show up for that dreaded networking event.
Showing up counts, whether it means giving yourself permission to leave whenever you want or driving by and leaving without ever setting foot in the place, realizing that networking events actually suck and you’ll never ever consider doing it again.
Maybe doing your own thing means you have to break a few rules. Even if this doesn’t pan out, this counts. You have new information about yourself and this is valuable data as you build your marketing efforts.
Showing up. Small steps. Experimenting. It all counts.