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Viral scares me shitless

Go visible, or go home!

Backroom, or front of house?

A comment on a group I created popped into my head this morning, how starting a business is hard for us ‘backroom’ people. Now I have no problem meeting people, I can network with the best of them, have been in customer facing positions for years, but this isn’t really the same thing when you are starting your business. Visibility takes on a new meaning nowadays, it’s about being seen online, being ‘outthere’, having a social media presence isn’t just about what you write, but people want to see you, they want to know what you look like.

Personality is what people need to see, they aren’t so much buying your expertise, but the experience which you can give them, and they are looking for someone they can relate to, someone they feel inspired by.

Are you my muse?

game over guru
game over guru!

Years ago people were looking for a guru, looking for someone who was going to tell them how to live their life, they wanted a structure, to be told what to do, a god-like figure to save them. Now people are more focused on finding someone who they can be inspired by, not just the persons business but them as a person.

It’s not just about what they do, people are wanting to buy a lifestyle

People want to join a tribe, they want to be part of something, not just following a person, feeling like they are part of a team, changing together, evolving together.

Perfection isn’t what people want.

People are no longer looking for the person who is impeccable, people are looking for someone that is pure in intention but are happy to see their flaws, to see they are still a work in process, they may lead the tribe but they are by no means above them, looking down.

I am a sociable person, happy to talk to anyone, always the centre of a party, I am also very private about my personal life. so my main issue with being visible isn’t that I have to talk , I have way too much Leo in my chart to not like being on centre stage, the main issue I have is that you have no control online, once it’s out there it can be distorted, and at worse made viral.

Viral content is the holy grail for many, many ‘personalities’ want this to make their name because they need it, and it’s not always backed up with any substance.

Viral scares me shitless
Going viral scares me shitless

Nowadays even small deeds , good or bad can be recorded and posted, even if you are not posting it yourself, a good Samaritan takes a picture or a film and puts it out there. This can have its own legs, it can become a monster, I am not just talking about the negative side, positive deeds also don’t go unpunished, and lives can be put under a microscope by a well-meaning person who posts it.

I don’t like that microscope, maybe it’s in part an issue with control which might be the reason for the zombie dream (see that post here). Many people would love a moment of fame, me I prefer not to, I don’t mind being a big fish in a little pond, a party, an event, but out of the worldwide web….that’s another story, a scary story. It puts me off some small good deeds, lest someone has a smart phone and I find myself on the 5 o’clock news on a slow news day.

The issue is, to make the changes I want in the world, I have to come out, I have to be seen, I have to share the knowledge.

So here lies the dilemma.

To be a game changer, to effect real change in the sphere I am passionate about (relationships & Mediumship), I need to bite the bullet, to suck it up.

So I am going to have to put myself out there, driven by the desire to share my knowledge, to help others, leaving a positive footprint in the world. So again, another mindset change….

So this is my new challenge, and yes I will bring you along.

Whats Your Vision?

Everything seems to be moving thick and fast, over the past few months I had many ideas, but I found that they didn’t feel 100% finished, still needing that last piece of the puzzle.

What a difference a few days makes, I am enthused about the projects, that feeling when you KNOW that its now the right time to knuckle down and get things done, the inspiration has given me the motivation to make things happen.

When I have an idea its documented on paper and electronically, the abstract thoughts slowly over time get added to and amended, finally finding its own shape. I couldn’t have envisioned the end product that its turned into, its morphed and expanded into something much better then the original ideas.

One step I always do before I create an implementation plan.

I create a vision statement

A vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s objectives, ideally based on economic foresight, intended to guide its internal decision-making.

Now this sounds very grand, but in reality it’s just the aim of the project or strategy, its part of the creative process which also serves a mystical purpose too, when you create a vision you are also manifesting. I don’t use the word goal anymore, i love the feel of the word vision more, it feels less clinical, more mystical, more inspiring.

The statement can be a few lines, or a few pages, the length depends on how detailed it needs to be. It’s not something I write in one sitting, I will often write and then re-write the statement over a period of time, sometimes days, weeks or even months.

Writing is part of the process

The process is the important part, not so much the statement itself, this is why I do it the old fashioned way, I write it down because there is something that is more physical then typing, deeper in some way. So I sit, writing from the perspective of what end result I am looking for, everything I write includes how it will fill into my life, my lifestyle now, and in the future.

This is something many people forget when making changes in their life, wanting a new job, lover, business, or simply wanting to make changes.

Don’t just make changes, design a lifestyle.

Making changes in isolation can have a knock on effect in other areas of your life, sometimes unbalancing you in the process. Say you are looking for a new job, but you aspirations of starting a side business, this needs to be factored in, so if you get a job that requires additional hours as standard, perhaps even out of hours support, when will you have time to start working on your business?

What if you are starting a business but are looking for love too, you need to make sure you leave room for not only socialising and dating, but also for the partner you’re looking for. You also need to keep in mind what type of relationship you’re looking for, how much time are you willing to commit to the relationship, how do you fit that into your life? It’s easy to fill spaces in your life, especially when you are starting a business, its time consuming, but if we don’t leave space for ourselves, how will we fit someone into it?

When I find someone, I will clear space for them?

People say this, but in reality it doesn’t work that way, structures put in place, routines get set over time, so adding something new into the mix can upset the apple cart. Some plans are easier to change then others, commits you make, financial or otherwise can put a spanner in the works of any budding relationship/business/ or other changes you want to make, you won’t have the time.

Look at your life holistically.

So whilst this is a small project for me, I follow the same process, I write it into my life. so that’s what I will be doing for the rest of this week, writing it, re-writing it, in between other tasks, until I feel its finished. When I start writing, I find the process draws out many issues that I need to think about further, so its often left whilst I go off on my tangent.

Once its written to my satisfaction I pop it in an envelope, sealed with a label, and the date it was written. Why don’t I keep it where I can see it? because I don’t need to, by the time its put away In the envelope I will already have it memorised, its imprinted in my brain, the act of writing helps us keep it in our conscious awareness, it also lets the universe/spirit/guides etc what you are looking to create.

New Year, New Challenge!

I have always wanted to blog, but have always shied away, not because I don’t believe I have interesting things to say, my friends know I always have something to say! It was instead because I never believed I was good at writing, or consistent, I am loathed to start something when I am not sure I will have the stamina or inclination to finish the project, I like completion you see.

So last year I set myself a challenge to write every day for a month, minimum of 500 words each day. I figured that if I could do this every day, I would show myself that I could commit to writing a blog for my business.

pencil-writing-blog

 

I smashed it, hitting over 30,000 words in around 20 days, which on average was 1-2,000 words a day, including the odd day I was too busy or hungover! During this process I have learnt a great deal about myself, as a person, and as a writer.

I can write!

The Aquarius new moon and Chinese New Year brought me a challenge, well I decide I wanted to give myself a similar challenge, I will write every few days, but this time I will post them.

I hope sharing my ideas and processes (and yes those epic fails) will inspire you

Things I have learnt about myself and writing:

  • Writing prompts are whatever is important at that moment, if I try and write for the future it doesn’t work, I need to be responsive for the words to flow.
  • If you’re really stuck, change your environment, go somewhere else, a coffee shop or simply a walk, or even do some domestic chores, just don’t keep stare at the screen,
  • Start, don’t keep thinking of a perfect first line, something as you write will be come your fist line, it might even be the last line!
  • I have to write personally, I don’t write for a specific audience, I write something from my own perspective hoping that it resonates with others.
  • Yes we are told to always write your blog to show you’re an expert, but starting to write a blog post like that sounds stilted and you know really it’s a sales pitch. You will show your expertise in how you meet your challenges, people will see that, it makes you more human and therefore more approachable to share your failures and mistakes, not just everything that worked.
  • I am actually not bad, it took me until near the end of my last challenge to realise that!