Self-Promotion Is Not A Sin
Personal Branding Lessons From Muhammed Ali’s Boxing Career
“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail.”
Like some of you, I used to cringe whenever I saw someone overtly self-promoting. “Have you no decency?”, I’ll shout at them…in my head, never out loud, of course. At the time I didn’t know I was dealing with my own self-esteem issue. To me, someone that was blatantly talking about and promoting themselves always seemed like they had the deadly and cancerous sin of pride. And to me “pride comes before a fall”, a wise man once said.
However, there was a poetic beauty to Muhammed Ali’s self-promotion antics. The way he spoke about himself, it didn’t seem like it pride. “It’s not bragging if you can back it up”, Ali said once. His form of self-promotion was couched in his reality. He believed he was the greatest of all, cause he was. He didn’t just make empty claims, his work in the ring backed his words on the mic.
Later on, in my own professional life, I learned to overcome my own sin of timidity and low self-esteem, which is definitely a form of pride in itself, a topic for another day. I am now able to tell my story and “self-promote” without the unnecessary self-analysis and judgment.
For you, I’ve identified some healthy and sinless ways of self-promotion you can adopt to help further your ambitions but let’s define the word first.
Self-Promotion is…
“the act of furthering one’s own growth, advancement, or prosperity”, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I particularly like this definition. If you’re someone interested in your personal growth then you should also be interested in self-promotion.
I used to believe the lie that “if you build it they’ll come”. Well, it's a half-truth because oftentimes your work does speak for itself but in today’s noisy world, the loudest work speaks for itself. Self-promotion is not about being loud, it’s simply just telling your story; telling the story of your journey, the work you’re doing and the future you’re trying to build.
1. You Are What You Say You Are
“I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest.” — Muhammad Ali
Muhammed Ali believed himself to be the greatest of all time and he wasn’t afraid to let anyone know. Many of us are afraid of making such claims because we may appear arrogant. It’s not arrogance if you back it up. If you believe that you’re the best at what you do, say it! Tell the world you’re the greatest but like Ali back it up in the ring.
2. Tell Your Story, The World Needs It
“I shook up the world. Me!”
We, who are great at what we do, should not let the empty barrels take up space. We must and should tell our stories. Years later, the world is still inspired by the career of Ali the champ. He told his story, and many people were and are still inspired by it. In your professional and business journey don’t be afraid to share the stories of your highs and lows. You never really know who you may inspire.
3. Tell The Story of What You’re Working On
“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.”
Whether you’re a career professional, creator, freelancer or an entrepreneur, one of the core skills you should develop is the skill of storytelling. Too often, many of us let the days go by without opening our mouths to tell our stories. The only way to distinguish yourself in 2022 is to tell authentic stories. Make the days count by documenting your journey and the work you’re doing. If you’re bold enough to do this in public, please, by all means, do it.
People in the world are looking for who to trust, if you don’t present yourself as someone credible and worthy then nothing is going. to come your way.
I’ll leave you with 3 more quotes from Muhammed Ali to help inspire your new self-promotion journey.
“Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.”
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
Bonus
- I help build brands and businesses tell their stories so they can get the attention they deserve. Email me (jesse@thefireworks.co), and let’s work together.
- Sign up to be a member of the Campfire Community, a community of creatives and entrepreneurs.
- Listen to my weekly podcast, The Fireworks Podcast on Spotify or Apple, where I share stories and insights on entrepreneurship, the creator economy and branding.
- If you enjoyed reading this post, then share it with someone. Let’s all grow together.
