Finding Value In Your Communication
I hated the feeling. I thought my writing had to be about business and the things that would get sales. I get it. I really do. People are interested in certain topics so you give it to them in order to build your tribe. But, I hated the feeling. In fact, I became ridiculously bored with it and simply decided I wasn’t going to write anymore.
I’d read many articles, hired coaches and done a lot but, it felt like the things I loved were being smothered by the need for money. I know I’m not alone. In fact, many entrepreneurs shy away from using the things they love as business ideas because they feel the structure of it all will cause them not to love it any more. Then there is the idea of niches. They are a great sales mechanism and a way to focus your business. But, what if I didn’t want to write about how to lead a meeting that day or how to make dogs pay attention while you’re walking them? Was I banned from writing from the heart?
Jeff Goins notes that the way around some of the “limiting advice” is to write and communicate from a world view. He gives the example:
Every [blank] should [blank].
This incorporates the people and the things you care about. For me, it reads:
Every leader should boldly build their ideas through communication.
And that encapsulates what I do. I help leaders communicate more effectively through writing and speaking so they can share and execute their ideas. So, I write a lot on communication, leadership and building relationships/networks to spread the ideas. Some days, that feels like a lot but every time I try to sneak away from it, I can’t. It’s built in.
Now, instead of trying to jump into a space where I THINK I’m giving what people want, I’m writing from the space I know and seeking the people who need it. To be even more clear, I’m don’t write about social media because I’m not a social media expert. But, if I happen to be writing about a topic of concern to me, then I might share what I have done on social media to create a bigger space for the message.
In order to share a greater message, you also need to be able to release guilt. For a long time I felt like such a fraud. I was writing about things I didn’t know a whole lot about. I was writing articles on productivity and I wasn’t the most productive person. I was writing articles on success and I had so far to go. I was writing articles on personal growth and I was still growing myself. But, I had to learn to release the guilt. No one knows it all. Some communicate from a place of opinion. Others communicate from a place of experience. And still others communicate from a place of journey.
As long as I am open to learning, there is value in my communication. My journey is not complete and one day it will turn into experience.
Now, I can take off the mask and write for real!
Today is Day 35 of a 12 Week Writing Journey. Here are two previous posts:
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