In Appreciation Of ‘Raw and Real’
Recently, I stumbled across Shane Ketterman’s series of posts about his daily journey to grow an agency from scratch. If you haven’t seen them, it is worth the time to go back and read how the journey started.
It is remarkable that one person telling the ‘raw and real’ details of their own entrepreneurial journey would stand out like Shane’s (my work social media-centric so I see A LOT of posts), but what jumped out at me was his willingness to share the real story behind his daily slog — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Sounds like the stuff social media is made for right? But when you really look at what most people are posting on their social channels, it is a lot of aspirational, “life is good, see how good my life is going” — like posts. I’m all for being positive, but there is something really engaging about Shane’s story, so this post is kind of an “ode” (but not in lyrical form) of appreciation to the Hero’s Journey as it is lived by each entrepreneur.
Because that is really what Shane’s posts are about. We are seeing the first vestiges of what Joseph Campbell described as the Hero’s Journey. He is leaving the safety of his comfort zone — and he is willing to share the true feeling, and behind the scenes view of things, in exchange for building an audience of us who want to see him succeed.
We don’t know how the story is going to end — and that is part of the brilliance. What he is doing is not brilliant because it is some “marketing” trick to get people to pay attention (though — you can see from the results, that is building). It is brilliant because Shane is putting himself out there.
Why Is It Brilliant?
He openly admits to having anxiety issues, or mistakes he is making along the way. For those reasons and many more — reading the daily posts is a bit like watching a Netflix series while it is still in season. You have to wait for the next installment to see if things are going to get bad or better for our hero.
Another reason how it is brilliant, is that Shane open questions (to himself and the readers), will people pay for his service — which in this case is customer service management.
Think about that for a second… he is not pushing it and trying to sell it to the reader. He is figuring out these answers along his journey. And because the readers are figuring it out with him, I believe one of Shane’s first big break-thru’s will come from a reader who arrived at the same conclusions, and at the same time as Shane. His authenticity will win the day.
Here’s Another Reason Why I Appreciate What Shane Is Doing
As readers, we all put a bit of ourselves in the role of the protagonist. When a creator successfully invites us in, we get hooked.
My own entrepreneurial journey is not that different from Shane’s. I have been doing it a bit longer, but with recent changes in my business model… I am in the same boat as Shane — starting from scratch in many ways and especially on the financial end.
So when he writes about the anxiety of sales, or worrying about whether anyone cares enough to pay attention, it cuts straight to my heart. I feel those same, stomach-churning thoughts.
— Will I be able to earn enough to pay the bills?
— How do I get this started when I can’t seem to get anyone’s attention?
— Will they pay me for the value that I know I am bringing?
It is the kind of stuff that keeps people awake at night. I don’t stay awake at night worrying about whether Shane will successfully answer these questions. We each have our own battle for survival.
But Shane was willing to put his out there in the open. It is inspiration for other entrepreneurs, and it makes all of us better because we learn with him.
Would you be willing to do that? I am not at that place, myself. Not at this time. I like to think I am not doing it because I am not sure that fits into my greater plan of what I am doing to build my own offerings. But maybe I am just scared of what people will think of me if I go as ‘raw and real’ as Shane has done.
To be fair — his willingness to “drop his pants” so to speak, is earning him an audience. People like me who had never heard of him before, but are not actively rooting for him along the way of his Hero’s Journey. But don’t discount the cost, until you are willing to do the same.
He is “the man in the arena…”
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. ~ President Theodore Roosevelt
How Does One Manage The Fight For Survival?
I want to share one last thought, for Shane and for anyone else who might be following similar steps — whatever your own Hero’s Journey may be.
Over the last week, I felt a mounting pressure to produce results in my own business. That is just part and parcel of being an entrepreneur. The pressure to produce results will never go away.
But I was letting it get to me. My conversations with my wife were starting to feel like counseling sessions. My stomach was in knots, and all I could imagine was that the stress was going to squeeze the life out of me, with each passing day.
It seems crazy to even say this now, but it felt like an existential threat. That’s a fancy way of saying what I really mean — which is I felt like I was fighting for my life. But when you have a family to take care of, sometimes those pressures can mount and feel overwhelming.
So this is what I discovered, that is helping me and I hope it may be useful to anyone else who reads this and has to wrestle with the same.
I’ve been reading Kamil Ravikant’s Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It (not an affiliate link — just paying it forward). And it is helping me manage my focus and emotions, on a moment by moment basis.
The short synopsis is, Kamil also found himself in a bad place and with near debilitating emotions swirling around him. He found a way out. I won’t divulge his secret because I think it is important to read how he presents it. But the book is short (less than an hour to read), and life-changing.
Kamil writes that his way is not the only way. But the commitment to it, makes it so.
Place our bet on it, then go all out. That’s where magic happens. Where life blows away our expectations. ~ Kamil Ravikant
Think about this… if you are Shane, or myself, or anyone else wrestling with big fears about whether we are good enough, what happens if you DO get an opportunity to make a sales presentation. How do you flip the switch and go from fearful, anxious, and questioning — to the best of you that will knock it out of the park?
How does one keep our anxieties from sabotaging the very thing we are working towards?
Our thoughts have momentum — for good and for bad. I had to find a way to reign in my fear-based thoughts, and redirect them in a more positive way. This book (or rather the process it teaches) is helping me do that. Perhaps it will help you too.
It is also worth noting — I bought this book a year ago after reading rave reviews from several other authors and influencers I follow. When I read it the first time, the process didn’t quite sit with me. It felt too… simple.
So I modified it in a way that I felt suited me. But I didn’t stick with it. It was a good idea, but I didn’t FEEL the difference.
NOW, I am at a place in my life where I feel like, my life does depend on it. I am willing to do whatever it takes — and that seems to be making all the difference, because I found immediate relief when I started the practice, and got myself back on track immediately.
For years now, I have been trying to figure out why one moment I feel like I am on top of the world, tuned in, tapped in and turned on by life. And the next day (or even hour) I feel beat up and not in control (a victim). Everything else that I found to help get back to that good-feeling place, where we all do our best work, have the best conversations… seemed to take too long to redirect the trials and tribulations of life, on a moment’s notice.
Kamil’s practive is working for me. I finally accepted it in its full simplicity. And now I feel armed for whatever is going to come my way.
Normally I finish my posts with a call to action, and an invitation to keep the conversation going. But this post isn’t about me. First, it is about Shane Ketterman, so please give his series a read and root for him along with me.
Second it is about all you entrepreneurial types out there, who are fighting the good fight, doing things people told you would never work, and opening yourself up to criticism from those who would never dare step a toe into the arena. I am with you. I am one of you. You have my deepest respect.
“Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant”
