I think a lot of people have these fears, myself included, but I realised that if you do not build a personal brand, if you don't make noise, you won't be seen. Writing online is tough and it can make us feel vulnerable at times, but it also brings so many benefits: new friends, new skills and even the opportunity of an additional income that can turn into a main income one day.
That's very true. Besides, it's tough only at first. And building your brand is one of those asymmetrical bets, high potential upside but low potential downsides. If you win, you win big, but if you lose nothing really happens.
It can be scary when you fall for the belief that the Internet is a big cruel place. But I've found some of my best supporters are people I've never met, and who would never know me unless I put myself out there.
Sure, some people won't like you, but why focus your attention on the wrong audience?
If you can help someone with what you know or sell, you're doing the world a disservice not to be out there promoting yourself.
That's so true. Receiving this kind of support is really great, and it's an unrelatable experience if you haven't gone through it yourself.
I would've never thought it was possible before I started putting myself out there -- like, what do you mean random people across the world would like what you're doing, and silently cheer for you? But they do like it, and they do cheer for you. And the internet isn't so bad after all, once you find those people.
Everyone has this capacity to help, to change the world for the better inside of them. It just takes a bit of effort to bring it out, and to the right people.
Mistakes and failure are expected and essential in practice. Doing it in public just allows for more efficient growth because of all the advantages stress testing, feedback, and public facing repetitions can have.
Thanks brother. Good piece that definitely resonates with me as I hate self-promotion but understand it’s a skill like anything else that can be done ethically and from a beneficial mindset intended on getting our respective missions to the most people who could willingly benefit from them as possible (what a long and shit sentence that I wouldn’t allow myself to post anywhere but a comment… haha)
hahahaha we all have days for long shit sentences 😂 But thank you, yes it's a frame I learned somewhere, most likely from one of Ali Abdaal's podcasts. I've wholeheartedly adopted it.
Too often we think that anything we put out into the world should be perfect and beyond reproach. But that's a very unhealthy, perfectionist way of looking at things. Very little in our lives are fixed, almost everything is a work in progress. The internet is no different.
Whatever we put out here are all works in progress, we just benefit because it resonates with our audiences.
I can relate to this post. I was in a similar situation not too long ago, and started shifting my mindset to learning, and then told that it's ok to share my own confusion and wins as I develop an artistic voice.
One interesting aspect of this is shifting our mindset to opportunities, which are multiplied on the web, but because we're bringing a 20th century mindset to new ways of gaining attention and giving value.
That's definitely true. I'm a big proponent of the mindset that the more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities come your way.
The internet is full of stories about people who found success just because they kept posting about what they love. Of course, not everyone is so lucky, for most cases, we have to be strategic. But putting yourself out there, wins and learnings and losses, is a core component of this strategy.
I agree with that statement now. If what you share is something you're passionate about and you're sharing it in an interesting way the odds increase in your favor for opportunities.
I think a lot of people have these fears, myself included, but I realised that if you do not build a personal brand, if you don't make noise, you won't be seen. Writing online is tough and it can make us feel vulnerable at times, but it also brings so many benefits: new friends, new skills and even the opportunity of an additional income that can turn into a main income one day.
That's very true. Besides, it's tough only at first. And building your brand is one of those asymmetrical bets, high potential upside but low potential downsides. If you win, you win big, but if you lose nothing really happens.
It can be scary when you fall for the belief that the Internet is a big cruel place. But I've found some of my best supporters are people I've never met, and who would never know me unless I put myself out there.
Sure, some people won't like you, but why focus your attention on the wrong audience?
If you can help someone with what you know or sell, you're doing the world a disservice not to be out there promoting yourself.
That's so true. Receiving this kind of support is really great, and it's an unrelatable experience if you haven't gone through it yourself.
I would've never thought it was possible before I started putting myself out there -- like, what do you mean random people across the world would like what you're doing, and silently cheer for you? But they do like it, and they do cheer for you. And the internet isn't so bad after all, once you find those people.
Everyone has this capacity to help, to change the world for the better inside of them. It just takes a bit of effort to bring it out, and to the right people.
Love the phrase “practicing in public.”
Excellent frame in and of itself.
Mistakes and failure are expected and essential in practice. Doing it in public just allows for more efficient growth because of all the advantages stress testing, feedback, and public facing repetitions can have.
Thanks brother. Good piece that definitely resonates with me as I hate self-promotion but understand it’s a skill like anything else that can be done ethically and from a beneficial mindset intended on getting our respective missions to the most people who could willingly benefit from them as possible (what a long and shit sentence that I wouldn’t allow myself to post anywhere but a comment… haha)
hahahaha we all have days for long shit sentences 😂 But thank you, yes it's a frame I learned somewhere, most likely from one of Ali Abdaal's podcasts. I've wholeheartedly adopted it.
Too often we think that anything we put out into the world should be perfect and beyond reproach. But that's a very unhealthy, perfectionist way of looking at things. Very little in our lives are fixed, almost everything is a work in progress. The internet is no different.
Whatever we put out here are all works in progress, we just benefit because it resonates with our audiences.
❤️👊🏻
I can relate to this post. I was in a similar situation not too long ago, and started shifting my mindset to learning, and then told that it's ok to share my own confusion and wins as I develop an artistic voice.
One interesting aspect of this is shifting our mindset to opportunities, which are multiplied on the web, but because we're bringing a 20th century mindset to new ways of gaining attention and giving value.
That's definitely true. I'm a big proponent of the mindset that the more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities come your way.
The internet is full of stories about people who found success just because they kept posting about what they love. Of course, not everyone is so lucky, for most cases, we have to be strategic. But putting yourself out there, wins and learnings and losses, is a core component of this strategy.
I agree with that statement now. If what you share is something you're passionate about and you're sharing it in an interesting way the odds increase in your favor for opportunities.