“Things seem to be going really well for you”
Lately, a handful of people have said this to me.
It appears as though the content that I’ve been sharing about myself and my company, along with the relatively high frequency and amplification of my content, and the high volume and breadth of my activities, tells a story to those around me that “things seem to be going really well.”
I can’t lie, things are going well. But it is not without challenges; giant, often overwhelming challenges. Thinking about how others perceive me in conjunction with my own reality is a bit of a head trip.
It got me thinking about marketing and promotion in this noisy, social world.
Marketing
Here’s the thing about Marketing…it’s just storytelling. Sure, there’s a million ways to look at Marketing, but just play along for a moment.
No matter what you are doing, whether it is an advertisement, building a relationship through engagement, or building a relationship through content…it’s all storytelling.
- Marketing is the story you are telling to others about yourself.
“Here’s who we are as a company and what we stand for.”
- It is also the story you are telling to others about themselves.
“Here’s who you are as a consumer and what you stand for.”
- Finally, it is also the story you that you tell yourself.
“Here’s who I am/we are are as a company and what I/we stand for.”
We choose what we share, how we word it, and with what groups we give access. It is much easier to tell others the story how you want it to be received than it is to tell yourself the same story; we have additional details.
My Stories
I talk a lot about what I do. I’m proud of so much of it. I share about what I do regularly. It would seem that everything is on the up and up, which it mostly is.
But I’m also having my world rocked by the countless responsibilities and obligations. I have a lot of people counting on me to deliver.
Most of the time, I lace up my boots and run full speed ahead, but there are honestly days where I want to run away from it all and call in sick.
The problem with working for yourself, is that only makes the problem worse. I am the toughest boss I’ve ever had (also the most handsome and intelligent– Who me? Yes you! Why, thank you.).
I try to be honest on this blog and across my sites as much as possible, but I recognize that I may be painting too rosy of a picture.
Thing are great, but I’m always one or two events from everything coming crashing down. So don’t ever read my updates, blogs, events, etc, and think that this is easy. I don’t have it all figured out, despite my confidence, storytelling, and boasting.
In the end, I’m just a 33 year old, single guy, working hard, trying to do the right thing. That’s the real story. Everything else is just marketing.