One of the biggest and most painful mistakes you can make is to believe it is about you.
Things happen all the time, people have thoughts and feelings that make them behave one way or the other, words are said and opinions expressed more than we can appreciate. And it is not about you.
Making it personal is the opposite of committing. It is a way to hide, to postpone, to not do.
It is also a strong instict, as each one of us is the main character to their own story.
Just keep it under control.
Having a path to follow, something you dedicate time consistently, does not mean you will not have doubts.
There will be times when you will question your choices. There will be plenty of alternatives. There will be many reasons why you should change. Actually, there will only be rare occasions when you will feel completely convinced that what you are doing is exactly what you should be doing.
Unless your doubts turn into pain – physical or emotional -, or unless they prove real – with data or facts to support them -, the best thing you can do with it is embrace it. Doubt is part of doing. More often than not, it tells you are on the right path. It can be additional motivation.
You can’t eradicate doubt, so try to make friends with it.
Do something because you want to try.
Because you want to start a new habit, because it is a thing you might like, because you know that somebody will feel better. Do something because you are running out of time or because you have too much time on your hands. Do it because it makes sense, because it is the right thing to do, because you know you can handle it. Or perhaps to test yourself, to stretch your skills and build new muscles. Do something when you have nothing to do, when you have too much to do, when you feel down, and when you feel energetic.
But never do because you expect someone to do something in return.
That’s just not how it works.
You have one single product and multiple ways to tell about it.
That does not mean that you have to tell a different story every time you talk to a different audience. It means that you need to be sensible enough to adapt your story to match the language and the background of the audiences you care about (i.e., that make you money).
The drill goes like this.
You can’t have 2, 3, and 4 if you have not started with 1. And at the same time, you can’t pretend 1 to be effective if you are not following up with 2, 3, and 4.
When you get to 4, that’s the time to be consistent, over a period of time, to see if you have worked, identified, and researched well.
It’s a tough job. It is long-term.
There are two problems with writing in a way that is complex and self-serving.
The first problem is that people will not understand.
The second problem is that people will not raise their hands to tell you they did not understand. You’ll go home thinking everything is clear. And you’ll be left wondering why you are not achieving what you were expecting to achieve.
Keep things simple.
Simple is also what you like to read, after all.
You've got this 