I came across this terrific blog post by someone I really admire, and someone who you really need to know if you’re a creative person trying to get your creative business online.
I’m talking about Lisa Sonora Beam, and she wrote a post about Striving For Imperfection. It’s part of a series, but her opening lines of this post are particularly relevant to me – and maybe my readers. Enjoy.
I would not have gone beyond the easy and the obvious. Like a quester who settles for an emerald when they can have a unique diamond with a bit more effort. Hopefully, with this forced introspection, I am able to offer something of deeper value, something unique to my readers.
I would not be qualified to talk about overcoming struggle and coping with setbacks. I wouldn’t learn first hand about resilience and determination to succeed, and about the internal alignment of dreams, discipline and action. I wouldn’t know first hand all the distractions that entice people away from success, and be able to advise people on how to overcome them.
I would not be able to help the financially struggling to be resourceful. I wouldn’t discover all the “back door” ways to achieve my ends. I’d probably have paid someone to set up my website, hired someone to do all the technical and boring stuff, and not really gained a solid understanding of what underpins a successful online business.
If I had my book published traditionally, I would not understand the far greater financial rewards possible with self publishing. I would always be locked into the concept of publisher, editor, distributor, and not recognise the marketing power of online.
If I had come from a place of bricks and mortar business success, I would not understand the unlimited potential of an online business based on information. I would always be thinking in terms of physical products.
I wouldn’t have learned about the gaps that exist for creative people in building an online business. If I just wanted to make money online, and not had a sense of an urgent higher mission, I don’t doubt that I could have done it sooner. The success guru’s messages all start with “find out what the market wants”.
But I have a message that needs to come out regardless of what the market wants, because I believe that I am the first with my particular message. And I am first, and foremost, an author, and I needed to get clear about giving voice to my message. As with fellow authors, there is the process of drafts, re-drafts, revisions, fresh starts, and writers blocks. I believe it is a process of ripening, a craft. Not just assembly line, looking at the numbers and playing to them.
What do you think? What did you actually GAIN in wisdom or experience from your delayed success?
I’m going to concentrate on people close to my own age and over (just in case I run a bit more late, LOL!)
And my personal favourite role models:
I guess if you’re going to write or teach about life, it really helps to have some maturity, wisdom and life experience behind you.
In honor of all folks working at a mundane day job while they build their dream, I will explore and share with you what various successful people did before they made it.
I’m always impressed with how many of our online gurus worked in corporate or executive jobs. But what does that actually mean?
Of course, it’s probable that the folks below had many more jobs than the ones listed below.
To read more celebs, this is the site where I got the above information: http://www.hardlyfamous.com/stars/
How often do you berate yourself for not having your life sorted out earlier? I’ve passed the big five-oh, and occasionally wonder if it’s too late for me to be starting out on my mission to become a life-altering author and teacher. That if I haven’t done it by now, it’s probably too late.
And if you listen to motivational speakers like Brian Tracey and Jack Canfield, they may sometimes say that if anyone hasn’t established this habit or routine in their life by now, then they’re losers because they will just never change. And I think, well I guess by their definition, I must be a loser, so what’s the point of reading any further.
Fortunately, I’m stubborn. And I just love learning, so I read on.
Recently I had my big epiphany.
What if my disorganisation, my lack of success to date, my many starts and changes of direction are actually part of the bigger plan? What if my particular mission is to help others out of the wilderness of restrictions and “wasted” time and opportunities, by finding a way to transcend a lackluster past, and finally be the success we all dream to be.
I’ve always been a bit of a late starter. I didn’t start dating until after I finished high school. I didn’t start uni until I was 25. I got married for the first (and only) time at 35. I was 44 when I finally stopped renting and bought my first home.
Frankly, the suburban lifestyle has always bored me to tears. I have always followed a different game of finding meaning and purpose to my life, which was much more important to me than fitting in with what everyone else was doing. So I comfortably call myself a “misfit” who can’t abide playing political games for very long.
This is why I’ve never built a career of any great depth, or continued with postgraduate university studies. Power games just aren’t my scene. And that comes at a price, in this world where power games are what makes our society function as it does.
Which is why my day jobs tend to be at the low-skilled end, because I am loathe to share my creative energy. I am very greedy about my creative energy – I want to use it for MY projects and not for any corporate priorities.
Thus, my outer appearance in this world can appear to be as a “loser”.
But by being on the outside, and pursuing what I value (not what others value), I have earned and been granted so many treasures that the mainstream populations yearn for. Like knowing what my purpose is, like knowing what makes me happy, like rehabilitating my beliefs and attitude to work for my highest good, like discovering “what it’s all about”.
And I harbour a secret passion – to become a life altering author and teacher. To share the joyous secrets I’ve discovered, the new connections I’ve created, the lessons I can help to shortcut.
One of the reasons I resist writing blog posts is because I haven’t figured out whether to establish and maintain the persona of a dynamic expert with high energy and enthusiasm, or to reveal myself as who I think I am – someone with a lot of knowledge, passion and dreams, but with some issues to still figure out – mainly money and success.
Do I let you see my flaws and risk your dismissal of me and all that I can offer?
Or do I let you see my journey – past, present and future – so that it can be of comfort and hopefully inspiration to people who are ready to hear my message. That message being not only the specialty that I have chosen (the energy of the environment) but also how I live my life.
Maybe I can be both? I AM both! The dynamic expert with energy and enthusiasm AND the real person.
Image by Natalie Maynor. Flickr Creative Commons Licence.
I just read an amazing blog post by Andy Dooley – a truly funny, goofy, artistic but deeply spiritually insightful guy.
If you don’t get around to popping over to his site for a chuckle, art appreciation and an “aha” moment, then here’s the essence of what impressed me:
In life you ALWAYS get what you WANT if you remember you’re ALWAYS after the FEELING! Whatever you want right now is because of the feelings you want!
So when you’re visualising your goal, go for the feeling. I mean, REALLY go for the feeling. I mean, really, Really, REALLY go for the feeling.
Did I mention you should go for the feeling? (Kidding…)
And the image – the blueberry peace pie – If you read Andy’s other posts, it’s kind of an in-joke with him.
Peace!
