Just Go Write Blog

Been wandering the halls of social media, virtually working off the loads of choccie eggs I consumed over the Easter weekend. My thanks to Red Balloon Days’ Naomi Simson for her inspiring blogs and Twitters. She flagged this article from Matt Granfield at Marketing Magazine. It really resonated with me, considering my passion and purpose is about inspiring businesses – heck, anyone - to use their authentic voice.

Everyone has their story – but is it the ‘real deal’ or just the story they got stuck in? This is where as a communicator, business, PR and everyday person you really have to check in with yourself. Is your story authentic or something that validates you, serving only to feed the pesky ego-voice inside?

There are two types of stories: self-serving and sincere. Trouble is, we’ve often been telling the self-serving one for so long we think it actually is the truth!  Like: “Oh, it’s OK for her, she’s successful because she’s gorgeous-looking and knows the right people.”

That’s self-serving, because it lets you off the hook from challenging yourself, abdicating you from your dreams and destiny. We are all born with the same magnificence - it’s taking the authentic step to embrace it that’s tricky.

The codes and belief systems you grow up with can have a powerful impact subconsciously. If you’re told you have to work hard, seven days a week, to earn a crust, then you’re going to have to overcome a lot of mental obstacles to sit happily as an entrepreneur earning a passive income of thousands, working only a few days each month.

I was advised to choose a job I loved because “you spend the majority of your life working so you may as well enjoy what you do.” Hang on.

Why must I spend the majority of my life working? And why does working have such, well, ‘hard and heavy’ connotations? Once I got my head round those questions, things became really easy. Instead of working to earn money, I chose to earn my money having fun. Mindset shift, massive results!

Remember though that to truly earn from fun, live in bliss, however you want to term it – you have to come from an authentic place.

Ever met those people who tell you what a great, fun time they’re having, but you get a sense that if the façade cracked you wouldn’t want to be around to witness the fall out? That’s not authentic. That’s holding up a mask rather than looking at the true reasons for your unauthenticity. And there are lots of reasons. Many people are scared to speak or act authentically for fear of judgement, of causing upset to someone. I stayed in a job I certainly wasn’t passionate about for years because the income was good, regular and ‘wasn’t I lucky to have it’ (insert parent tone of voice here ☺).

In my recent blog ‘Don’t let the rut hit you on the way out’ I mentioned questions to use when making a decision. These are the keys to tapping into your authentic voice.

Yes, it can be scary. But the amazing thing is once you step into this, everyone will want to deal with you. Everyone. Because speaking from an authentic place means you’ve embraced the innate magnificence I talked about earlier. So naturally everyone will want to deal with you, simply because of that!

In life, change is a constant. You’d think then, as the supposed more evolved creatures on this planet, we’d be pretty open to rolling with whatever life throws at us. But the ruts we get stuck in can appear so darn comfortable!
If any area of your life is lacking passion and purpose, you can bet you’re stuck in a rut. As PR depends on you communicating authentically, if there’s no passion and purpose you can bet your own PR will look pretty weak.
Trouble is, ruts can be hard to climb out of – unless you’re lucky enough to be kicked out.
Yes, lucky enough. A bit like the baby bird whose mother boots it over the edge of the nest to test its wings. No matter how scary it is and how far the drop looks.
It’s a basic universal principle that everything in life is for growth. Including you. I’m also a big believer in the philosophy that life doesn’t throw anything at you that you’re unable to deal with. We all have metaphorical wings and just have to choose to use them.
A real life example: About six months ago a client of mine started talking about resigning his services from a long-term customer. He discussed it with his team, and was very open about the impact it would have on the revenue stream of the business.
When I asked him and his wider team if this customer inspired them to passion and purpose, they all answered a resounding no. He didn’t feel he was being authentic in his business dealings, had lost a real sense of voice, and was beginning to question his business talents.
But the regular income was a kicker. Especially when the global economy began creaking. So instead of making the decision, my client hung on, feeling increasingly unhappy.
Can you guess what happened next? The customer left the business, of course! What my client hadn’t realised was, energetically, he’d already made the decision of not working for the customer, and it was just a matter of time before reality caught up. It was just presented in a slightly different way that he’d expected.
And now? After a day’s workshop on what he and his team really want to do and say, the business has reconnected with its authentic voice. New revenue opportunities are flowing in, and there’s a visible sense of joy in what they are all achieving together.
So if you’re feeling stuck, or perhaps you want to embrace a new challenge but are feeling a bit fearful, I’d encourage you to ask yourself a few simple questions (with gratitude to my mentor David Neagle for sharing them):
1) Is this something I want to be, do or have?
It could be an opportunity, a person, whatever. If it’s a Yes, go onto Q2. If it’s a No, then the decision is made.
2) Is being, doing or having this going to take me closer to my goal - or as I like to ask, my authentic purpose? If it’s a Yes, then go to Q3. If it’s a No, the decision is made.
3) Is being, doing or having this in harmony with the basic universal law of more life to all, and less to none?
So by making this decision, will it add to your life? Rather than simply checking on a material level (like your finances) I’d encourage you to check in with your soul first!
4) Is being, doing or having this going to take away another person’s ability to choose?
By making a choice to embrace what you are doing, are you taking away another person’s ability to choose? Every human being has the basic right to choose for him or herself, and you do not want to take that away from them.
As long as you have three yeses and a no, you can make the decision and move forward.