The Big Move 🏡

This blog is coming to you in the midst of a house-move! And not your regular house-move (though is any move really regular?!)

This is one comes with two days' notice. Involving five kids, a business and a lotta, lotta logistics. 

But hey, adventure is kind of my middle name - so while the last month was a tad intense, knowing I needed to move, but having no idea where to, and not finding something suitable until 2 days before my vacate date - it was definitely a big test of surrender and trust. 

You see, I've been renting for a little while, and the house that I've lived in so happily for nearly 6 years was sold, and the new owners wanted to move in.

Cue needing to find a place at short notice - but with very specific requirements and a few major international trips in the mix. And very little on the market that would accommodate what I needed. 

I'd been looking in the in-between pockets between my trips - to NYC, LA, Sydney and last week Fiji - but there wasn't anything that was suitable, where I wanted it, and that ticked a few key boxes, and I wasn't ready to settle for less than my ideal - yet (that was my backup plan in case I needed to find something this weekend!). 

I wasn't too worried - I had a plan. 

I arrived at home from Fiji at 2am last Saturday morning, and that day looked at 10 houses. 

One of them ticked the boxes that I wanted and so after a few days of back and forth yesterday I got the green light to move in - tomorrow! As I'm due to be out of my house this weekend!

So nay a box is packed, zero is prepped, my house is looking like the aftermath of a disaster zone - after spending the week hanging out with my kids, doing a birthday celebration, delivering to my clients,  and sorting out my life.

And yet, here I am, in a cafe, writing my regular blog for beautiful people like yourself! 

Because you see, this is the "one thing" I do each week. Granted I didn't do it last week, as I was having such an epic time at a business retreat in Fiji. 

Nor the week before because I was at two awards ceremonies in one week - one for the Australian Marketing Institute of which I'm the current State Chair (Vic) and one for the MediaWeek100 where I'm a monthly opinion columnist. 

So not exactly business as usual - with all this "living the dream stuff". But all things I'm profusely grateful for, and sure as heck going to be present and in the moment for, not distracted with "to-do" lists and obligations.

I'm here for the long term.  And long-term, when you're a personal brand, means being a healthy, vibrant, thriving human.

We can't all be that all the time - because life isn't like that. 

So we need to build in spaciousness into our world so that we can take time for ourselves when we need it. 

And I have lots of grace for myself - as I hope you do too - because sure as heck all need it at the moment. 

I was chatting with my Marketing Me participants this morning and everyone is in the same boat - this time of the year life is well, "life" full of so much. Compounded by the intensity of the happenings in the world around us. And all the end of the year stuff starting to happen.

In my case there is also a book being released in the next month (so if you've bought your copy already, thank you and it will be on it's way to you fairly soon!) as well as the aforementioned house-move. 

Yet it wasn't a chore to sit down and right this blog to you, it is my joy. 

Because the beauty is that once you find your "thing" it's so liberating. 

I don't have to think about "doing marketing" - all I do is sit down and write this blog, which I absolutely love to do - and the rest takes care of itself. 

That's why I'm such a big advocate of the one-hour-a-week marketing system. 

And not any old system. 

A bespoke, ease-ful marketing system that adapts to your own personality, strengths, preferences, lifestyle and resources. 

Marketing that inspires, brings you joy, and energises you, rather than sucking the life out of you. 

I was a little conflicted writing this blog for two reasons....

Firstly, it doesn't have a really strong marketing or branding focus, it's more about life and being a human.

Secondly has so much personal disclosure - especially about the move etc. (and just wait till you see the picture at the end of this blog!)

But my intention is not wanting to paint everything all shiny and rosy....and encouraging you that no matter what you have going on in your world, baby-stepping you way through any seasons of change or disruption you find yourself in will have a lasting and profound impact on your brand. 

However across those two points, there is a common theme. 

That may well be more valuable to some of you than any marketing insights, tools or hacks. 

CONSISTENCY and LONGEVITY are the most potent ingredients of your brand right now - more so than volume, frequency and (dare I say even the quality of what you say).

Don't get me wrong, quality is VERY important. but in this season, where people are hunkering down, disappearing, burning out, it's your opportunity to just keep.showing.up.

And as long as what you're sharing is on-brand, authentic, and on-message for what you want to be known for, that's ok - and you can benefit from the "compound interest effect".

As right now the majority of your audience aren't really "reading" to be honest, they're "noticing".

Scanning, glancing, here and there. Taking note of who they see more than what they read.

The reality is most of our audience are darting in and out of content, posts, blogs, emails, podcasts and books like a sparrow in the springtime. 

So momentarily, they might not notice exactly WHAT you are saying, but they are noticing THAT you are saying something. 

But that doesn't work if you're on-again, off-again - it's important to stay consistent - and find a cadence that's ease-ful and do-able - whatever that means to you. 

I said to one of my Marketing Me participants this morning - if he can't do an hour a week, that's ok. We'll find him something he can do in 10 minutes a week! (or a fortnight!). Because simple is everything right now.  

But the reason we can do this is that he's done the work - everyone who does my Marketing Me Experience goes through my express plan that's been helping people for the last four years get clear, confident and consistent with their personal brand and marketing, in 6 weeks in just a couple of hours a week. 

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I'm all for practicing what I preach, walking the talk, and where necessary because it serves you, pulling back the curtain.

Because I know when you are a "person brand" (aka a "personal brand" instead of a business brand) there are nuances and complexities that are different to when you operate behind the safety and comfort of a corporate logo!)

So that's my heart in wanting to share a bit more than I usually do about my personal life this week. 

Is this one of my deepest, most elegant and insightful blogs? Nope :-) 

But is it real, encouraging and purposeful? 

Absolutely. 

And for today, with a mountain of dishes to attend to (because to add to all of the above, my dishwasher is out of order), I know that what I have shared is more than enough!

And once that's done I'm very excited to begin a new theme of sharing what's in store for 2024 in my blogs over the coming weeks.

I've been percolating on over the last month or two - and there's lots that's new, fresh and going to help position you for even bigger impact. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way. 

She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).

Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands.  With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me™.

She has a knack for simplifying the complex which comes from being a hands-on mum to five children, and uses this to turn time-sucking activities into easy-to-follow systems and processes that make a lot of sense and get outcomes fast.

There are different ways to work with Nina based on your situation and organisation size - with all of them you'll see rapid transformation and tangible outcomes fast. Book a chat with Nina here.