The "thing" behind the "thing"

You may have heard it said the most powerful stories we tell are the ones we tell ourselves.

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I love storytime. At the moment some of our family favourites include:

The Magic Porridge Pot
The Book with No Pictures
Hairy McLary
and pretty much anything by "Dr Suess"

I love snuggling up with my kids (I'm on the last leg of that before my youngest two are too old for bedtime stories so I treasure each and every opportunity I get!)

One of my own childhood favourites that I now particularly love reading aloud is "The Little Red Caboose" - the story of an engine who didn't think he was all that much in comparison to all the other more glamorous and functional carriages, until the opportunity to step in, play his part, save the train from falling down the mountain, and then he realised he was capable of a lot more than he thought. 

Because these are the ones that inform our thoughts, which become our beliefs, which dictate our actions.

And the stories we tell ourselves about showing up and sharing what we know, and how we can help people in their business or life - are the ones that are impacting what we do, even when we know deep inside that we want to, or need to. 

Last week I attended a conference and during a discussion on why people are reluctant to put themselves out there more in support of their business the responses were very insightful, and eerilie similar. 

Every single answer bar one at it's core had fear at it's root. 

Impostor syndrome
Perfection
Bad hair days
Not feeling funny enough
Fear of being judged.
Not letting go
Procrastination
Not feeling authentic
Fear of criticism
Not wanting to big-note themselves
Thinking they don't have much to say
Feeling too hard

I found it fascinating as these are all the same things people tell me before they start working with me. 

Then yesterday I was a guest presenter at a webinar on Personal Branding for members of the Australian Marketing Institute which explored the very same topic - with seasoned marketing professionals - and no surprises, the VERY same themes emerged!

And the longer I do this work - with smart, accomplished business leaders, I realise:

TIME is not the problem
(everyone can find and hour or two a week if they know it's going to make a difference)

SKILL is not the problem
(everyone can learn one or two needle-moving things that feel good to them and are easy to do)

KNOWLEDGE is not the problem
(it's easy enough to find information or someone who's "been there" to guide you)

Nope - 

it's FEAR that lies at the core of it all. 

Stopping people from sharing their message which they know can help people. 

Holding people back from sharing the great work they are doing in support of growing their business or career.

Paralysing people from taking even the simplest of actions. 

Next week I'm going to a "special edition" blog all about "Getting Past the Fear" where I'll share some practical tips and insight that have helped me and my clients get started (and keep going!) when it comes to putting themselves out there, so they can reap the benefits of being visible and front of mind for people.

And spoiler alert: "feel the fear and do it anyway", isn't one of them!

That approach might be great for bungee jumping or going on a roller coaster, but when it comes to building your personal brand, it's unwise, unhelpful and can just lead to even more anxiety!

Instead I'll give you some practical tips for the things that will make the difference and show you where you can start, and build with confidence. 

So stay tuned for that. And in the meantime.... think about this question....

What's stopping you from marketing yourself more? 

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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.