I have mentioned Gary Vaynerchuk in the past few weeks a couple of times. He is an absolute content producing machine.
And he ought to be, he’s got an entire staff that is all about building his media consultancy along with his personal brand across numerous platforms.
He’s a primary inspiration that has enabled me to piece together my personal branding efforts along with establishing the branding for a few of my other emerging projects. He gave me a framework to pattern some of my efforts after, and I now have the approach in play that will increasingly link everything together in the coming months.
Very recently, I described a kick in the teeth that I experienced – it involved the dissonance between my online world and my offline world. Gary along with a bud of mine that happens to be kicking ass with his consultancy out of Boston both provided me the guidance that I’m executing right here and now with these 84 days of posts.
Gary recently put out a slice of insight that really resonates with me, and it harkens back to a very early perspective that I offered here a few weeks back. It is this notion of taking control of my personal brand, and to drive my own conversations in every facet of my life. I posited that I was ready to move past the fears of inaction, and to throw myself out there with an authenticity that would force me to grow even more. Gary’s recent point that grabbed me is this:
Well, this is the game I’m playing now.
For the longest time, I would play a quarter or two of my waking hours on offense – many times on the behalf of others’ game plans. Now, the time I spend and the things I do – are intentionally pursued within a much larger and longer term context I’ve defined for myself.
I have found that it is way easier to go on the offense now.
Why is this?
Well, to go on offense – you have to know the game you are playing…
Then you have to actually have a game plan too…
Nowadays, I know what my game plan is for the guy that is 10 years older than the guy writing this article today. The friction I had previously experienced when I contemplated journaling – let alone taking any outward action to support the emerging missions for myself was like a wool sweater on bare skin. It was not a killer pain or hurt, although it was an annoyance of confusion and a lack of clarity coupled with a heavy dose of fear. Roll that all together into a meatball of inaction, and it resulted in an ongoing busyiness/overthinking loop. So I avoided putting in the self work.
And I did this for far too long..
I even had friends within my current employer pull me aside and offer me guidance on how to better advocate for myself. I previously believed that if I kept my head down and cranked – things would work out. Looking back, I now understand how truly passive that posture was, and while I have achieved a level of success in my career – I am left wondering if I have somehow shortchanged myself with my prior ‘it will take care of itself…’ attitude in my more recent years.
No longer.
The mission is well understood in my bones, and each day I’m doing things to further the vision I have. I hit the sheets at night knowing I poured everything out during the day, completely spent most days. Life is exceptionally full now, and the days are blazing by.
My workdays are ever more engaging, and then my time spent on my own projects is increasingly being spent in flow. I am struggling at the moment with how I used to view time, and seemingly developing a more healthy relationship with the way I spend my time.
My days are increasingly spent in flow states regardless of the activity in hand. Seemingly random coincidences are happening with a newfound regularity, and mini breakthroughs are happening each week.
I’ll give you one from today, and there were actually 4 if I count correctly.
So a few months back, I was listening to one of Gary Vee’s podcasts on the treadmill, and he was ranting as only he can about a content strategy. He was talking with an up and coming artist, and her team was asking a thousand questions of Gary at some NYC restaurant. He basically cut them off at one point and in response to this question – went off…
“So which platforms should we target? We are on Instagram, FaceBook, and YouTube…”
His response was priceless –
“Do all of the platforms. Do more. Stop thinking about it. Start doing more – everywhere, now.”
My reaction to this was twofold. First of all, I love it when he rants on the perceived blocking issues that are nearly always in the heads of his audience or counterpart in the conversation. He usually crushes the excuses for what they are.
Fear.
Anxiety.
Something else that is lacking in their lives, like confidence – who knows. The point is this – he destroys the excuses, and it is entertaining as hell. He’s in many ways the opposite of the original Simon Cowell from American Idol.
My second reaction was unusually harsh and negative. I see this now. I did not at the time. My reaction was this –
“Yeah buddy, easy for you to say – you have a staff of people creating your content, and your associated content strategy. You have all sorts of people curating the content across multiple channels and platforms. You probably even have people moderating your shit as if it were you.”
And with that – I did not listen to his advice. Side stepped it completely. Then a few weeks later, I come across an incredible special over at Udemy for courseware, and I bought three classes on a binge. I no longer Netflix binge…I am an online education binger…
Well one of the classes I purchased was how to launch on Instagram, inclusive of IGTV.
I promised myself that I would get going on opening up this platform as a next step of my content/branding strategy – as Gary had mentioned this was one of those key platforms.
I have historically avoided all of this ‘social media stuff’, chalked it up to self indulgent wheel spinners. Chalked it up to people with no time to do anything ‘real.’ Okay, you get the point.
Limiting beliefs that many still have today.
Somewhere from the time I started this journey of self discovery going back to Dec 2015 ….
… to March 2016 when I started up Facebook …
… to launching a couple of new online properties in 2017 and 2018 …
… to discerning an integrated branding and content strategy …
… to dismissing Gary’s recommendation to ‘do it all, now’ …
… to being pulled into the Udemy/Instagram course …
… to today’s discovery of a free post from Gary …
Want to guess how I learned of this free resource?
Well, you could argue it was coincidence…it was on his Instagram feed of course, where he was cross promoting a slide show that outlines how he creates and distributes his content which was also posted over on LinkedIn.
This material was something that I had been seeking, and had noted as a next step once I’m through with my Instagram course.
Well, he just gave it away today for free. Now I know – my approach will be slimmed down given other priorities in my life, yet I have the pattern to begin fleshing out.
Iterative steps. Daily progress. Continue to build. Continue to grind.
This going on offense is no longer scary.
It is not full of friction.
Things are now coming my way, unprompted.
They are welcomed and friendly – not scary.
Things are increasingly in flow – no more friction.
This is what happens, so I’m told – when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing.
This may seem like a relatively recent thing where these articles are popping. These new resources are being given to me. All sorts of weird goodness is just showing up.
I promise you this – it is a direct result of the work put in over the past 2+ years in so many parts of my life. It is a daily, do a little bit better gig.
This is what I hope for each of you reading this – that you are taking a little step or two a day – building that momentum. This stuff does take time, particularly if you need to dig out of some bad habits or spots. Even if you are doing fantastic – it will take months of daily action to get the momentum flowing.
Start planting those coincidence seeds – today!