I have a bad attitude about doing self-promotion. I don’t mind, and in fact, I will even relish opportunities to talk about my accomplishments and my capabilities in a 1-on-1 or small group setting. But it’s the online self-promotion game where I really struggle. In all of last year, for example, I made but 1 solitary Facebook post. (And it wasn’t even that good). There’s something about the permanence of online communication and the 1-to-infinity distribution of content that makes me suddenly shy about sharing. But in attending an evening talk recently about personal branding, I listened as a social media guru implored the audience members to “live a life curated.” She encouraged us to get with the program and to Facebook, Instagram, Tweet and Snap our way to relevance. On the one hand, the point is well taken. In our post-Industrial economy, many individuals are no longer cogs in a very large machine, but are instead freelancers left to fend for their own careers. One’s personal brand and network becomes the only asset they can count on. Promote yourself or risk oblivion. Get a YouTube channel, start uploading, and don’t stop. The Narcissism Economy (as I like to call it) is in full gear, and impresarios rule the roost (Kim Kardashian being an inarguable example). On the other hand, you can only be you. If social media isn’t your thing, it’s painful and mostly fruitless to fake it. Authenticity is still the gold standard, whether you choose to be digitally extroverted or introverted. But like anything, I suggest making the best of what you’ve got. Personal branding and digital promotion are trending upwards, not downwards. For better or worse, we need to get on the train or risk being left behind. From the vast buffet of social media choices, however, we are still free to pick and choose what we want to partake in. I can’t seem to motivate myself to do anything on Instagram, but I have discovered that I enjoy blogging on Medium. I feel very self-conscious recording videos of myself offering quick coaching tips, but I know it has helped some people, and I do get a kick out of learning the ins and outs of the technical A/V gadgetry. Oftentimes, when we experience resistance, it is a sign that an opportunity for personal growth is right in front of us. We can tell ourselves our same old stories that rationalize why “the future is wrong” and “my view is right,” but there is an alternative. That alternative is to say, “I will embrace something uncomfortable. This is outside of my wheelhouse, but I’ll give it a shot and accept that I might look like a dork.” It’s brave, it’s scary, and it may lead to some embarrassment, but it’s a step in the right direction. So yeah, I really do hate self-promotion. Hang on while I click… “Publish.”
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10/9/2022 10:01:20 pm
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March 2020
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