Itching to do what really makes you tick
There are a lot of people out there who know by all means what they want to do with their life when they are very young children. The question asked to many of what they really want to be when they grow up resonates with us forever, and we may change our minds many times along the way. Some people think that athletes have it really easy, and are jealous of their success. But if you participated in a rigorous training session with a high paid athlete, you could change your tune. They absolutely love what they do, but their dedication level is staggering. When many people are young, they may feel they have a knack to be a doctor, or a scientist, or teacher. But along the way you can encounter obstacles, difficulties these days with student loans, and the world can move right underneath your feet. For better or for worse, it can show you not only your priorities, but the things you really love to do most and you may have to face questions of how much you are willing to sacrifice.
What level of compromise do you accept?
One statement that has been said in the marketing realm before is that “everyone is just crabs pulling each other down, and a few crabs or squids get out of the bucket and do something big”. This was in relation to writing a book, starting a profitable company, or finding a way to escape the rat race. Think of this modern day scenario: a couple has a child, mortgage, and other bills, and decides to start a tax preparation business. They engage fully in the venture, and are able to pay their expenses and continue a happy life together. But they realize that crunching the numbers, dealing with the quarterly filings, and occasional abusive client is making them miserable. It’s a very hard rut to be stuck in, because the need to pay monthly expenses is dire, but they are not really doing their life’s work, or their calling. Many record store owners went through a tough time when media became more digital, having to lose the storefronts and space that they loved, but were able to reinvent themselves in the online world.
The steps to optimizing your gifts in the long run
One commenter on a marketing blog stated that “Just liking or enjoying something isn’t enough to commit to the true passion level”. We see a lot of people involved in fitness, running, rock climbing, and novelists really have to persevere to get themselves to the finish line. What they define as happiness and success is what governs them; the number of hours put in does not have to burn you out. To really optimize your gift and how you want it to work for you, the hurdles in your way may make you squeamish, but a true talent will get you through the hardest of times. Forming an alliance with other marketers or niche products is a great first step, as well as keeping up to date with your passion by articles and more market research.
A talent like music is so deeply layered, with first steps to maximize your gifts wondering if you want to stay solo, collaborate, do original music, or just covers. With multiple social media outlets your passion may have to run high to cover your content across all of them, and stay fresh. The content and product kings right now definitely cover the culinary and travel adventure world quite well; However there is a lot of room left in the cooking field. As a marketer I really loved the segment in the film “Up in the Air” that talks about your true passion. George Clooney is laying off a worker from an office job, and asks him what his true passion was years ago before the pressure of paying bills seeped in. He admits that he would love to run a restaurant, and Clooney gently talks him into it.
One Final note
If talking to people and reaching out is your strength, an extra bravo to you! Go to all the local trade shows, business meetings, and partner-ups you can find locally, for you will stand out. Don’t be eager about the bottom line and exactly what is at stake, just be yourself and form powerful friendships with others in business. When you reach out and do a favor for someone else locally or nationally, they will be eager to see exactly what your passions are and what drove you into your business; and someday the favor could come back in the form of much higher reach or success.
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