November 23, 2022

The World Doesn’t Need Another Post on Gratitude

There are plenty of users here on LinkedIn and elsewhere who have woken up this morning with that thought in mind.

Maybe I’m describing you. In this Thanksgiving season, you’d like to say something about gratitude, but you don’t think you can produce anything that hasn’t already been said and therefore worthy of attention.

And if you’re thinking about gratitude that way, you’re thinking about other subjects the very same way, including topics or questions for which you’re the expert because those issues relate directly to your business.

But you don’t write about them because you think you don’t have anything witty or captivating enough to share.

That thinking is a big pile of bull crackers.

Your journey is unique. The places you’ve been and what you’ve done in your life is entirely yours and no one else's. The mix of clients, prospects, colleagues, mentors, and bosses you’ve had over the years, along with your interaction with them, represents a distinctive mix which has never existed before and will never exist again.

Another reason some people don’t write is because they suffer from comparison-itis. Maybe this description fits you as well. You compare yourself to others whose work you enjoy and you think, “I can’t write that well.”

Again, bull crackers.

Writing for a LinkedIn post or a blog doesn’t have to be perfect, whatever perfect is. Your idea of perfect, I promise you, is much higher than what your audience will think is just fine.

Perfect, as the saying goes, is the enemy of progress anyway. And writing is a muscle which gets more toned the more you exercise it.

For me, here’s the most crucial aspect of writing: there’s a benefit to it which comes back to you. Writing is vital because it helps you clarify your thinking on a particular topic or your approach to a certain problem. Writing helps you figure out what you know and where you need to dive deeper. Writing can provide insights which you didn’t know you had. I can’t count how many times I sat down to write with one idea in mind and ended up in an entirely different place.

As you write and post, and do that repeatedly, you will attract an audience of fans who like what you have to say. That audience doesn’t have to be that large, particularly if you’re a solo or small professional services firm. You don’t need much response to your writing to move the needle in your practice.

Your tribe will be bigger than you think, because scads of readers will never comment or give you a “thumbs up” on your posts. You'll occasionally get a note or email, though, or run into someone who says they love your stuff. You’ll realize there are more consumers of what you have to say than you’ll ever know.

So go deliver your uniqueness to the world.

You'll thank me later.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Image created using Craiyon (Formerly DALL-E Mini)

(This blog post was also posted on LinkedIn.)

©Ray Business Advisors, LLC and John Ray

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About me: I help solo or small professional services firm owners with the confidence and positioning necessary to improve their pricing and change the trajectory of not only their business but their life.

I have a podcast called The Price and Value Journey, which features interviews with industry leaders and audio versions of my blog posts. You can find the podcast on your favorite podcast app.

I also have a book coming out in 2023:  The Price and Value Journey: Raise Your Confidence, Your Value, and Your Prices to Grow Your Business Using The Generosity Mindset.

For more information, go to PriceValueJourney.com