You Have Value

A few hours before writing this, I made a video of me talking about my online improv classes. Essentially, I made a commercial marketing myself.

That may not sound like a super big deal. People make videos all the time. However, for me, it feels like a really big deal. Not because the mechanics of shooting, editing, and posting it were all that difficult. 

What I'm proud of is how I was able to turn the camera on myself and talk about something I offer (my improv teaching) as having value for others. This is not something that at all comes naturally to me.

This is because I have an overinflated sense of humility that keeps me very far away from anything that even closely resembles ‘bragging.’ 

I have always been under the impression that humility is a keystone trait to strive for and maintain. Being humble is what I’m supposed to do, right? But I've clearly taken it way too far.

The idea of marketing or promoting my work or myself has historically felt wrong. So, I stayed away from it. And just like a muscle that atrophies due to lack of use, my ability to say with any confidence that I made something worth your attention had faded out of existence.

And what I’ve learned the past couple of years as I’ve slowly but surely tried to build this muscle back up, is that there is a big difference between ‘bragging’ and recognizing my own value. Just because I tell you that my improv classes are awesome, doesn’t mean I’m doing anything wrong.

Quite the opposite. You see, my improv classes bring value to people's lives (even typing this out feels uncomfortable). I have a lot of students who clearly think what I have to offer is worth their time and money. If I had never created these classes and told people about them, my students would not have this thing right now that they obviously enjoy.

I follow a YouTuber named Ryan George. I love his videos. I would miss them if he didn't make them. If he hadn't had the guts to make videos and put them out there for people to see, I would be without them. So, I'm thankful for his videos in the same way that some people are thankful for my classes. 

We all have something to offer the world that's worthy of attention. We have gifts to present that very well may change some people's lives for the better. Gifts that people would be grateful for. 

We all have value.

But if we let the fear of bragging prevent us from sharing that with others, like I have historically done, we are doing a disservice to ourselves and everyone else.

I sincerely hope you can see the value you bring to the table. And I encourage you to try to talk about it. Promote and market what you do, because what you do may very well benefit others. 

If you're like me it will feel very strange at first, but after that muscle gets strong and you're able to more comfortably know your value and talk about it, I know you'll be glad you put in the time.

Stay curious!

Rich


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Journey In Accepting Praise

Ever hear someone compliment your work only to feel the undeniable need to deflect or minimize it? Like this... Doug: I listened to your podcast. Really great job, Sarah. Sarah: It's not as good as it's gonna be. I'll make it better. The sound quality is nowhere near where it needs to be. Doug: Well, I liked it. Sarah: That's nice of you to say. I've been in so many conversations like this. And I've been both parts. Sometimes, I'm Doug trying to give someone a compliment who refuses to take it. And other times I've been Sarah, impervious to any positive thing you attempt to toss my way. I'm grateful to report that, I am way better at accepting praise than I ever have been before. But it was a journey to get here.  In my teens and twenties, I either diminished compliments out loud or I managed to say 'thank you' but tear it to shreds inside my own head. The way I was able to break this habit was by really listening to people when I found my
Read more

"Depressive Episodes"

I first remember hearing the term 'depressive episode' about six years ago. I identified with Depression since I was a teenager, but never thought about it as appearing in episodes. But it made a lot of sense to me. There are periods of time where I don't feel depressed as much as other times. Today I realized I'm in a depressive episode right now. This in itself is a victory, because three or four years ago I rarely if ever realized I was in a particular dip until after I was out of it. The fact that I can recognize it from within is awesome. I wish I could say I recognize them right away, but this one's lasted for at least a week and a half now that I think about it and I'm only realizing it now, so...baby steps. What is a depressive episode exactly? For me, it manifests itself in three components:  Lethargy ,  Apathy  &  Despair . Let's break those down a bit... Lethargy I can make my body do stuff like get out of bed, walk to the couch, etc. Dependin
Read more

Imposter Syndrome (aka The Resistance)

‘Imposter Syndrome’ is a term for a feeling that nearly everyone feels at least once if not thousands of times in our lives. And yet, it is largely misunderstood. So, let’s talk about it.... Any time we do anything that feels important and risks failure, it shows up.  When I create a class running order for one of my improv groups, for example, I feel like an imposter. Why? Because even though class usually goes really well, I still can't know for certain when I'm writing it out. It feels like a risk. If my classes weren't important to me then it wouldn't matter, but because my classes are incredibly important to me, the risk has stakes. And that's when the imposter feelings come out to play. Personally, I don’t care for the term ‘Imposter Syndrome.’ To me ‘syndrome’ makes it sound like a sickness or defect. But it’s neither. It’s a very natural part of being human. I prefer Stephen Pressfield’s term for it, ‘The Resistance.’  This name helps me see it as a universa
Read more