Give Yourself Permission To Create The Online Presence That You Really Want
Something I see so many of my clients struggle with is the pressure they put on themselves to fit a perceived mould of what it is they think they should be. So many times I hear “well what I really want to do is ___ but I know I can’t because ___”. Once we spend sometime digging into the reasons behind why they don’t feel like they can actually do what it is they want to do, something pretty awesome starts to happen. They start to give themselves permission to actually create the online presence that they want to, and in the past few months I’ve started to see in action how powerful it is to take the time to realise that it’s a-okay to create exactly what it is you want to create.
The Things That Can Hold You Back From Giving Yourself Permission To Create The Online Presence That You Really Want:
You believe it isn’t the ‘norm’ or ‘allowed’ in your industry or niche: When you’re getting started in an online community, industry, or niche, it’s hard to not feel a little overwhelmed by what you perceive to be the agreed rules and norms of that industry. You may have a vision for the online presence that you want to create and you may feel like it goes a little against the grain of what already exists - and may even break some of the ‘rules’ of that niche.
Here’s the thing though, and anyone who has subscribed to my free Be A Game Changer email series will already have read some of my thoughts on this, breaking those rules and going against the grain is usually where the magic starts to happen. It’s a-okay if your approach is a little different to what already exists right now - don’t feel like you have to dilute your vision so that you can fit in. If it’s coming from an authentic and inspired place, give yourself permission to bring it to life without the fear of breaking the rules.
You’re afraid that you're not ready yet: It’s definitely a little scary to take that big crazy idea of yours and bring it to life. Questions like “what if I’m not ready yet” and “what if I fail?” will probably run through your mind, and you’ll probably tell yourself to wait until you feel ready. But the secret here is that you’ll probably never really feel ready, and there’s usually never any time better than the present.
When we’re trying something new, we’re never really ready. But we’re always ready to at least try.
You’re afraid that nobody will ‘get’ it: This is a big one I see many of my clients struggle with - the fear that no one will ‘get’ or connect with their creative vision. They see what already exists and what’s working so far in terms of connecting with an audience, and they’re a little afraid that what it is they want to create and share isn’t something others will want to engage with.
Creating and sharing online and building an online presence and business will always be, at its core, an experiment. Nothing is guaranteed, even with all the formulas and strategies in the world, and all you can do is launch, learn, and share without boundaries every step of the way. Maybe your work is a little offbeat, maybe it’s only really for a specific type of audience, but if it feels like it's the only way you can really create something that is worth your time and creative energy you have to give yourself permission to at least try. Because the thing is - you can always tweak, evolve, and update as you go. But if you create what has already come and just replicate what you know is a tried and tested path, people might ‘get’ it but they probably won’t stick around as they will have already seen it all before.
The biggest lesson here? There are no rules
It's up to you to create something that will cause the right people for you to stop and pay attention. If you're guided by the pursuit of purpose as much as you are the pursuit of profitability, the only way to do this is to create something that feels right and feels good to you. Because that's when it really will start to make sense, for both you and your audience, clients, and customers. And if you want to hear some more of my thoughts about why there aren't really any rules, listen to this episode of Make It Happen with myself and Kory Woodard as we dig into this topic throughout the show.
So give yourself permission to create the online presence that you really want. Don't let the pressure of fitting the mould hold you back from breaking some boundaries and being a game changer along the way. Because there really is nobody who is going to stop you from doing it apart from you. There are no boxes to tick or rules to comply with - you have complete freedom to do what it is you want to do. All you need to do is embrace it.
Do you struggle to create the online presence that you really want? What holds you back?
P.S
Have you signed up for Be A Game Changer yet? It's a free email series I created just for you to help you think big and make awesome things happen online. You can sign up below!