April 2021’s selection for Literati with Richard Branson was “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek.
I have to say that not being a business owner, I struggled with some of the main principles, but instead applied my WHY to my creative pursuits. No, I am not looking to start a business as creative and innovative as Apple (who is mentioned quite a bit in this book), but I am looking to venture out on my own. I want to work for myself, to not have “The Man” telling me what to do and how to do it. Calling my own shots in life, is what I would say.
Throughout the book, The Golden Circle was referenced. What is the Golden Circle, you ask? Well, the graphic shown below by a fellow book reviewer offers the best example:
To apply this creatively, I needed to do more thinking than what the book offered. I had to provide my own answers to What, How, and Why. Now that I have finished the book, I was better able to ruminate on my answers.
WHAT–Writing for a living instead of being stuck in a dead-end job with poor-pay and managers second-guessing every step I made.
HOW–Write, write, write! Find freelance opportunities. Open myself up to ways to market myself as a Writer that will make others stand up and take notice.
WHY–Because writing is a passion of mine and one I want to share. I want to be noticed and leave this world having contributed something to make a difference and make others Feel.
So how do I fuel my WHY? How will I move from one type of work to the next? What do I do to make my work noticed?
For every Google result as to Why anyone should start writing, there is always an equal number of detractors who will tell you NOT to start. “Don’t do it, it’s a waste of time and your resources…”
But the path to Success is littered with people who have succeeded and those who have failed. You can choose to click on those negative articles, but is that really fueling your passion or just giving you a lame-a$$ excuse to stay doing what you’re currently doing. Do you really love your mediocre day job and enjoy being miserable? What if you try and succeed? It’s all about taking inventory of yourself and marketing your talents and skills for opportunity. If you’re just focused on how groundbreaking you think you are, I guarantee not a lot of people will care. Focus instead on the value you can give the world around you.
Going back to WHAT; if you create this great story/article/blog, that is Awesome and I applaud you, but what is that doing to grow you as a Writer and what is that doing that will help you gain more notoriety in the future? Are you looking to rest on your laurels or create with a passion to keep breaking ground and offer more worth?
Writing is marketing just like business has its own marketing. Sell yourself, your abilities, and the diverse, creative soul that is YOU to the world as the multi-faceted amazing being that you are. Once you know yourself and your motivation, you will know your Why. Keep going, relentlessly pursuing until other people see that Why and help you reach the success you crave.
Who cares if you fail? Failure is just a chance to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try a different angle. Another reason to re-evaluate your Why.
Strong Women Write! 