Something I Haven’t Wanted To Tell You.

Want to hear something I haven’t wanted to tell you?

I’ve been really disenchanted lately with this industry. Really foul mood. Disillusioned. Mad. All of it.

Perhaps it’s a side effect of the Somatic Experiencing work, perhaps it’s that I’ve been around so long that I’m beginning to see crappy marketing trends repeat themselves, or perhaps it’s something in the stars. Regardless, I feel frustrated.

After a decade of talking about aligned business models and sharing your values and defined resonant brand voices, the same shiny, pithy garbage is still convincing entrepreneurs that the solution is in some top-down magic-bullet formula. And it’s not.

I don’t spend a lot of time pointing out what’s wrong. I’d rather focus on solutions. But there’s a lot of crap out there and the fact that it sells really well is really messed up.

How does someone with integrity, who doesn’t want to get sucked into another superficial scheme, who wants to do this whole business thing in a way that is right for them…how does this someone recognize the gold from the shit? Especially when all the shit is gold-plated?

How does someone who does real, transformational work prove they’re deeper than the shiny manure?

The truth is, I’m not exactly sure. But I think the answer is: quiet discernment, perseverance, and keeping your eyes on your own page.

Discernment is key. Knowing what’s for us and what’s not is such a powerful tool in life and business. Perseverance when you know what you offer has impact. Remembering that comparison is natural but it cannot must not get in the way of you doing your work.

Of course there’s strategy behind that, there’s rationale and a proven system, but at the end of the day, it comes down to you and me choosing to do business differently. And that counts. It counts for something. Even if we’re surrounded by trash.