I realized last night how easy it is to repeat myself…in life, in business, and on Social Media. In other words, how easy it is to be bored and boring. Here’s my latest Pinterest Epiphany…
You know how you inevitably choose the same images to pin if they come up in your feed…and they always seem to? Thank you Pinterest gods for telling us if we’ve been there and done that. Don’t know about you, but it bothers the freak out of me if I have the same image pinned twice on the same board.
Here’s the epiphany: We go through business endeavors with a very similar thing happening. You are you. I am me. We are naturally drawn to make the same decisions and choose the same ways…over and over again. I’m not sure, but I think that is called a pattern, looping, a treadmill, a hamster wheel, or being stuck. Hmmmmmm…
You know I am all for being authentic and sticking to being yourself, but the kind of habitual behavior I’m talking about here is the kind that gets you stuck in a rut. Here are a few ways you can spice things up a bit. Just say no to boring business!
Never Use that First Boring Draft
Never. I mean it. Never. You can always write better. You can choose better words, images, and most things where your business is concerned. No more beating a dead horse! It took me 5 tries to get my title right for this article! “Geesh, that’s a lot of work, Kellie,” you say. Yes, business is work, but the extra effort pays off in visibility, social media and search engine standing, and in your bottom line.
Challenge Yourself And Your Market
The reason you may be bored or boring in your business is that you have stayed in a fluffy bed comfort zone. You like how that feels, and you believe (no, you are delusional) that others like it there, too. Even though you love yourself and your uniqueness, you may be missing what your market really wants and needs from you. And, that’s not good. If you are not getting the results you want, as in, money, customers, clients, attention, traction, visibility, etc., you need to do something different. Period. Yeah, go on and pin something outside your norm and pin it right to the foreheads of your audience!
Invest In Help
Just like we need the program to tell us that we’ve repeated our lovely (or ghastly) taste in images on Pinterest, we need another set of eyes and ears on our business to move away from our old patterns that don’t serve us. Try a business or branding coach, editor, mentor, proof reader, business analyst, graphic designer or even a really successful friend or family member. Don’t hesitate to invest money, time, and energy in this process. If you want the kind of success I believe most entrepreneurs want, this needs to happen. At least go buy a book or take a course.
You owe it to yourself and your business mission to pay attention to your patterns or boring attempts at marketing. It’s time to drop your pride and admit that you have been sleeping a little too comfortably. Rest is great, but not when it brands you as mediocre, dull, or dead in the water. This doesn’t mean that you are a mediocre or lackluster person, it just means you haven’t awakened to a deeper creativity and super mojo that I know is in there.
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9 Comments
I don’t like finding the same image twice either 🙂 I love variety, and I do my best to show that in my business as well. Hiring help is a work in progress for me. At the moment, my investment to get help from others has to be time and energy.
Thanks for sharing about your progress, Linda! It’s nice to know someone else who pays attention to the details.
My pleasure 🙂
Great wake-up call, Kellie! xo, Reba
I guess I’m sort of in the business of “wake up calls”! Thanks for your visit and share! xo
Thanks for this, Kellie! I feel the same way about first drafts. I like to review my work at least 3 times before I click “publish.” Those boring, habitual words always seem to sneak in there on the first try. 🙂
Thanks for your thoughts, Bryna! I use Urban Dictionary to find new words when I feel like I’m getting repetitive and bored with my choices. Glad to know I’m not the only one who takes the time to polish things up before publishing.
Great tips to quit being boring. I have one more: Go for a Walk. Time in nature and movement go well together. We can get out of our heads and come to something with a fresh orientation and openess.
Yes, yes, yes! Thanks so much for adding your thoughts, Lisa. Breaks are so necessary for creative endeavors.