Holding my Order of Saint John (‘Templar’) Pin always gets me thinking about finding my own voice – it’s not easy, but a small price to pay for leadership!
One thing I have (and no doubt many successful people) have struggled with is making their own independent stand.
Basically I am getting at really the base of being an individual expressed in one’s business by being unique and being who you are 100%
On the surface, what I am saying sounds really good and I can imagine if you are thinking “Well, Derp Edward – of course you should be an individual”. What I am saying is hardly an earth shattering idea – however in the Small Business & Entrepreneur Space this thinking I have to say is rarely applied.
For me too, it’s taken me a while to really ‘find my voice’ and probably over the past 6 months, it’s really started to come to me in terms of my own authentic identity and the like. After going through this process, I have dealt with lots of rejection as part of it.
Probably during 2013 & 2014 – I started to get really unique and as I got more outspoken about my own thoughts on business, politics and life – I had ‘the wrong people’ totally judge me. I had people move on from me, pick on me and make fun of me because I was quite simply a Christian who is a proud support of Capitalism, Being 100% Honest, not giving into Political Correctness and saying what everyone is thinking – but afraid to say.
What happened to me I found really hurtful in terms of people I considered friends unfriending me on Facebook, disowning me, dissing me to others and the like.
The Good News? Great new people are in my life and it’s awesome for everyone.
This has been my own voice and each of us have our own unique voice in our own personal lives that transcends into our business life. I find the more we can express who we are on a personal level, the better and greater we can really understand what we stand for in business and express that exact idea.
My own thinking, lessons and learnings from all this? It’s hard, but if you want to lead, be really successful and the like – you must be ready to be judged and stand on a ledge with your views. Be it strengths in your business or your own personal uniqueness – you will repel people (even your once friends disowning you), but attract the next generation of awesome people who are well – just as awesome as you are.
It’s been a tough journey at times, but make no mistake. I am not playing violins, I am playing an air-guitar of profitable joy and satisfaction.
Love your work, thank you so much for the read and Stay Awesome!
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