As mentioned in my previous post, marketing and sales are not just a science but also an art. Not in the way of being cunning, not an art in that way, but rather in the way of presenting and sharing what you have to offer; as a creative expression of what you have to offer.

It is not uncommon for some people to associate the things they create with themselves. The pains they go to to make what we make or to serve in the way that we do, it is only natural to feel appreciated for our efforts.

That said, there is something healthy in making distinctions between what we create and what we are. I have spoken about this elsewhere – not least on the Creative Instinct Course, that an over attachment to identifying with our self concept can lead to an unhealthy degree of attachment to trying to be someone or something that, in essence, we are not. If we think we are the thing that we do then we are not relating fully with ourselves, to to all that we are, just to a concept about ourselves.

The more drastically our values diverge from those around us the more separation and distance we can feel as a result. This can be the cause of a neurosis, one that might be the cause of an unnecessary degree of suffering.

For those who have tried to turn their calling, or their creative expression, or their inspired inner light, into a way of life that yields financial rewards, this can be a harsh wall to overcome, because more often than not they can end up feeling so attached to the work they do that any rejection of it is a rejection of them.

At first it can seem like this wall is a block, that it is an obstacle. If not a wall then it can feel like a chasm, a gap between what you feel like the world needs and what it is asking for.

It doesn’t need to be that way.

Sharing Your Truth

If you have put yourself out there and thought that no one wants what you have to offer it’s easy to think that either:

  • What you are trying to share isn’t really of value, and/or,
  • You need to be shouting louder, and/or,
  • You need to be better equipped, and/or
  • You need to be more of an expert than nearly everyone else.

Whilst it might be fair to say that your act might need some polishing, or you tools a bit of sharpening, it is more often the case that your community is out there and you just need to find them, or help them find you.

The art of marketing can be as simple as just showing up as yourself and showing other people what you have to offer. The trick is, being clear on the offer and clear on the people you are sharing it with.

Finding your community and offering what you have is all that marketing is. Or, perhaps, all it needs to be.

Making a Living

I am passionate about helping as many people as possible improve their quality of life; their experience of being alive, especially their being able to make a living from doing what they love. Not least because economic health and mental health go hand in hand in many cases.

Each and every one of us is tasked with a different set of challenges and a different history. As such the need for help and support will differ accordingly.

That is why the services and courses I offer range from personal development, to business development, to psychotherapy.

Making your way in the world doing what you love is no easy task, but it can, and for most people it is, a worthwhile challenge; emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, and materially.

Yes, it takes effort. The question is, how much effort does it need to take? More to the point, what outcomes are your seeing from our efforts – are you seeing enough?

Marketing is, at least at first, one of those things that you can’t see where the effort is going. If your pitch is off, if your message is not clear enough, or if you are aiming at the wrong people, then it is all going to feel like wasted effort. That can be quite a disheartening place to be. If you are combining that sense of wasted effort with measuring yourself against the efficacy and professionalism of others – especially those who you might consider to be your competitors – then it can leave you feeling really hopeless. This is only natural. Once you identify who will value what you have to offer, and offer it to them in a way where they can realise that value, then that is half the job done.

How Aligned Are You With Your Offer?

When you believe in what you do, when you know the value of it, then that knowledge will shine through in what you do.

Remembering the value – realising it and remembering the value of what you do, is a considerable part of the task, because it can be easy to forget the value on those days where you are expending effort and seeing no returns.

If you are aligned with what you are doing. If you know that it is the right thing for you, and that you are doing it for the right reasons, then anything else is a bonus. You will do the best you can and that will be that. You are no invested in needing to be someone on the other end. You are just being who you need to be in the moment.

It can be easy to measure yourself against others and feel like you are in competition with them, but if you are genuinely tapping into your quality, your vision, your truth and delivering this, then, after putting in the leg work, everything else should fall into place. Of course, there are no 100% guarantees, so adding a bit of faith in yourself and trust in the universe into the mix doesn’t hurt either.

I have said it countless times and I will say it countless times to come: You don’t know what your potential is until you realise it. To do that you just have to act towards what feels right, what feels good, and what needs to be done, and be prepared to let go of what you believe to be your limitations, at least enough to be willing to find out what you are capable of.

It really is that simple. It just might not always be easy to put into action because it takes effort and it requires that we step away from the familiar, which can also feel like a safe place to stay.

Conclusion

Feeling ok about marketing can begin with finding out how you can do marketing in a way that works for you, in a way that is in alignment with your values and your principles.

The better you know yourself the better you can be yourself. The better you know the world the better you are at knowing your limitations and how, when, and where you might exceed them. The better you know others the better you can know your audience and their needs.

Healing and prosperity are not dissimilar in that they are founded upon similar principles: Relate, adapt and persist.

I hope this helped? If it did, please leave a comment in the comments section below. If you would like more clarity, perhaps a question for going in deeper in on some of this material then please let me know.

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