What Should You Do Differently?
Have you ever repeated the same actions while expecting a different outcome? You know that’s the definition of insanity, right? Sometimes we know we need to change, but don’t do it.
Why?
Well to prevent any further craziness on my part I’m doing things differently with my blog. This time I’m going to follow a basic plan for building a platform/brand which is something I ignored in the past. As I’ve mentioned before, I went straight to the dessert and skipped the main meal when I decided to write my first book instead of investing that time into building a platform.
Fortunately, I recently rediscovered an ebook I downloaded months ago, but never read. It’s from one of my favorite writers, Jeff Goins called “12 STEPS to make a living WRITING” and it’s is perfect for people like me who starting (or re-starting ) to build an online platform.
It’s a short and action oriented ebook. There’s a section in it where Goins talks about a survey taken by a few thousand writers which revealed that,
“The average writer makes less than a dollar a month off their writing.”
One. Freaking. Dollar.
That’s insane and unacceptable! Goins explains the reason most writers can’t earn real income from their writing is because they haven’t built an online platform they can monetize.
Why?
Most writers don’t have a plan.
I’m going to follow the steps Goin recommends in his ebook and see where it takes me and in the process I’m going to share my updates publicly to hold myself accountable, to help others who are interested in doing something similar, and to document my journey to better understand what’s working and what’s not when it comes to building an online platform/brand.
If these steps don’t workout, I’ll ask Goins for my money back!
Goin’s first step is to “Clarify your message with a worldview statement.” He describes the worldview statement as something that,
“The best writers understand intuitively that the writing we love to read has more to do with style than content. In other words, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it.”
He explains it can be general or specific, but the point is to use it like a compass that guides everything we write and why we write it.
Next, he shares the framework below for writing a worldview statement:
EVERY [PEOPLE GROUP] CAN/SHOULD [ACTION]
First, for the “PEOPLE GROUP” section, I wrote the rough list below of the groups I’m most interested in helping or working with.
- Everyone person
- Men
- Fathers
- Sons
- Communicators
- People who failed
- Aspiring leaders
- Broken people
- Life maximizers
- Regret minimizers
- Aspiring change agents
- Impact makers
- Purpose seekers
- Parents
- Influencers
- Strong men
- Strong people
- Purpose Maximizers
- Motivated people/individuals
- Employees
- Thinkers
- Teenagers
- People lacking hope
- Christians
- Underdogs
- Leaders
Next I separated the ones I found most interesting.
- Every person
- Underdogs
- Aspiring leaders
- Motivated people/individuals
- Leaders
The two that resonate most are leaders and motivated individuals. I love the idea of helping regular people become extraordinary leaders, so I’d like to focus on motivated individuals who don’t know or fully understand their leadership potential and their impact.
The second half of the equation is the “ACTION” that the group should take so I wrote another list.
- Learn to lead
- Reach their potential
- Make an impact
- Have positive influence
- Live, love, and lead on purpose (I’ve used this before)
- Be the leader needed
- Focus on impact and not income
- Learn to communicate
- Maximize their gifts
- Set high goals/ set goals
- Live on purpose
- Lead on purpose
- Push their comfort zone
- Choose their mindset, environment, and vision
- Develop their own leadership style
- Learn to lead themselves
- Fill the leadership void
- Pursue success
- Communicate on purpose
- Leave a legacy
- Have influence/ be a positive influence
From the list above, the actions I liked most are:
- Learn to lead
- Learn to communicate
- Reach their potential
- Make an impact
- Be a positive influence
Next I narrowed my list further:
- Learn to lead
- Reach their potential
- Be a positive influence.
Finally, I wrote about 20 initial drafts and came up with the following worldview statement:
Inspired individuals can make the world a better place when they push their comfort zones, develop their leadership skills, and help others win.
I know my worldview statement will change, but for now it’s important to choose one and go with it. I’ve learned it’s better to start and then tweak as you go instead of always tweaking and never starting.
Don’t laugh at my statement!
It’s a work in progress. Later on, I’ll add a problem that I help others solve but for now it’s easier to move on and edit later.
Okay so what about you?
What area of your life have you been doing the same thing but are expecting different results? What can you do differently?
