Choosing 15 seconds of fame...

My first experience of being thrown into the “spotlight” in front of what I deemed a ‘large’ number of people, was when I visited a business presentation 17 years ago and out of blue, the speaker Don (who was my business mentor at the time) selected me to get up and talk about my experiences in the businesses that I had run. It was totally out of the blue, and I was not at all prepared. I don’t remember what I talked about, my mind has blocked out the trauma. I suspected that was part of his mentorship, to throw me in the deep end to get me comfortable to talk in front of large groups.

?And it seemed to work, since then, I have been comfortable enough with the right preparation (and sometimes none) to run some workshops or talks on topics that I have expertise delivered to a confined number of people. But these stage shows have always been about a set topic and a topic I had confidence in. Me being in the limelight, I felt was less about me and more about the topic, I was merely a messenger, interpreter, and mediator for the topics being discussed.

It's yet another ball game entirely, and extremely more uncomfortable when that topic is ….. me.

Most of us business owners and marketers recognise that there are perks to our businesses, our objectives, of being in the spotlight even for a short moment and something a little special, can potentially give our businesses an advantage and possibly a sense of integrity. Even if there is someone out there doing the same ‘thing’, who could be more knowledgeable, have better skills, more experience but by taking the opportunity to be the focus of attention this could put you ahead of the pack to those who view it.

And then there’s our internal dreams – I think everyone has fantasied what it would be like to be famous, a celebrity, someone that others look up to. – even if it's just for a fleeting moment. There seems to be something internal with us all that longs for that recognition by our peers, wider community and in particular our loved ones.

Yet for most people including myself, we bump against an internal uncomfortableness of being in the limelight. Shyness would be an understatement for this feeling.

I have actively avoided being in the spotlight for almost the entirety of my business life, with the exception of giving some of those pre-mentioned workshops. Over the years, I have avoided invitations to be on video, podcasts, radio, publications and even avoided making my own social media platforms too much about me… maybe an ironic stance for a digital marketer?

However, a couple of years ago, I promised myself that I would be braver and take on more opportunities that thrust me into the spotlight, no matter how I was feeling.

Since then, I’ve participated in videos for my business, even being in some commercials for other businesses, podcasts, and publications. I’ve still got a long way to go, and I’m certainly not yet comfortable with seeing my face on video, and hearing my own voice, talking about me and my experiences. I owe a lot of this encouragement to @kevin and @raewyn from @facebox – thanks guys!

So why am I doing this? I might be wanting some sort of ‘businessy’ benefit, but the driver actually turned into more of about my own self-confidence. I intend this year for 2022, to focus a lot more on my own social media presence about Yusuke.

Last week, our team found an article written about me from M2 magazine. Although I had given interview months and months ago, I had largely forgotten about it, and didn’t realise it was actually published in August! – I wonder how many saw it? What people’s thoughts were on it? Oooooo cringe!! ??

I suppose through my blubbering on in this piece, I’d like to give some encouragement to others to get out there, tell their stories, promote who they are, not just their business or their particular expertise. Say yes to these kinds of opportunities rather than shy away to say no.

Make 2022 your year!

Here’s the article from M2: (sorry you have to be a subscriber to read it)