Becoming a personality
Hey,
I have a somewhat embarrassing confession to make: my goal for the next 12 months is to become a “personality”. Arbitrary, yes. Fun challenge? Kind of.
Let me explain.
As a member of the Peloton cult, I’ve become a big fan of some of the instructors. They have personality, are fun to workout with, and are generally engage them. When these fans think Peloton, they don’t think of the brand, they think of their favourite coaches. A lot of the coaches have built a brand (and huge following) outside of Peloton. That’s not really my goal. I’m not trying to become famous.
I’m energized by the idea of potentially attracting students to TKS because they want to be in my cohort. Call it vain, but there’s something innately interesting about having such a strong gravitational pull, in any field. That’s what I’m after—to reach potential students, parents, or partners.
Not only that, but this pursuit puts me out of my comfort zone and stretches me. As much as I share here, it’s still very painful for me to try to do anything else. We push the students to grow in public and share what they are learning. Shouldn’t I be doing the same?
So what does this look like practically speaking?
I want to give some behind-the-scenes views of the life of a TKS director. This would happen on Instagram (a platform I never really post on, just scroll through memes). I’ll try to do this more once I have a routine down or at least a sense of how I want to be spending my time each week.
I started a new writing project last week. It’s called Raising Unicorns and I’d love it if you checked it out. This new project (newsletter) feels like something has finally clicked for me. It’s given a stronger direction to my writing and how I want to think about my own role. Previously, and with this newsletter, I’ve grappled with endless insecurity and indecision as to what to cover. I’ve gone the route of some of my favourite newsletters – a peek into what’s going on inside the author’s mind.
That's as far as I’ve got so far.
I’d love any feedback on the idea, approach, or whatever’s on your mind.
Interesting Links
I'm going to just include a meaningful quote from each article today. I think these quotes summarize the intent and act as an interesting hook if you want to read the rest.
Impostor Syndrome is a Professional Superpower
"Impostor syndrome is a positively good thing. When searching for talent, I look for people who feel they suffer from impostor syndrome. If you think you are not qualified to do what you are doing, it is a sign you are setting your sights high and reaching for a new and perhaps unprecedented level of achievement."
Work Life Balance is Impossible
When you hear “balance,” you immediately think of a dichotomy. For two things to be balanceable, they must be at odds with each other. Lowering one side of the scale must raise the other side.
When we describe work and life as things to be balanced, we are suggesting that work and life are at odds with each other. More time or energy allocated to work means less time and energy allocated to life.
Photo of the Week
Here's a pic of me very seriously snipping hot peppers with scissors at a Thai cooking class Liz and I went to for a belated-joint-birthday celebration.
Til next week!
Steven