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They say- great things are accomplished when you push yourself out of your comfort zone.
I say- sometimes. And sometimes great things are accomplished IN your comfort zone.
So many extroverts can show up effortlessly and consistently on video and it’s so easy to connect with them. And then there’s me. I make one video that I outlined and even had to rehearse and get like zero engagement. That can leave me in a serious funk.
So how do you stop comparing yourself to introverts? I discovered my mantra to shake it off. It’s simple, but it works, and I use it every single day. I am on my own journey. And you my friend, are on your own journey.
Why You Need to Stop Comparing Yourself to Extroverts
I’m just going to say it. There’s no such thing as an overnight success. No two people’s journeys are going to be the same. Some entrepreneurs have a degree. Some have corporate experience. Some people are growing their business while working a full-time job. We are so quick to fill in all the details just by looking at a bunch of curated squares on Instagram.
If you discovered me in 2015, you might have thought that I was some type of overnight success too. That was the year that my business totally took off. But the detail you might have missed was that I had been in business for SEVEN years before that.
Learn How to Stay in Your Lane and Lead with Your Strengths
Want to know a secret? I’ve dealt with anxiety my entire life. I’ve found ways to manage it, but never actually managed to get rid of it. But I made a mistake for a lot of years. I thought that the key to eliminating all this anxiety would be to just shove it down and hustle harder. Comparing yourself to extroverts only leads to seriously negative self-talk.
You know that in order to build your audience, you have to connect with your people and one of the easiest ways for them to do that is through social media. The problem is that all of it is designed perfectly for extroverts. Instagram stories and Facebook lives? They are awesome to watch, but exhausting to create. It’s exhausting because you feel the pressure to drum up energy you just don’t have.
So when it comes to the marketing tasks in your business, you have to ask yourself: does this get me fired up or does it lead to burn out? Be honest with your answers.
Then take that insight and match it with your strengths. You may feel the pressure to show up to market on video, but if that’s not a strength for you (and it depletes your energy) all that effort is going to absolutely fall flat with your audience.
But if the written word is where the magic happens for you, then blogging and content marketing is where you will resonate and connect. Own that space!
Recognize How Far You’ve Come
From time to time I like to do video marketing. Do I still get nervous? One hundred percent. But I learned a trick. I do surprise lives. This gives me way less time to overanalyze my message. This way my message is natural and organic. It connects and that motivates me to show up for my audience again this way.
You know what’s totally ironic about me starting a podcast? When I was in kindergarten, I was so quiet and introverted that I actually refused to speak to the teacher. It wasn’t out of defiance, but just sheer fear of what the other kids would think about me. So any time the teacher called on me, I whispered my answer to my friend and she relayed it to the teacher.
Why do I tell you this? To remind you-you are on your own journey. I am on my own journey, and I have come a long way. Diving into this online business space has made me revisit a lot of my negative self-talk from when I was little. I used to think being an introvert was a negative thing. Now I think it’s awesome. I love being an introvert! But I’ve done so much work digging into my strengths to be able to show up with this confidence.
Don’t Forget to Stop and Celebrate
And my last tip for you: celebrate EVERYTHING you do. Knock out your to-do list? Did you network for 10 minutes today? Dance party! Tell a friend. Do something to stop and realize you are amazing at what you do.
A BREAKDOWN OF THIS EPISODE
[2:00] This is the mantra that you may need to steal from me.
[4:42] Why you have to be laser-focused on your natural strengths to connect with your audience best.
[6:45] Stop comparing yourself to extroverts by set and track your OWN goals.
[10:36] Listen to why I’ve been able to realize that being an introvert is the best part of what I offer.
[11:51] Find out just how far I’ve come in learning to embrace my introvert tendencies
If you enjoyed this episode I invite you to take a screenshot and tag me on your Instagram stories @introvertcoach and tell me your biggest takeaway!
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