Have You Fallen into The Trap of Being Average?

 

“Michelle, aren’t you afraid you’ll attract the wrong audience with this post?”

It was a valid question coming from a business acquaintance I’ve known for years (digitally). He dm’ed me regarding my LinkedIn post – a visual and some very explicit copy – In which I promoted a workshop about being Unapologetically YOU.

In the center of the visual? Me. Naked. Yes, on LinkedIn.

I will admit that’s quite a provocative way of presenting myself and my work. To be honest, I didn’t give it any second thoughts, since being naked in pictures has become part of my personal brand for about a year now, and my network on Facebook and Instagram is kinda used to it now. I simply forgot that LinkedIn isn’t used to my nakedness yet.

Okay, let’s dive into the question here: will I attract the wrong audience?

The ‘Wrong’ Audience

First of all, what is the wrong audience? Is there such a thing? Do I attract men who simply want to get off and who don’t understand that my nakedness is not about my body, but about vulnerability and leading by example? Sure. I simply choose to ignore them.

The real wrong audience, to me, consists of people who don’t get my message.

• People who are not willing to be courageous to get real with themselves.
• People who have a completely different take on life, sexuality and business and who are not open to learn a new perspective.
• People who look at my nudity and think I’m merely doing this to get attention.
• People who cannot see how I merely use myself as the vessel to promote more openness and liberation.

These people would never want to work with me anyway.

If I wouldn’t filter them out beforehand by creating a personal brand that’s different and provocative, I might end up working with them and we’d all be highly disappointed.

So here was my response: no. I don’t. In fact, I want to be able to express myself authentically and I’m not here to please everyone.

Here’s my belief:

Your biggest fear should not be to attract the wrong audience through being different and provocative… it should be attracting the wrong audience by playing it safe.

The Trap of the Average

It’s a safe choice, to not speak up at all, just so you won’t offend anyone or be judged. It’s safe to look at the competition and more or less copy them. It’s safe to create that perfect pastel colored Instagram feed to show your design skills. It’s safe to quote the big names of the earth and never share your own message.

It’s safe for your ego, but it’s the biggest danger for your soul.

Being average feels very very comfortable for your ego. You won’t have to face the fears of judgement and rejection coming from hateful comments. You won’t have to worry about lengthy discussions with people who do not merely hate but will challenge your beliefs.

But it’s not who you are or can be and it will get you clients or jobs that are NOT the right fit, which will create disappointment, stress, a feeling of being trapped, and huge discomfort.

Creating a personal brand is about creating polarity. Polarity is an existential fact in our cosmos. It is a universal law that is inherently present within us.

• There’s no light without dark (yes, there’s thousands of shades of gray).
• There’s no up without down.
• There’s no depth without height.

Together, they’re one of the same. Polarity is unity in its own.

While most people will be somewhere in the middle of the scale, there’s only few creating polarity or challenging the status quo. They’re the ones who get noticed.

Polarity Is Not About Creating Division; It’s About Unity

If you have an important message to share, if you have a talent that can help so many others, and if you really enjoy doing this… wouldn’t you say that you have a job to do here in this world, in this lifetime?

If so, you might need to create more polarity.

This is not about being different for the sake of being different. This is about fully embracing your authentic self and finding ways to let your voice be heard. For example, by challenging a mainstream, false belief and educating people on the new belief.

Also, this is not about creating division. On the contrary; quantum physics shows us we’re all one, we’re all part of this massive ecosystem in which we operate as a giant organism.

Creating a personal brand that stands out through being different, will allow you to attract the RIGHT audience who’s willing to work with you so you can reach your goals.

Like the cells in your body will work together with other cells (but not any cells!) to keep your body healthy, you will work with the ‘right’ audience to do what you gotta do here.

Finding community is a basic need we all have. By speaking up and showing yourself through your personal brand – a personal brand with a message, mind you! – you can become the leader of your tribe and find your comm-unity.

When will you leave the realm of average being and step into the real where you can be REBELICIOUS?!

 

Much love,

Michelle