If you count among your blessings the
profession you've chosen for yourself, then you're in an enviable group --
people who actually enjoy what they do for a living.
Here's a piece that I authored a few years
ago that I thought I'd reprise as a tip o' the hat to the jovial yet somewhat
spiritual-minded Holiday that beckons in a little over two weeks.
Welcome to another edition of Not Your Usual Marketing
Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.
I enthusiastically assert that I am one of the few
people I know who doesn’t dread Sunday night.
That’s because I really enjoy what I do – whether it’s the
marketing and advertising hat I wear, or that of the caricature artist (reminder: holiday parties are coming up!),
it’s fun to get the old creative juices flowing and keep that right side of the
brain percolating.
I get to work with graphic designers, photographers, web
developers, printers, media people on occasion (even they have “creative”
ideas)…and, for the most part, clients who are willing to try something
arresting and engaging.
I mention this – which, frankly has nothing to do with
talent but everything to do with attitude and mindset – because every now and
then I run across folks who give their 30-second elevator speech at networking
groups with a dulled indifference that is disappointing if not downright
discouraging.
Anyway, “enthusiasm” is something that marketing guru
Robert Middleton -- http://www.actionplan.com/
-- seems to find in short supply. And
that can have dire consequences for those out there marketing their
business. Like, er, um, everyone…
“Look
at some of the synonyms for enthusiasm,” he writes in a recent entry from his
weekly e-zine (edited for brevity):
“Keenness, ardor, fervor, passion, zeal, zest, gusto, energy, verve, inspiration, excitement, vigor, fire, spirit, avidity, devotion, motivation, commitment, willingness, earnestness.
”What can you do to generate (enthusiasm) in a society that's become increasingly skeptical, let alone downright cynical?
“Keenness, ardor, fervor, passion, zeal, zest, gusto, energy, verve, inspiration, excitement, vigor, fire, spirit, avidity, devotion, motivation, commitment, willingness, earnestness.
”What can you do to generate (enthusiasm) in a society that's become increasingly skeptical, let alone downright cynical?
“1.
Fall in love with good ideas. (I was convinced that the next step in my
business) was to
offer programs at graduated levels. It took me five months to implement it, but
the idea took hold and never let go.
”2. Trust your inner voice. If you feel you can do something, feed that feeling. You feed your enthusiasm by sharing your ideas with like-minded, supportive people who are just as enthusiastic about their ideas.
”3. Act as if. I used to call this ‘fake it until you make it.’ When you exhibit enthusiasm, it's contagious and you can become addicted to it. I can certainly think of worse addictions!
”2. Trust your inner voice. If you feel you can do something, feed that feeling. You feed your enthusiasm by sharing your ideas with like-minded, supportive people who are just as enthusiastic about their ideas.
”3. Act as if. I used to call this ‘fake it until you make it.’ When you exhibit enthusiasm, it's contagious and you can become addicted to it. I can certainly think of worse addictions!
“4.
Question your unenthusiastic attitudes. When we're feeling apathetic, bored,
disinterested, hesitant, stagnant, or fearful, it's useful to ask, ‘What would
I have to believe to feel that way?’
Often it's something like: ‘If I really went for it 100% I might fail,’ or ‘I
really don't make a difference anyway.’ Are those thoughts true? Probably not.
”5. Take on a huge project. Think of Kennedy's speech: ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.’”
”5. Take on a huge project. Think of Kennedy's speech: ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.’”
Okay,
this soap box is getting kind of rickety; I better get off and save it for another
time. Such as the first Tuesday of next
month, for another enthusiastic shout-out from Not Your Usual Marketing
Tips.
Joel Kweskin
joel@jdkmarketing.biz
704.846.4835 office
704.575.8850 mobile
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