Funny how life works. The universe tends to send messages in really strange ways. An example of this happened to me this week. You just have to be open to what you are being told and act upon it
I am always listening to self-help books on Audible. Can’t get enough of them. There is always at least one piece of advice in each book that I can put into action and helps me become a better person. I read them with an open mind and not with cult like mindset!
This week I am reading “Un-fu*k yourself” by Gary John Bishop. I have read it before, but it seemed to resonate with me more this time. My biggest takeaway so far is “to be relentless”. Gary goes on to explain what that means to him, and I have taken time to think what that means to me.
I have always been driven. I have a huge desire to succeed. I think that comes from my years playing football and the desire to win every game I played in. But being relentless takes this to another level. To me, it means do everything within your power and moral compass to get to the outcome you desire. I don’t give up.
I decided to be relentless on Linked-In. That will be my focus for the next month. I took part in a Gravy for the brain webinar with Jay C Roberts. It was extremely informative. I discovered something called the SSI (social selling index) that Linked-In calculates for each profile. This was a revelation for me. I love targets. Something to aim for and complete. I am just so competitive. Jay said that once your SSI goes above 70, you get into the LinkedIn “Jetstream” where you become much more visible to your connections.
My starting score was 47. And I have been relentless. Following the recommendations on how to get into the Jetstream, within 10 days I increased my score to 66. And do you know what? I have enjoyed every moment. Yes, the challenge gives me a buzz, but I also really enjoyed getting to know my connections more, reading their posts, and commenting and sharing them. I feel more connected to my connections. Imagine that!
Then I saw a post from someone I admire. Someone that I grew up watching and listening to. A pretty big celebrity in my eyes from my home country of Scotland. I decided I would be relentless and commented on his post. And to my surprise, he commented back. I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity, so I sent him a private In-Mail through the Linked-In system and asked him a question.
What one quality took you from a young ambitious kid to where you are now? I wasn’t expecting a reply. He has an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and is probably way too busy to speak to me. And yet, an hour later I get a reply. It was very short, a little cryptic but very thought provoking for me. His reply was “a sense of belonging”.
At first, I thought “that’s not what I was hoping for”. But I didn’t ask him what would make me a success. I asked what he thought made him a success. So, I meditated on it. I pondered that concise response. What does that mean to me? Slowly, it started to make absolute sense to me. I still had an inferiority complex about voiceover. Even after 5 years of doing it. Deep down I thought I didn’t belong.
So, I analyzed if I do belong. Do I book regularly? Yes. Do I have client’s that return over and over again? Yes. Do I get good reviews? Yes. Do my coaches believe in what I can do? Yes. Have I booked with big clients? Yes. Have I booked with my agents? Yes. Going through these questions relentlessly and with a great deal of thought made me understand that I do belong. I am part of the voiceover industry. And I am damn good at it!
But this blog really isn’t about me. I am sure that there are many other people who are on their journey that are going through many of the same things that I have gone through. My advice? Be relentless. Find your sense of belonging. Do the work to back it up. I truly believe that if you do this, the universe will send you a signal. It may be different from mine, but it will let you know in it’s own unique way. Good luck and have patience my friends!