This is something I have been working on for a long time, and really it both is and has been a struggle for me to figure out! We all have special interests, experiences, and traits that make us interesting. I'm talking about the kinds of things that friendships grow from. That communities are created from.
For example, I was born in Alaska. Right now I live in Seattle, so this isn't so much of a special sauce ingredient here. When I lived in New York City however, it was! Telling people I was born in Alaska their eyes would get all big and I'd get questions about things like igloos.
Is this what makes my story? I don't really think so, there are a lot of people from Alaska around. Maybe the fact I moved to where I am from NYC? Same thing, not quite unique enough.
What about the fact that I grew up around computers? This one is a real hit or miss...this is typical of people 10 years younger than me, but even people my age it is hit or miss. So this one can be special sauce when I'm working with someone over the age of 50 in my experience. My husband, who is 40 and even more techie than I am explains it by calling me a "Digital Native" and himself a "Digital Migrant" with the difference of course being that while I was immersed in the culture (my father was working in software development my whole life since I was a baby) he had to consciously go out and learn it. I'm a Gen X/Y cusp born in 1981 and he was born in 1970 so very much Gen X.
I do have some stories that definitely get attention, for example being a survivor of what is often referred to as "Brat Camp" or "Wilderness Therapy" as a teen, though this usually doesn't have much to do with whatever I'm trying to accomplish an so eh, not much of a conversation starter.
Most recently the titles/specialties that I feel encompass most of who I am professionally is "Social Architect" or "Social Media Manager" because I'm very much online, you can see my favorite social media networks described in this piece I wrote HERE. I grew up pretty disconnected from community yet integrating quickly in a wide variety of communities at the same time. Only relevance here is that I really like to be as connected as possible and see that many people are hungry for the same thing. I have a passion for helping them find their niche and ideally profiting off of it as well. I can use the skills I have honed building other online communities to grow businesses visibility as well as their branding and presence online with ease. It is one of those things it seemed anyone could do but it really comes naturally to me and I enjoy it a lot.
So what is your special sauce? I added a link to this book because it helped me a lot to kind of hone in on what I am passionate about.
Much of what I am most passionate about is helping people, and spending time with my family doing things that enrich our lives.
I also learned I am not a nine to fiver, working all day just to work for a certain period of time is akin to a death sentence as far as I'm concerned. I don't know how much time I have left but I know I don't want to waste any of it.
That is why I'm passionate about finding ways to get paid to be me and to help you get paid to be you!! Figuring out who you are is the first step, and goes a lot deeper than it initially seems to. Another book is What Color Is Your Parachute? 2011: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
which is great if you are looking for a job or career change. I enjoyed some of the exercises in this book as well. Both of these books give a very simple practical way to really uncover what it is that you REALLY want to be doing, other than paying all our bills on time.
What books have helped you in your journey? I have loads more but would like to know about what has helped you as well. Also I'm interested in your experience of these books if you have read them too. Both of them are kind of always around for both me and my husband to peruse as needed.
For example, I was born in Alaska. Right now I live in Seattle, so this isn't so much of a special sauce ingredient here. When I lived in New York City however, it was! Telling people I was born in Alaska their eyes would get all big and I'd get questions about things like igloos.
Is this what makes my story? I don't really think so, there are a lot of people from Alaska around. Maybe the fact I moved to where I am from NYC? Same thing, not quite unique enough.
What about the fact that I grew up around computers? This one is a real hit or miss...this is typical of people 10 years younger than me, but even people my age it is hit or miss. So this one can be special sauce when I'm working with someone over the age of 50 in my experience. My husband, who is 40 and even more techie than I am explains it by calling me a "Digital Native" and himself a "Digital Migrant" with the difference of course being that while I was immersed in the culture (my father was working in software development my whole life since I was a baby) he had to consciously go out and learn it. I'm a Gen X/Y cusp born in 1981 and he was born in 1970 so very much Gen X.
I do have some stories that definitely get attention, for example being a survivor of what is often referred to as "Brat Camp" or "Wilderness Therapy" as a teen, though this usually doesn't have much to do with whatever I'm trying to accomplish an so eh, not much of a conversation starter.
Most recently the titles/specialties that I feel encompass most of who I am professionally is "Social Architect" or "Social Media Manager" because I'm very much online, you can see my favorite social media networks described in this piece I wrote HERE. I grew up pretty disconnected from community yet integrating quickly in a wide variety of communities at the same time. Only relevance here is that I really like to be as connected as possible and see that many people are hungry for the same thing. I have a passion for helping them find their niche and ideally profiting off of it as well. I can use the skills I have honed building other online communities to grow businesses visibility as well as their branding and presence online with ease. It is one of those things it seemed anyone could do but it really comes naturally to me and I enjoy it a lot.
So what is your special sauce? I added a link to this book because it helped me a lot to kind of hone in on what I am passionate about.
Much of what I am most passionate about is helping people, and spending time with my family doing things that enrich our lives.
I also learned I am not a nine to fiver, working all day just to work for a certain period of time is akin to a death sentence as far as I'm concerned. I don't know how much time I have left but I know I don't want to waste any of it.
That is why I'm passionate about finding ways to get paid to be me and to help you get paid to be you!! Figuring out who you are is the first step, and goes a lot deeper than it initially seems to. Another book is What Color Is Your Parachute? 2011: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
which is great if you are looking for a job or career change. I enjoyed some of the exercises in this book as well. Both of these books give a very simple practical way to really uncover what it is that you REALLY want to be doing, other than paying all our bills on time.What books have helped you in your journey? I have loads more but would like to know about what has helped you as well. Also I'm interested in your experience of these books if you have read them too. Both of them are kind of always around for both me and my husband to peruse as needed.
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