Contrary to popular belief, you can’t please everyone.
I’m not sure where this idea came from, my thought is that it developed through our social media culture and a desire to collect more likes, comments, and shares. But it’s the vanilla flavoring to life that seems to have gotten us all in trouble and feeling lost. (No offense to vanilla, I do love you combined with tea and exotic flavors!)
We want to be liked by all in hopes that we’ll reach a larger audience, whether personally or professionally.
Here’s where that idea falls short.
When we become neutral we become surface-level help. We can’t go deep, we can’t serve those that we cherish on the level that they need us. Having a million followers will never do as much for you as having 100 devoted followers. The people that know about your life, support your brand and want the best for you in return.
By choosing to please everyone, we’ve chosen to stop pleasing ourselves. What made our work fun and passionate has turned it into a chore we dread. It might even have you feeling lost about who you are and what you’re even doing.
When I’m working with clients on their marketing strategy or friends with their personal problems I always come back to the why. Why did you start doing this? What passion did you have before and where has that gone? In most cases, it’s still there but it’s been trampled over by trying to do things “the right way.”
Let me let you in on a little secret…there is no right way. There is only your way. And the most freeing thing I learned in my business and my life is that there are no rules. You get to make it all up as you go.
So as you think about your brand, ask yourself who do you serve? It’s not everyone. The clients you dread are the first sign of people you DON’T serve. Then think about the type of content your dream customers would find value in and start creating that. Think small and deep not large and shallow. Build a space that invites in the 100 devoted followers you’re after, not the million people who will drive you crazy.
The same goes for your personal life too. What friends do you love seeing and being with? Who would you rather not stop by your house uninvited? The answers to those questions provide you insight into whose opinions matter to you, as well as the type of community you want to build.
We were never meant to please everyone. At the end of the day, the opinion that matters most is what you think of what you’re building. Does it bring joy, nourishment, and hope? Or are you cringing with what tomorrow will bring, with a gut tied up in knots?
You’ll know you’re on the right path when those knots go away and you’re excited for what the day brings. And it will feel so freeing to let go of the clients you know aren’t right for you, or to release the friends that aren’t nourishing you. It’s a kind of spring cleaning all of its own.
So here is the hard part. Who can you let go of in the coming weeks? Comment below and let me know of the client you’re ready to say goodbye to or the relationship you’re ready to let go of in order to start focusing on the voices in your life that matter.
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