This week I’m going to talk about our state of mind.

‘What’ I hear you say, ‘I thought you were a marketing expert?’. Well just bear with me a little bit.

I am a marketing expert and yes I coach mostly women (a few men always creep in) on the power of digital marketing for their business. 

I’m also a person and I notice things.  And I been having some thoughts floating around for a while, so I thought I’d share them with!

To help you!

I am

Just 2 little words, but so powerful in how we feel, how others perceive us and how effective we are in certain situations – like marketing for example!

I see time again through my social media coaching women who come to me less than confident in how to market their businesses.

On the ground, when they are coaching their clients, making their fabulous products and delivering training to big multi-nationals, they are the best. They know their stuff, testimonials are fantastic, they’re in their element.  But outside of that, in the world of marketing they tell me…

I am no good at marketing

I am not confident in using social media

I don’t know what to say

I am worn out from having to keep thinking of things to say

I’m not sure how to put a strategy together

I am uncomfortable marketing myself – I don’t want to appear too pushy or big headed.

Basically urgh – and I get it and they’re in the right place.  We work through all these negative I am’s until they are I can and they leave infused, confident and buzzing with new ideas.

Fabulous.

But this led to me thinking about other I am’s in our lives.

The one’s we use alongside emotions. I am stressed. I am anxious. I am always busy. I am always tired. I am not good at it. I am depressed.

What about those I am’s?  Surely, they don’t serve us very well.  Surely, we are not anxious. Anxious is an emotion – not a person. Sure, we feel anxious. But that is one feeling – it’s not all of us, we are much more complex than that.

And when we keep repeating these I am’s, guess what, that’s what we are.

I am forever running around busy. ‘How are you?’ people ask. ‘I am very busy’ I reply and they nod sagely.

And it just occurred to me. That’s not 100% true.  Sometimes I am sitting on the coach watching MadMen, sometimes I am sitting listening to Robin playing the piano, sometimes I am walking in the park with Aidan. I am not always busy. But if my stock response is I am always so very busy, my brain will get stressed, thinking, God damn it I am so fucking busy and then my head will explode and my legs will fall off.

Ok, so that is an exaggeration, but I think you get my point.

Maybe we need to swop out some of the I am's and be a little bit kinder to ourselves. I can be busy, might be better than I am busy.  I feel anxious is better than I am anxious.  I am fabulous is a heck of a lot better than I'm shit.  Be kind to yourself.

We are not our emotions – and it’s wise to remember that.

Now I can’t help you stop being busy, or anxious or depressed, unless these things are all related to your business and marketing it. 

But if like a lot of my clients you do feel uncomfortable marketing your business and you’re not sure what or how to say it, then give me a call.  Life’s too short to feel bad about something you can feel better about.  And maybe that will make everything feel a little better.

I had a fabulous session with one of my clients the other day, who arrived tired, worn out and frustrated with her business and after 2 hours was literally jumping about, full of ideas and raring to go.

Isn’t that how we want to be?