What do your friends say about you?
On not knowing what others really go through, on your online persona and on when to monetize your writing
Hi friends and new subscribers,
Happy Monday!
I'm writing this from a cottage get-away with my university friends.
Now that the government has allowed indoor gatherings, we made sure that all 14 of us could make it after having not seen each other for almost a year.
And it's been a really good experience so far.
During one of our convos, I found out how each one of us had a very different experience with the pandemic. Our group had all kinds of nurses, from pediatric, mental health, ICU, and of course, as you know, I'm an Emergency nurse.
Every specialty was deeply affected by the pandemic, and hearing my friends' stories made me feel even upset.
But somehow, we are making it work by either going to therapy, leaving the bedside nursing or hoping for it to be better at one point. We were not prepared as 20-year-olds to deal with so much sadness and grief and take care of dying people. We were not prepared as 20-year-olds to see so many deaths, ranging from children to the elderly.
I've never talked about my nursing job, but this is something that I'm hoping to dive into and hopefully feature my friends' stories to share the world of what really nurses go through in a world where we were supposed to be "superheroes."
🤷♀️ On Your "Personal Branding" as a Creator
When I started my online journey back in July 2020, I didn't know what personal branding meant.
I remember looking up the concept and thinking about having a personal brand as a new online mindset coach. But lately, I've come to realize that you slowly develop your "personal branding" once you start putting yourself out there.
Last night, my friends and I were playing a game called "stir the pot." It consists of a card deck of spicy questions, and we all had 3 seconds to point to the person who matches the description.
"Who dresses the most extra?"
"Who's the most judgmental?"
"Who cares the most about their social media presence?"
Those were the questions that most people pointed at me.
The point of the game was to reveal what your friends really think of you. Playing this game taught me that you might not know yourself as much as your friends or the other people around you. Even if you don't think or believe that the characteristic matches you. (I was in denial that I was judgmental). But if everyone else thinks that way, then maybe that's the vibe you're giving off people, even if you don't consciously believe so.
I couldn't help but think that the same principle applies to your online persona.
Instead of thinking, this is what my personal brand is, this is how I need to show up, you can learn how to show up as yourself. And later on, you can ask your online friends (aka followers, fans or audience) about what they think about you.
Rather than constantly guessing, "will people like me or will people like my content" you let your natural state shine and let your fans become the sounding board of your personal brand.
If you're curious about how you're perceived offline and online (cause sometimes we're blind or we underestimate or overestimate ourselves), you can ask your friends. Have the courage to ask the people around you about what stands out when interacting with you.
If different people have a similar perception about you, it gives you a really good baseline as to what you are already "known for," whether that's in real life. From there, you can decide what needs to be changed.
My questions for you to reflect on this week:
"Who am I to the people around me?"
✍️ Writing Journey :
This week, I wrote an article about when to monetize your writing.
If you didn't know, my first freelancing gig fell into my lap. I wasn’t sure whether it was too early to monetize my recently found passion for writing. But I said yes to the opportunity because of three things.
As you know, I'd love to know your feedback, questions or comments, so don't hesitate to reach out through Twitter. Also, if you liked this newsletter, please don’t hesitate to share it with others. 🙂