This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
The un-need to self-express
Big ahas at class last night. I wish you were there.
I realized that my entire life I have been trying to prove to myself and others that I am a good person. Nothing wrong with that, you’re thinking. Just as with any habit or belief you carry with you, I think this can also be destructive.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve built a great life for myself and have stood on the shoulders of others. But there has been sort of a path that I’ve followed: Doing ‘good’ as my parents taught me, figuring out what is ‘good’ and ‘bad’ (let’s just put ALL people into these two categories while we’re at it), and then proving to the world via Conscious PR Inc. (yup, it was all part of the plan) that I am a good person.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been a marketer after all. The double-edged sword about being a marketer is that we know how to “put ourselves out there” and have it be well-received by others. God knows I was just telling a keen student what a fool others are if they run a business and do not have a website. (<= An example of what is bad)
It is going to be very hard to undo this mind training I’ve done on myself, but the good thing is that I must do social media for clients, and so I cannot stop that altogether. But I can have a greater awareness of self and the impact I have on others – or, vice versa. As much as I’d like to unfollow a lot of people I am, their posts could be the greatest test about whether or not I’ve built a strong enough sense of self to not be bothered.
Have you ever questioned your purpose and found that it was a role you told yourself you had to do?
