This is something that I am constantly at odds with, especially at this moment in my journey. There are so many fantastic people around me doing the same work. I mean, even in the same small community I live in. It’s hard to pull yourself out of the pack and present yourself as different. It’s hard not to feel lost in a crowd.
I have a long way to go before I am an expert on anything, thank goodness. I have so much left to learn and so much more challenge left in this profession. What keeps me going, when the negativity strikes, is remembering that physical location doesn’t mean as much as it used to. I have the world as my marketplace, so I need to start thinking differently about how I am marketing myself.
Yes, I should be making some local connections to businesses. I should be networking close to home as well, but I need to stop limiting myself to work with companies and people that I can drive to. My uniqueness comes most into play when I expand my potential market.
My own education, experiences, and background, as well as my skills with writing, aren’t what set me apart. There are a lot of people who can do what I do. Being the answer to the question of ‘how am I going to get this done?’ is.
Through my consistency, my determination, and my willingness to solve problems, I can set myself apart from the crowd. I must be the answer to that question so that my clients know that they can immediately trust me with their work.
Getting lost in a crowd is a foregone conclusion, in almost any line of work. That’s why it’s so important for us to focus on those things that make us different. That way, the right challenges can find their way to us.