As of late, some folks have tried to be helpful and somewhat inspirational by shouting the “Be Awesome” mantra. I’m cool with that. But since I’ve been a dork since high school, I’m having trouble imagining what “awesome” actually looks like.
Frankly, I don’t roll out of bed in the morning oozing awesome. I’m that backward skinny kid that needs an Awesome Instructional Manual.
You know what I mean?
Good news though…
As of late, I’ve been ushered on to the Social Media Geek D-List. A few folks insist that I’m Awesome some of the time.
Cool! I guess, I better get cracking on that Awesome Instruction Manual while I have 15 minutes of credibility.
Here we go.
Don’t be a Sycophant.
Somebody introduced me to this bourgeois put-down the other day. Basically it means, don’t agree with everything that the cool kids say. It’s actually good advice. You need to blaze your own path. Check.
Put Out A Quality Product.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have been bitten in the arse by the typo gremlin. But if you want to join the Awesome Table you have to set a high bar for excellence.
Despise Mediocrity.
You have to despise the herd. Ignore etiquette. Run the other way when some egghead starts talking about best practices. Being Awesome is about flipping the world upside down. Think Gaga, Hendrix, Jobs, and Mother Theresa. But be careful – read #1.
Focus on the Fans/Customers/Readers.
Remember that your Awesomeness earns real-world coin when your customers acknowledge it. Spend time delivering value.
Don’t get distracted by the bling bling.
It’s ok to be proud of your book, speaking gig, new car, or 100,000 followers. And your fans will celebrate with you the first time around. But ultimately you are in the service business. We need to deliver advice, inspiration, practical solutions and more.
Don’t Rest on Your Laurels.
I’m not the first to jump on the Seth Godin bandwagon and hopefully I am not the last. Being Awesome is about taking your creative product and putting it in the hands of your audience, readers, and clients.
You do your best work and take your chances with the public. You don’t hide your posts as drafts. You finish it and ship it. Your ebook isn’t held in perpetual editing. You finish it and ship it. The path to awesomeness may come down to just hitting the darn publish button.
Stop Whining.
Whining isn’t an art form. Being awesome is about enduring challenges to ship your most inspired work. Michelangelo painted with his hands over his head for 4 years create his epic work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Mother Theresa endured mind-numbing poverty and daily set-backs. Go ahead and vent to your friends and family. But, deliver your awesomeness to your community. By the way, everyone hates listening to bad news. This is why your “pity” posts aren’t getting retweeted
Be Honest About Your Ambitions.
Lots of great writers are handicapping their success by ignoring their true goals. They insist that they toil hours every week on a blog that isn’t designed to make money. They shout from every tweet mountain that they just want to engage.
I call B.S.
Every human being wants to be rich, famous, or respected. Some want all three. Whatever path you want to take to get to these three goals is up to you. But don’t offend your reader’s intelligence by insisting that you have no personal motive behind your work. It’s easier to be awesome when you get comfortable with your ambition.
The Real Secret to Awesomeness
I hope you enjoyed my pithy little awesome jabs. However, I want your opinion on something that is harder to stomach. Here it is.
Being Awesome isn’t enough. The word “Awesome” isn’t a magical success spell.
- You still need to write.
- You still need to plan
- You still need to practice
- You still need to fail (a lot)
- You still need to get coached
- You still need to master your craft
Awesome is the by-product of getting up every day and getting the job done. Don’t delude yourself by thinking anything else.
What do you think? Leave your comments below and let’s figure this one out together.
About Stanford
You might not ooze awesome when you roll out of bed, but by 9:30 a.m. you’ve got your ish pretty together (ha!).
‘Awesome’ post. It’s easy to mistake mediocrity and the need to make efforts toward being productive with true productivity and actually engaging in activities that build business and pay off with results. The Real Secrets you share at the end are golden.
Thanks.
Thank you so much for sound advice said in a positive, empowering way. Your words have encouraged me to keep plugging along … pursuing excellence with each word I write.
Tell it like it is Stanford. Beautiful, Straightforward and Very Insightful. Thank You.
Favorite quote: It’s easier to be awesome when you get comfortable with your ambition.
Hi Stanford,
Thanks for the awesome post, It is just the thing I needed this morning to get my butt off the procrastination list of things to do and onto some real worth while activities.
The sun just came out and it is a lovely spring morning with snow drops poking through the ground. Those little guys wait every year and then they are there, the first to greet us as the snow subsides and the warmth comes back into our lives. Snowdrops are awesome.
Thanks
Mike
We need to be awesome so we can achieve what we need for the business. With the help of the tips you wrote, we still need to be patient and work hard to reach that. This isn’t an overnight thing, a little perseverance will go a long way.
Great share Stanford!
Actually, I think it IS an overnight thing. But that’s another post.
I’m not a fan of wasting time (or depending on tomorrow). If you can take your game up another notch today, then do it.
Hi Stanford, I think the most critical part of being awesome is to simply be awesome… I know that sounds lame, but I have spent a whole lot of my life and my career thinking that I just wasn’t good enough. Well, last year I decided enough with that, I AM good enough and now I want to be awesome!
I think a lot of being awesome comes from something that Gary Vee talks about which is CARE. Out CARE everyone and that is the path to awesomeness: I really believe that. Now I am trying to live it.
I’ll try not to get too deep here.
But I’m taking about what Awesome Does versus what Awesome is. You are awesome and blessed the day you take your first breath.
This post is about what comes next (20 years later). How are you doing your absolute best in the world of blogging. Hopefully this post gave some pointers
Thanks for always pushing me to not give up, to keep pushing myself.