EXPERT POSITIONING - How you too could grow your personal brand or business (by using what you have or know) to get great publicity. If I could do it with almost every odd there is, seeming to be stacked against me, than anyone can. Some of those odds: When I wrote my first book in 2001, they said: You cant write a book. What could you possibly have to say, coming from an impoverished background? I kept quiet, because I knew that they do not know me. And I made it happen. And I found a publisher. Now that was just fabulous, but the excitement didnt last too long. Somebody didnt like me, because of my interracial relationship. I was sabotaged and lost my publishing deal. I was devastated, but I made a commitment to myself to publish my own book. And I did. I remember praying for a miracle and then I heard Gods voice say: As long as you believe that I can make it happen for you, I will. This book: Success, its your choice was approved for the school curriculumn in 2006 in the majority of provinces. They said: We cant use you as a speaker at our event, because you do not have a degree. I went out and got myself a degree. :-) They said: We cant use you as a speaker, because you are too dark. Audiences are more accepting of a speaker with a dark complexion when the speaker is male... No, I didnt go to the Human Rights Commission and I didnt bleach my skin. I took a deep breath and with the recommendation that was made for me, I focused on the event and on doing my best. I received a standing ovation. They (someone who wanted to represent me as a speaker) said: Dont let organisations find out that you are in an interracial relationship. They wont give you a speaking opportunity... I was required to hide a part of me, to not live my truth. I took a deep breath, excused myself from that meeting and walked away from a lot of money. Soon after, the media became interested in my story. They thought that the way I have dealt with the challenges of being in an interracial relationship, was inspirational. And I have a few great articles to show for it; and there were many radio interviews and a support group that is now known The Empathy Foundation, NPO 070-849. And this is why I can say to you that your story is valid. And when you tell it in the right manner, people in high places will listen. I recently sent a thank you- email to a media house, thanking them for the wonderful exposure. Their response nearly made me fell of my chair. They were surprised that I thanked them, because not too many people do apparently. I always send a thank you email, because I cannot afford to take anything for granted, I cannot afford to be arrogant or whatever the case may be; I cant, because I am too aware of the fact that where I am, is a miracle. They said: In order to get somewhere, you have to be a member of a networking group. I know that this works for some people, but with so many things in life - this too, is not a one size fits all... I tried it, but it didnt quite work for me; just like it didnt quite work for Tyler Perry. I watched a Youtube video a number of months ago where he talked about his experience and where he mentioned that sometimes you just need that one person to give you an opportunity and then things escalate from there - as it happened for him as well. He found that person and not at one of the networking groups that he visited. Now before every networking group wants to take out their knives for me, I am simply sharing my experience. I still love and respect you. Perhaps this is a point to address in networking. Dr. Wayne Dyer says that he belongs to a few groups, but DO NOT pay membership fees. Im working at getting myself to this level. :-) Over the years, I have worked hard, picked up the telephone, made enquiries via email, etc. Sometimes there was a response and sometimes the was no response. But I moved on. I look back and the majority of accomplishments that I have under my belt today and the majority are because of things that I have done for myself, opportunities that I have created for myself. Of course, there were people who encouraged me and a few who believed in me or attempted to help; and to those people I am grateful. The first time I presented my public workshop in Expert positioning, was in 2012. Quite a few participants have gone on and write and publish their own books and / or managed to secure publicity. A huge compliment indeed. What a journey? It definitely wasnt easy and there were many times when I only had God and myself. My husband was sometimes also affected by his ambitious wifes refusal to quit. There were times when someone would be very impressed with his dynamic wife and made promises of support only to be as cold as ice when the wife would send her profile and they realise that she is not white. :-) Then nothing... The last incident of this nature happened about a month ago. It doesnt hurt anymore, because I know that we can only do what we know and when we are walking around believing that someone is inferior or stupid due to their race, background, religion, culture, etc. then surely it would be impossible for us to treat a person who falls in that particular category, in a different way. Like Maya Angelou said: When you know better, you do better. One day (before I secured the wonderful publicity) my husband said: Maybe you should consider doing something else... I said: NO! This is my passion, this is what I want to do. And who knows, maybe my journey is full of many challenges BECAUSE what I need to contribute to this world is really big... Who knows? And then I went back to feeling sorry for myself - but ONLY for about five minutes. Then it was back to asking the right question: HOW CAN I DO THIS? There are many wonderful things to come. And I am grateful to God and the Universe for quiding me, for guarding me and for giving me the how to on overcoming various challenges. Amazing Graceindeed. And to those who have contributed to my journey by doing something hurtful, I have no desire for revenge, because I was able to turn the pain into something powerful. Because of the challenge or hurt that you have put on my path, I KNOW that I am a better human being and that I am better at my craft; so thank you for the stones that you have thrown at me. Dear friend, if you are experiencing a challenge today, by all means be sad or disappointed, but be mindful of the fact that that very challenge may have landed on your doorstep to turn you into a better version of yourself. Have a beautiful and productive day. Back to my writing now, because the publisher is waiting. :-)
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 08:09:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015