If Your Shy, Cherish Privacy, Support Manchester United or Heaven Forbid own a PC – is the Thirty Day Challenge For You? #30dc
The Factor - Part 4
Do you Have To Be Leader To Be Successful On-Line...
The Answer is Yes.
The Ansewr is also No...
Hang On Ed - What Happend to all of this "telling it like it is routine" I'm surprised you don't have splinters where the sun don't shine from sitting on the fence so well with that opening.
Stay with me.
In Particular, if your shy, value your privacy, associate the word "Leader" with the Jock or Diva that made your life a living hell in High School (Trust Me - I know exactly how that is - Fat Kid with Glasses is not the easy path to the King and the Queen of the prom!)
Stay With Me.
The whole point of the Thirty Day Challenge is to give YOU a plan B. Giving you something that you control, that you set the terms. It's a place regardless of what shit stuff (sorry home schoolers! it's tough love day here at the nerd palace) has happened in your life to this point.
This is a CHANCE for you to have something that's yours. You don't need to tell a single soul. Up until this point maybe your life sucked.
Whatever your HISTORY is.
The Thirty Day Challenge does not care.
Seriously, As much as I'd love to... I can't fix a damn thing that has happend that would make you want to value privacy above all else. I wish I could fix the thing that made you shy or gave you the association that being a leader = asshole.
I can't fix it
and perhaps worse I CANT CARE.
BUT
No-one in this neck of the woods will hold your history against you or judge you for it.
As GuruBob says (ALL THE TIME!!!) - It is as it is
But I CAN do something about what happens from TODAY, you just need to take one tiny anonymous step forward.
That one tiny step forward CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING.
So if you have been "Bitch Slapped by Life" your welcome here.
BUT
You have to take a tiny step forward.
That step would be to continue reading.
I need to tell you what the word "leader" means to me. How I use it.
(BTW A free 30DC Plus membership to someone who can come up with a cool name that replaces the word leader with something more appropriate and less scary)
Leader = ASSHOLE
Ok, as they would say in therapy, lets breakdown that less than scientific definition of a Leader into specifics.
For Me, it's a Huge Ego, A Bully (My most hated group of people on earth, even worse than hypocrites - but I digress!), They're in whatever their in for personal ambition and reward and don't give a stuff about who or what they trample in the process. They use people and worse... leave a psychological scar that can literally cripple people for life.
This to me is their greatest crime.
Robbing people of options in their life because of an episode or experience that happend years ago.
I CANT CARE ABOUT THE PAST. I can only provide an option about tomorrow.
I know how these people create a horrible crater, we've all been there.
WHAT A LEADER MEANS TO ME
Let's look at Ego first. Leaders have a positive self-image of themselves. This is an internal thing. Do you reckon it happend overnight?
No way, lots of little things add up. The tragedy is it works the other way.
A lot of people start the Thirty Day Challenge with Baggage.
A cruel person would describe some as "damaged goods"
Here's the thing...
In Thirty Day Challenge Land...
WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR PAST
What we want to know is...
Are you going to take a tiny step forward - IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPEND TO YOU!
The most successful leaders are the ones with the least ego - they care about their project, their cause, they could be percieved as completley unreasonable - but they're unreasonable about their cause - not themselves!
This is such a key point.
In 30DC world - when I talk about being a "Leader" - I want you to care about this new creative pursuit. I want you to be passionate (even unreasonable!) about your Thirty Day Challenge project!
Don't bring your self-lothing to the project.
Your project is not you. You are not your project!!!
This should be liberating.
If you cant be proud of yourself right now (If your still with me August 31 - I'll ask you that question again! I will wager London to a brick that the answer will be different and much more positive) be pround that you finished this article. Be proud you tweeted it. Be proud that you read the next thing I write in the Run Up To Preseason.
Rome, the Gabriel V18 amplifier and the first IPhone were not built in a day!
Actually, come to think of it - has anything worthwhile been achieved in day...
You and your self-image wont be changed in a day either.
Totally sucks - but it's the facts, Jack.
Totally cool thing is the Thirty Day Challenge has impacted so many people in so many different ways!
IN PARTICULAR ONE THAT TOTALLY SHOCKED AND DELIGHTED ME!!
If you get the chance, go back and read through the comments of this series.
Must be a dozen people who...
FAILED TO COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE.....BUT
However, their life CHANGED FOR EVER - in a good way I might add!
One of my favorite stories is the Frost family in Tasmania.
Michelle and her husband Simon and their five awesome kids have been at this caper for five years. They kept trying and trying and had varying levels of success...(This is turning into an awesome testimonial NOT!!)
Anywho,
The first time I KNEW IN MY BONES they were going to make something happen was when I saw them using their Internet marketing chops and Youtube knowledge to help their super spunky daughter Tash to raise money for the MS read-a-thon.
(In Fact I notice Tash is BACK and doing the read-a-thon in June. MS affects a lot of people and I can't think of a more worthy cause!!! Why not follow along with Tash this year.)
It was brilliant!
And if memory serves me she raised a whole lot of money!
I'm sure they don't mind me saying that they had it tough at times, they bought a Mac (as you will - you just dont know it yet 
!) and kept at it.
Fast Forward to a couple of months ago and I got an email from Michelle - she recieved a Grant to teach Women Small Business Owners how to use the Internet to improve their business.
She is pumped and doing something she loves!
BTW I understand some of Michelle's students are doing the Thirty Day Challenge this year. Welcome and congratulations - you have an awesome example and Teacher in Michelle!
Michelle to me is a Thirty Day Challenge Leader.
You see the best leaders, the ones that have the most impact in the world OVER THE LONG TERM have the least ego.
It's funny, most great leaders I know - you would be astounded to know - have a very poor self-image. I'm no great leader, I can tell you I have doubts all the time!!
The difference is despite the self-doubt and the worry...
They take a small, tiny step forward...every day.
Rats - my timer has just gone off and I'm just getting warmed up!
If your Shy, freak out at the thought of having followers, want (scratch that, NEED!) privacy or are unfortunate enough to support Manchester United or heaven forbid, have a PC.
Trust me when I say this
THE THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE IS EXACTLY FOR YOU!
In my next piece I'm going to tackle shyness, privacy and the obligations of leadership.
It'll be fun.
Really...
For example - did you know that I am almost clincally SHY.
Serious.
TBC
Hi,
I do – heaven forbid – actually support Manchester United.
I have worked through Eds Stompernet Simple program while being hidden behind my PC, but was forced to go after followers and relish visitors when I started seo work for businesses and unbelievably now enjoy the thrill of gaining followers.