
Open up, ladies. It’s time for your first ever virtual chill pill!
If you’re anything like me, you like everything. One month you’re obsessing over a new fitness regime, the next you can’t stop researching the names of everyone in the English Royal family from 1500 on, and other times you’re ALL ABOUT learning the art of the spray tan or perfecting your downward dog. I get it. You’re multi-passionate. High five!
Sadly, as an entrepreneur – who needs clarity + focus to survive – this kind of all-over-the-place thinking makes you question your every move in business. Because what if really, your calling is that other thing you’re not doing, and so you should probably quit whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW and jump the shark before it’s all too late + you end living in a one bedroom apartment knitting quilts + talking to your four pet cats?
Well, first of all, if your brain’s running off like that, please sit down & have a glass of Pinot before we proceed. (I’ve been there. Tried and tested. Meditation works, too.)
Better?
OK.
I had this problem for months while I was building my little fledgling business. Honestly, there’s a huge part of me that wants to be a yoga & meditation teacher (and not just ’cause I’d get to wear yoga pants everyday), another massive part of me that reminds me 5x a day how much “easier” the 9-5 lifestyle is and there’s even a tiny part that whispers seductively in my ear that I could be an actress, even though I’ve never tried and my friends make fun of me because I haven’t seen like, any movie ever, which clearly would make me an awful candidate.
When I put my little foot down and decided I was going to plunge into my freelance copywriting business, I had a little moment of silence for my other passions. It was sad stuff, ladies; like parting ways with a good friend. And not just any friend, but the one who I knew still had my favorite shirt, but who I had to let keep it because how rude would it be to ask someone for your shirt back when all her things are already packed?
Except that’s just ridiculousness, up there. In reality, just because I chose to make writing my work and sole source of income, doesn’t mean I have to go cold turkey on the other things I love. In fact, that would be terrible! Nobody would be starting businesses if that were the case!
I think traditional advice would tell you the simple way to solve this multi-passionate prob is to continue to schedule time for your other passions – like, literally take out your planner/iPhone, grab a highlighter/your finger and schedule that shizz in every week, no questions. (And that’s good advice, don’t get me wrong. So do it.)
But my advice is kinda like that advice’s crafty little sister (you know, the one who always somehow made more money at the lemonade stand, got the last cookie from the cookie jar and scored all the hot dates in high school), and I plan to run my business the little sister way, by seamlessly weaving as many of my other passions into this business as I possibly can…without sounding like a total freak.
Now, I’m not saying I’m going to offer online yoga courses from my services page (although that could be funny…). Or write a 100-page e-book all about how much I love hoop dance, music festivals & green juice (which may or may not be related).
But I will strategically sneak my passions in in other, more subtle, ways.
Like…Using Metaphor in My Blogging!
Oh, how I love metaphor.
It’s the easiest way to turn a dull sentence into something uh-mayz-ing. And a simple way to teach your clients little bits about your other passions, plus make yourself smile.
Exhibit A: I mean, is there really a better way to explain someone’s ignorantly slow descent into madness than by saying he was “downward-dogging into a life of misery and despair”? I think not.
Or how about comparing the beat in your heart when you’re about to kiss a new boy for the first time to the intense whomp whomp whomp noise that’s all over dubstep music? Didn’t think so!
Not only does it sound way cooler than saying, “Johnny’s heart was beating so fast,” but creating fun metaphors is, well, fun! And challenging! And all those other mentally-stimulating things we entrepreneurs love! Win-win, baybay.
But my point isn’t how awesome metaphor is. (But no joke, it’s your friend. Use it, everyday. t’ll make you a better writer, storyteller and overall awesome person. You can quote me on that.)
My point is: You don’t have to give up your other passions and you shouldn’t have to. But you’ve gotta get creative about ways to incorporate your passions into your life and business as it now stands, since most of your time will be devoted to the one passion you chose to focus on.
And as fun as it would be, I don’t recommend releasing freaky-weird-hybrid products of your passions that will totally scare your current customers away. There are definitely better ways to get a good laugh, and lose a few thousand bucks. (Suggestions welcome!)
XO Erica Lee