I want to start off by saying that I personally enjoyed my last post titled What Are You Scared Of?. I enjoyed that post because although it had a serious message, the delivery started out light and comical. Maybe you’d find the post stupid. Or the humor ridiculous.
But that’s who I am. I like a little funny in my life. I’ve been told from time to time that my humor is a little odd. And I laugh at some of the strangest things. And not everyone gets it. But surely someone will. I know a few who do.
I’ve been thinking about balance lately, and it seems to be something I’ve always struggled with. Just look at how my blog started off. So serious. Always serious. That’s cool if I’m in a serious mood, but if I’m not…
There is a time and place for everything. Seriousness and humor are no different. I know when to be serious, and I know when I can be silly. No one wants to hear a knock-knock joke at a funeral. And no one wants to hear about how well your business did in the fourth quarter when you’re all hanging out at the local comedy club. It’s all about balance.
Ever wondered why the Joker is one of our favorite villains? Because he knew how to balance business and personality.
The beautiful thing about social media, at least in my humble opinion, is that although you may be a professional and an expert in your niche, you still have the opportunity to show people that you are an individual. A real person. Unless your blog’s a diary, you don’t want to spend too much of your time talking about your wife and your kids and your dog and how your car breaks down every other day and how your commute on the subway sucks. But if you can tie it in to a post relevant to your topic, maybe you give people an opportunity to connect with you. Personally. Subconsciously.
But also, don’t talk about your subject as if you’re writing a dissertation. Don’t use a monotonous tone. Don’t be afraid to shake it up and nudge people a little bit to see if they’re paying attention. Keep their interest. Remember that they’re not consuming just your information. They’re consuming your personality too, because you know there’s a damn good chance they could get their information from someone else if they wanted to.
Don’t spend your time being a robot. There are too many other people doing that. Be somebody. Keep it real, homey!
Believe it or not, in high school I was a decent writer. But somewhere along the way I began worrying more about style than substance. Who gives a care about your grammar and punctuation and capitalization if you have nothing to say? No one, that’s who. So now it’s time to break free.
The truth is, I’ve been scared. Scared that I’m going to say or do something that might anger someone and demolish an opportunity. And my fear was making me a robot. I was going through the motions, forfeiting personality so that I could do what I thought was expected. Being a good little worker bee in the worker hive. By trying to please everyone, I’ve impressed no one.
But I can’t do it anymore. I have to let myself shine through.
Doing what everyone else is doing is going to get you nowhere. Your humor, your insight, your voice are going to get you somewhere. You’re an individual, and you’ve got to show it. Balance yourself.
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