What do you want to be known for?

I was delighted that last week’s post on the The Crossroads of Should and Must, and Elle Luna’s imagery + essay spoke to so many of you.

This week’s post builds from there.

What I’ve noticed is that once you’ve gathered your courage to abandon “Should” and take a step or two or three on the path of “Must” something interesting happens: the road forks. Sometimes it branches off into two options—and sometimes into several more. And thus, you find yourself in the moment of choice, once again.

To choose one path among many, begin by answering this question (one of the simplest, most clarifying questions I’ve been asked in a long time): What do you want to be known for?

Indeed, this week I watched an illuminating conference talk by PR strategist Brigitte Lyons on Creating Momentum In Your Great Work in which she:

1) Challenged her audience to answer this question (“What do you want to be known for?”)—and then

2) Showed them how to begin - by flipping their perspective.

Below I accept Brigitte’s challenge and share my answers with you to encourage you to give it a go.

Try it! It will help you explain what you do in a way that feels simple, human, and fresh at a social gathering, or remember why you’re committed to your great work.

Here we go:

What do I want to be known for? Wellbeing. Skill. And ideas that heal. I help people solve the problem of “what to say?.” I want to create in the world: skillful communicators with ideas that heal.

Now flip your perspective. Here, Brigitte challenged her audience to see themselves as having arrived up a hill (along with the expert knowledge they surely possessed) and reaching back to lend a hand to those below on the path. 

Imagine "if you could just sit them down for 5 or 10 minutes, what would you really love to tell them?,” she asked. "What is it that you most want them to know?"

From this vantage point, here are 5 insights (and one bonus) I would share about communicating effectively.

We become persuasive when our big idea is breathtakingly simple--and changes things for the better. This is an idea that heals. 

When you're clear on what you want to say, it changes you. 

You feel yourself becoming more powerful—and it’s about personal power vs. social power—it’s not about power over others, it’s about power over yourself. You stop second-guessing and hesitating and start claiming opportunities for yourself, including ones hidden in plain sight. When you know and nail what you want to say, you unlock your creativity. 

Warm + clear is the way. You’re after a sure-handed communications style that's conversational, with genuine authority. Relatable and remarkable—that’s what connects.

While my first three insights above are framed positively, the remaining two are cautionary, helping the newer traveler avoid traps along the path:

Our beliefs about talent get in our way.

Writing, teaching, and public speaking are three arenas where the myth of natural talent is rampant and unhelpful. The myth (that needs busting) goes like this: either you are a natural or out of luck. Not true—and I say this after helping hundreds of people develop their ideas and the skills to express them. Nine years of teaching visual artists persuasive writing has shown me time and again that even relentlessly self-identified, non-writers can express themselves in ways they never imagined with words. You are a writer (or speaker, or teacher)--you just haven't found the path to your words. 

We also trip ourselves up by equating habits with skill. And we do this all the time without realizing it, leaving potential untapped.  

     ex: You go to the gym, do your physical therapy exercises, or practice your instrument or craft daily. But habit alone does not guarantee improvement. Your run through your reps, yet do it unthinkingly. There’s an alternative: a personalized skills approach that simplifies, streamlines, and break things apart with a sure hand (attuned to how you learn best) so that you can practice deliberately. With the right guidance (training, coaching, skills, and support), you can improve your technique, and thus abilities, in less time and with less effort.

Bonus: It’s about freedom through technique, not freedom from technique. And that freedom (along with the wonderful outcomes it can create) brings us full circle to the wellbeing we crave.

All together, it’s about a life well-expressed, professionally and personally. That’s what I want to be known for.

I plan to reach out to Brigitte and let her know how her talk + work has inspired me. So she, and each of us can continue creating momentum in our great work, by sharing it with others in a way that meets them where they are.

Would love to hear what this turns up for you. Hit reply and let me know.