But what if I get TOO inspired?

But what if I get TOO inspired?

But what if I get TOO inspired?

Sometimes I put off reading (or watching, or attending, or doing) something…and when I evaluate it, my avoidance is because I’m actually worried about how inspired I will be.

Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous. Don’t I WANT to be inspired? Isn’t inspiration a great thing?

It is a great thing….but it can also feel like a dangerous thing. There’s inspiration everywhere – in films, within books, on social posts, at events, with new products and tech and tools and software.

I’ve got hundreds of things on my to do list. My to do list is so long it’s become a dream list, and I created a new list with a maximum of five things on it, called “THIS WEEK (sort of important)”.

So when I look at the books I want to read, and the inspiring Brene Brown Netflix special I want to watch, and the apps I want to try, and the programmes I want to go through….it feels overwhelming.

What if I’m TOO inspired??

What if I read the book (or watch the special or download the app), and in addition to everything else I suddenly have forty five new things I want to do?

I have a book by Ann Handley called “Everybody Writes”. (The front of that book was my inspiration for today’s sketchnote image.) I’ve taken that book with me (along with good intentions) to more cities and even countries than I’d like to admit.

I keep bringing it with me, and opening it up, but I haven’t finished it.

It’s not because I don’t want to. Ann’s talk at a marketing conference was amazing – I loved it and was encouraged by it and learned new things from it. I bought the book, she signed it, I planned to read it….and I haven’t yet.

Many of my clients have told me the same thing. They want to try GoProposal, but it’s going to lead to so many new things to do in the firm! We send them a copy of They Ask You Answer, and they put it on the shelf because of all the content writing ideas it will give them.

The fact is, I don’t blame them. The ‘too inspired’ concern is justifiable. There’s only so much time available, and only so many priorities.

All the socials are full of people telling us to SEIZE THE DAY and READ THE BOOK and LIVE LIKE IT’S YOUR LAST DAY (or the first of the rest of your life) and all that carry on.

But we can’t.

We have to do the best we can with what we have – and the truth is, if that means setting the book aside today, that’s okay. If that means waiting to watch the special until I’m ready, or choosing to finish one of my many half-finished projects, that’s okay.

However, here’s something that’s also true:

Inspiration doesn’t come instantly and change things instantly.

It feels like it comes instantly, but it doesn’t really. True inspiration – the life changing, the business changing, the heart changing kind – comes in bit by bit. In pieces. Little by little.

It stacks up, piece upon piece. A chapter of a book, a film, a quote, someone’s text or speech or email, an event.

Each small portion combines together until one day you suddenly DO something or finish something…and you think “gosh I was so inspired! That one email and I finally got this thing done!”

But the inspiration started long ago, and stacked up.

So, you can set the book aside today, if you want to.

And you can also pick it up, and not have to fear inspiration.

It takes its time, so you can too.

 

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ON THE GRAM

“The biggest mistake accountants make in marketing”….

I’m not usually a big fan of focusing on the negative - the don’ts, the oughts, the shoulds. But I was asked this question at a conference last year and I answered by saying the mistake was to look at marketing as a list of to do’s rather than an identity as an accountant. 

And if you look closely you can see a copy of my book The Accountant Marketer to hand while I was speaking! 

Day 25/100 Video Challenge 

#100dayvideochallenge #100days #justkeepgoing #theaccountantmarketer #marketing #video #cpa #conference #accountants
Taking a walk is one of my favourite things to do. It clears the head, connects me to this world, opens the mind, brushes away the cobwebs, helps my breathing, and shows me new kinds of landscapes to enjoy. 

Ironically, today I’m resting from just about everything - swimming  and walking and working and recording a video - because my cold has settled in and my voice is a big creaky! Here’s to getting back to walking again tomorrow 🙏🏻💪🥾

Day 24/100 Video Challenge 

#100dayvideochallenge #walking #justgetstarted #justkeepgoing #getoutside #onestepatatime #hikingboots #beach #scotland #northcarolina #london #isleofmull #phoenix #brokenankle #healing #stepoutthefrontdoor
A walk in the sunshine past the river and a whisky distillery naturally makes me think of… marketing! Haha! 

Was a guest on a podcast this week and we talked about the difference between long term marketing efforts and short term quick wins, and it struck me that each is dependent on the other. 

If you only do short term things, like one post or one series of emails or one week of follow up or one event on its own, you can get discouraged. 

But when you do the longer term marketing consistently - showing up, being present, talking about the same topics to the same audience - that helps make your short term efforts more effective. 

Day 22/100 Video Challenge 

#100dayvideochallenge #video #marketing #whisky #clydeside #dailywalk #bytheriver #sunnyday #happysunday #glasgow
Remembering this gorgeous day last year where we took a very long and winding single track road for hours to get to a ferry that… wasn’t running 😆😆 

Glorious day and views, so there was much to be grateful for! But also a good reminder that a picture may be worth a thousand words, but it doesn’t always show the full story. 

Happy restful Sunday. May your views be beautiful AND your ferries be running. 😆❤️✨

#acharacle #windingroads #roadtrip #beautifulday #beach #scotland #travelscotland #viewsfordays #justkeepgoing #sometimesjuststop #rest