EP51: Your Story - Matters!

Hey there friends…

Jim here…

Welcome back.

This thing we do here with marketing online, matters to not just us, the creators of the world we live in, but to those we share that world with.

So…

Not too long ago…

I took a course, my buddy Nick Warren of storiesmeanbusiness.com created.

Here's how Nick described it …

“It’s stupid simple. When you enroll you get an email. That’s Lesson 1. The next day you get Lesson 2. And so on for a week.”

“Each email delivers insight, tasks, and examples. The content mixes storytelling with strategy, marketing and philosophy, and copywriting with neuroscience.”

“Built all in the single-minded pursuit of progress.”

How could I not give it a try?

It was delivered via 8 emails over a 7-day period.

Just like he said.

Nick calls it, “Tell Your Story - The Course”.

For me, it delivered quite a bit of practical instruction, that helped me create my Origin Story.

According to Nick, we all need an Origin Story.

He says…

“It’s for people who understand the power of pushing against their comfort zone.”

“It’s for people who are tired of short-term tactics that never deliver.”

“It’s for people who are searching for a foundation.”

I am going to share with you my “Origin Story”.

I hope it helps you know that you too can create one for yourself.

Here it is: "My Origin Story"

I had been asleep for quite a while…

…when all of a sudden I was shaken awake.

The year was 2007.

It was late October and I had been sleeping [or sliding through life without acknowledging my surroundings] for a long, long time.

I had been a successful Truss Designer, earning a fairly good wage, living the life of my dreams…

…until I wasn’t.

But before I tell you what happened [what woke me up], let’s see how it all started.

Let’s go back in time…

In 1993, I had left the military [US Navy], after 15 years of service, to pursue my dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

What I soon found out is this.

Just because you have a dream, and you want to be successful, does not entitle you to success.

I had a desire, but I knew nothing about how to conduct business.

So, I failed.

In 1994 I started training to be a Truss Designer. I began learning how to design floor and roof structures for commercial business and residential homes.

As it turns out, I was good at it.

Very good at it.

Until 2007…the Awakening!

The Great Depression!

I let my overconfidence blind me to the times we were living in.

I believed that I was too good, or too important to be fired or laid off. [there is a lesson for us all!]

I knew things had changed in real estate. Some people & businesses were struggling due to it, but I did not see how it could affect me - personally.

Until I was laid off…

…by a friend who had trained me 13 years earlier.

Within a year, that company was out of business as well.

In January 2008, even with millions out of work and the hope of locating another job difficult at best, somehow, I managed to find another job.

What actually happened is beyond belief. Best left for another time.

I was earning less than 60% of my previous income. I was frustrated and humbled, but fortunate to have it.

I put my head down and just worked hard.

During that time, I started learning about online marketing. It was exciting and scary at the same time.

I found a mentor that could help me sort out the GOOD from the BAD.

Through my mentor, I was able to sort through the madness and put the pieces together.

I learned it takes hard work, a new way of thinking, intense training, and the application of known principles to become good at marketing.

It took me a long time to become good at being a Truss Designer.

To be just as good at internet marketing takes no less effort.

Anyone that says anything different, are LIARs.

Plain and simple.

There is NO easy button.

Today, thanks to hard work, my mentor, and not giving up, I am proud to call myself an online marketer.

My goal has always been to train up the next generation of marketers.

I have felt their pain…

…along with those stuck in a dead-end, deadbeat job, and struggling to survive our new economy, and those forced to continue working because they cannot afford to retire.

Those are my people.

They are the ones I want to help secure a better future and life.

[End of Origin Story]

As you can tell, it packs a lot into a tiny package.

The information spans quite a long time. It highlights important points along my journey, from being a wannabe online marketer to becoming someone knowledgeable, to help others succeed online.

Friend, if you have not shared your story, your journey, your struggle, your pain, then my question to you is simple.

What is holding you back?

What are you waiting for?

Are you afraid to be vulnerable?

Are you afraid to let people see you as many people see themselves?

Don't be…

…share your pain.

Share the times you had no one to talk to.

When you couldn't afford proper training.

And despite it all, you are now on the other side of fear, struggle, and pain.

Let them know that you have gone through many of the same struggles your followers are currently experiencing.

Help them know that you have the answers they so desperately need and want.

Everyone struggles in this world we live in.

Everyone wants to be successful.

The answers to life's great problems are in the hands of people that once struggled. They overcame the issues, and are qualified to help others do the same.

By sharing your knowledge, you can spare individuals the difficulty and heartache of learning and constantly searching for answers.

While you cannot do the work for them, you can help them overcome complex issues.

To do that, you must be willing to let people know the problems you had to overcome and help them know the solutions are not as difficult as they believe.

This is something, you, and only you can do. Only you can share your story.

Because…your story matters!

Do take a look at my friend Nick’s website, and if his course feels like a good fit for you, give it a try. You won’t be sorry.

I am not paid to share Nick’s course. I do because I know it works, and it matters.

You matter.

A link to Nick’s course is HERE!

Thanks for listening.

I'll be back, next week.

Until then, be safe, be happy, be strong.

James "Still Mattering" Brown

P.S. - In the event, you DO find that once an episode has been produced and posted, that YOU really would like more information, just let me know. Use the Podcast Questions link, click on the link here. Or you can just leave a voice message here.