How to blow your own horn
I'm terrified of posting something on social media.
That's how it has been as long as I can remember. Even though I had a Facebook account for a while, I never posted anything except for my profile picture. I told everyone that posting things on Facebook was stupid. I said it's shallow to share something with the public. I shunned people who blew their own horns.
But I was wrong.
In hindsight, I was scared.
I was terrified of what others would think of me.
I was terrified to share my thoughts and opinions with others.
That's the truth. I covered my fear with an idealistic self-image.
When I started my business, I realized that things had to change.
It wasn't easy.
I was brought up in a culture that despised the idea of blowing your own horn. Self-promotion is looked down upon in our society. We treasure the stories of unsung heroes.
Posting things on Facebook for me was countering the beliefs I was so tightly holding. That was the most challenging part.
Launching my business helped me realize that self-promotion is not evil.
I realized no one else would if I didn't blow my own horn. If every bird was like me, there would not be any singing in the forest.
We are living in a skilled economy. People are hired and paid for their skills. You have to be discoverable. People need to know who you are and what you do. They need to know your talents. There needs to be more than a piece of paper with a 2nd class upper. You need to prove your worth, and for that, you need to put in the work. But work itself isn't enough. You need to promote your work as well.
No matter what you do (working for someone or running your own business), you must start sharing things on social media. If you're like me, it will feel unnatural in the beginning. So start small. Share something you learned recently. Share something about your work. Keep sharing little things; eventually, you'll feel less scared to share big things.
And that's how you blow your own horn!
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