The past week was like a roller coaster. I knew that it would be busy as I had many goals and events scheduled, plus some unfinished tasks from the previous week.
Had I been writing this roundup on Tuesday, it would be a completely different article as so much has happened just over the past few days.
Bringing online business offline again
The past week was a big insight into why I do what I do. Often I do lots of things even without thinking about them, but this week I’ve come to a few realisations.
On Wednesday morning, I gave a talk ‘Network like Lenka’ about networking (I’ll write a short blog post with my top tips about networking soon), but the main lesson for me was about myself and why I do what I do.
Even without realising, I’ve become disruptive in my industry by bringing online business offline again. On many occasions, I’ve realised that not many social media gurus, specialists, consultants (use whichever label you like) actually leave their offices to meet real people in real life and it’s a shame because social media works best when combined with offline tactics.
Standing up and speaking about myself, my story and my journey is still really out of my comfort zone, but I’ve learnt to enjoy being in this state. You can’t move forward, improve and be better without pushing yourself into the unknown and uncomfortable. The more I put myself out there, the easier it gets. I still feel it’s not in my comfort zone, but jumping into it gets easier and easier every single time.
The law of attraction
I’m sure you’ve heard about this theory (and the book), but in the last week, I’ve experienced something really close to this in reality. Or maybe it was just a coincidence!
For quite a while I had this idea of a new business idea based on freelance partnerships (I won’t go into any details here as it’s still only a vague idea), but on two separate occasions last week I was presented similar ideas by other people. Isn’t it amazing how like-minded people can think similar things independently?
The best thing about this ‘coincidence’ is the fact that neither of these people were my competitors – they were, in fact, perfect potential business partners! Trying to bring this idea into life on my own would be really difficult and it would take me a lot of time, but right now, I feel I’m closer than ever!
I’ve realised more and more through networking and co-working the incredible power of partnerships. Being a self-employed entrepreneur feels isolating and lonely sometimes, but with the right people around, with the same direction and values, it’s much better. I know that I can turn to them for support and accountability, and that means a lot!
Having an inspiring talk, with like-minded business owners, who understand my journey, gives me new inspiration and renewed energy to keep going.
Book Corner
This week’s book recommendation isn’t directly related to any of the topics mentioned above, but I’m really enjoying reading this book (please excuse the language) The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson:
“You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of fucks to give. Very few, in fact. And if you go around giving a fuck about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice—well, then you’re going to get fucked.”
It’s an inspiring read about the journey to self-improvement and being happy and, if you can get over the incredible amount of f*cks used in the book, you’ll learn a lot about yourself.
P.S. Check out this podcast I’ve discovered this week FOMOfanz: Why Authenticity Matters Online and Offline.
Have you missed my previous roundups? You can catch up on all my learnings here: What I learnt this week…
