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I have been trying to write this newsletter all day. My headspace has been messed up.
This morning, I had a conversation with someone whose opinion I appreciate.
This person was reading my newsletter long before I knew him, and I believe he still reads it today.
He told me that over time, my newsletter has gotten more business oriented. He told me the reason he loved following me in the first place was because of how authentic I was. My newsletter was a place for me to freely express myself, give insights into life, and share my views.
Maybe I Am Overcompensating
He is right. Over time, my newsletter has become more business oriented.
This is tricky because I am committed to helping young entrepreneurs build businesses that can change their lives.
I am a blue collar kid from a lower income upbringing. Money and the lack of it was always something that permeated my house. I hardly got to see my parents because of how hard they worked.
When I started my first online business, it was the first time I felt real hope that I could be financially secure. I grew up with the understanding that I would be living paycheck to paycheck my whole life because everyone lived paycheck to paycheck.
This isn’t a sob story as much as it’s a story of triumph. Entrepreneurship changed my life. I want you to feel that same hope and ease that I sometimes feel.
Sure, I have days where I feel anxious and afraid. But for the most part, I live life knowing that everything will be okay. I’ll always be able to provide for myself and my family.
I want that for you.
I want to help people build businesses that give them freedom, income, and purpose.
But Maybe What People Want Is More Of Me
This is the constant battle of building a personal brand.
How much of yourself should you share? How much are people following you because of what you can offer them, versus what you make them feel?
I’ve struggled with this my entire career. Sober Nation was essentially a diary of my sobriety. In a lot of ways, I think that’s why it was so successful in the beginning. Other young people saw me, someone who was young and ambitious and sober, and thought, “If he can do it, then I can do it too.”
That’s the secret to building a following. It’s not about technical marketing skills. It’s about what you make people feel when they look at you, when they read your story, or when they see where you come from.
I Need To Stop Thinking About It So Hard
I want to be respected. I want to be admired by my peers and my readers. Of course I do.
But maybe it’s not about being professional, high level, or serious. Maybe it’s just about being myself.
I am who I am. I am:
Emotional
Stubborn
Sensitive
Overly introspective and deep
I used to share these things. I used to write about all the crazy things that went through my head. Now, I stay focused on whether I am providing value.
Maybe the value has always been my story and my unique way of seeing the world.
Maybe the best thing I can do for my readers is to be relatable. So that when they see me, they think, “If he can do it, then I can do it too.”
In Conclusion: Rule Number 62
There’s a joke in 12 step fellowships.
Rule number 62 is, “Don’t take yourself so damned seriously.”
No one knows why it’s called rule 62. It’s just a random number, which is the entire point.
I will start incorporating rule 62 into my life more. At the end of the day, it’s just not that big of a deal.
This is just a Substack. These are just my words. And I will be dead one day, much sooner than I realize.
So will you. So while you’re here, you might as well go for it.
Love you guys. Talk to you next week.
Tim
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