I wrote my way out of my reality with my first poem at age 9. For over 30 years, I have used the same general process for creating a poem (although I have gained quite a few tools and techniques along the way). In college, I was in the Business Professionals of America where I won at the local, state, and national levels. For one of these competitions, I came up with the acronym: P.O.E.M. for working with executive teams. Plan. Organize. Evaluate. and Make it Happen. This four-step process is how I continue to write poems, articles and blogs. Furthermore, it is also how I move forward with online communications and marketing strategies. It all starts with you: your story, your voice, your experiences, your goals, your background, your desires.
The key construct in my planning process is understanding what assets are already available. No matter whether your brand is just emerging or has been around for 50 years, you have assets. Assets include: *Lived Experiences *Education *Natural gifts and talents *Photos *so-called “failed” endeavors *previous businesses *networks - groups, organizations, friends, etc. *stats
Many people don’t feel that they have anything to bring to the table because they have not viewed the various pieces of their lives as working together harmoniously. Using the general philosophy around Sankofa (the word Sankofa will be linked to a blog post that I am currently creating). Sankofa honors the past as a willing and ready companion to your current and future lives. Initially, the number one barrier to my embracing this concept was my own shame and guilt for perceived (or actual) misses or failures. The Tru Story Blog, and its push to accept “failures” as merely stepping stones to success was the first step in my own shame resilience.
Once you have your plan and have it organized, then it is time to evaluate what key components are necessary to get out to your audience, what can provide value. Sometimes you just don’t know yet...and that’s okay! That’s where individualized coaching and testing can come in handy. We will keep a record of progress so that we can build a strategy that goes beyond stats and followers!
It’s showtime. The world needs your story and your full authentic self to show up. Les Gooooo!!
