Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Tuesday 7th June 2011 | 6 comments
I'm getting some serious marketing advice at the moment from the great crowd at Da Vinci Marketing. One interesting consequence is that I have to do homework. This is usually something I get other people to do...
Part of this homework was and exercise where I project my business forward to 2014, and write / film / record / a story about where I'm at and what I am doing. 'Descriptive' and 'emotive' were the instructions given. Mine turned out to be an introduction of myself as the keynote speaker at a big international conference, illuminating all my (naturally) brilliant recent achievements. I read it to the da Vinci guys as the beginning of our work together.
I have blogged before about the 3 Futures exercise I use with my Escape Hatch career change clients. And it's a good process. But the future projection exercise worked well for me, as I don't want to change my fundamental direction or products, but to use them to launch myself higher. There is also a magic about not just thinking about something or even writing it down, but having to speak it aloud to another person. I feel like something has shifted in relation to my goals (both in clarity and achievability) just through doing this exercise.
So, I am wondering where you'd like to be in 2014? Why not do the exercise, being very specific about what you will have achieved, and trying to strike the right note between dull safe goals and grandiose fantasy. It should feel just out of reach, but in a direction that makes sense to you. It might be a description of your new product, or an account of a typical day, or your award acceptance speech, or...
Make sure you speak it it to someone else, or show them the slideshow or whatever it is. I reckon the exercise will work just as well for business owners or career types, even as a 'whole of life' game and not just related to work.
What do you think?
Love this in theory - it's getting through the resistance that comes in the form of I haven't got time!! I have a hunch that, for me anyway, this is one of those activities that I need someone to set me as homework so that I'm externally accountable... which means I'll actually get through the resistance and do it!
Indeed, I'm sure having to present it at a meeting was what created the time to do it for me! In fact, I just let it swirl around in my mind for a while, then when I came to write it out, it came very easily. And now I have a very clear picture of where I want to be...nice.
Love this idea, Joanna - it reminds me of my dad's very helpful way of giving career advice when my brother and I turned 16. He asked us to close our eyes and imagine ourselves at the ripe old age of 25, and tell him what we were doing. I said I was 'travelling around the world shopping with other people's money' (I became a retail buyer for a global chain) My brother was 'driving a red sports car convertible with a beautiful blonde at his side'. He is now a theatre director (with no sports car but a gorgeous wife)
Sara, what a clever idea, and I love your story about what you and your brother did with it. I am going to use it with my 16 year-old tonight!
I keep coming back to this post. This is my missing link! I have reams of paper, note books, doodles, pamphlets, brochures about what I want to do and where I'll be. (I'm drowning in paper).
To date, although I've written how my business will be in 5 years (and 10 years) it's not something I've made myself accountable with to anybody else.
Public speaking and selling myself is out of my comfort zone, so this exercise will work on more than one level for me.
Thank you!
Heather, I'm so pleased it resonated. keep me posted!