by Tara Joyce | Nov 12, 2009 | Self/Business Growth
After a year and a half of writing this blog, it still seems odd to me that I share my most personal thoughts with world. See, I’ve always considered myself a private person, as I keep my feelings close to my chest, dealing them out only to those few, dear people closest to me. I’ve never really felt safe opening up to people, and I felt a sense of contentment with my story staying mine, alone.
You actually care?
When I first heard about blogging I couldn’t understand why anyone:
- Would think someone else cares enough about their thoughts to publish them
- Would want to read some random person’s thoughts
My reaction made perfect sense as I held the belief that an average person (like me) had no business broadcasting their thoughts, as they were insignificant, trivial and without value. I couldn’t imagine what kind of whackjob would actually care what I had to say.
The web is personal, so I better be
I still struggle with this idea. Being open doesn’t come that naturally to me. In fact, when I first decided to write this blog, I thought I would write it under a pseudonym, like J.D. Salinger. I didn’t want you to know it was me. Then I came to understand that the web is a table for two, and that the connection I have with you is only made possible by sharing my Self and my story. Without it, I have no voice, and, duh, my voice is my greatest tool. Whether I like it or not, this blog is about me. And I need to get comfortable with that.
When I write now, I often need to remind myself to be more personal. I still work to silence the little fearful voice that screams “no one cares”.
Sit down and stay a while
What I’ve found so freeing about becoming more public is that in this little corner of the web, at the table I’ve set up, I draw people like you, and you have helped me create an environment where I feel safe to open up entirely and let my voice sing.
photo by: numstead
by Tara Joyce | Nov 9, 2009 | Cultural Creativity, Self/Business Growth
I wrote this post for my friend and fellow Innerpreneur, Tim Bursh. He blogs on Social Impact, Social Media and Community. I encourage you to read the article in it’s entirety.
5 Tips for Finding Your Signal
- Accept that there is no demand for your message.
- Express your point-of-view.
- The more valuable your signal, the stronger it will be.
- It’s a table for two.
- Share.
Looking for more guidance than this? Read the whole article. The context around these 5 tips is what really matters.
photo credit: Andres Rueda
by Tara Joyce | Nov 7, 2009 | My Journey | What's On My Mind
I’m in Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain for the next week, capitalizing on the business trip (aka enjoying the free hotel) my husband has been sent on. I’ve brought my computer, and before I left, I told myself I would work… because I feel guilty. Guilty for spending money I don’t have, guilty for the time away from my clients and business and guilty for taking a trip I feel I don’t deserve.
Despite the self-inflicted guilt, I could not help but seize the opportunity for adventure.
Tonight though, the guilt is heavy, clouding my thoughts and inhibiting my enjoyment. I’m staring at the screen right now, in our rented apartment in Paris, wondering why I have nothing intelligent to say about guilt. I feel like an ass writing of my guilty thoughts while experiencing a city many only dream of visiting. Whoops, isn’t that more self-inflicted guilt? I am certainly on fire tonight.
To add fuel to the fire, this article really has no point. I’m bringing nothing new to the subject. The best point I’ve got is: despite the guilt I feel about being here, it’s a lot better than the regret I’d feel at missing this opportunity. I prefer “I shouldn’t do it” to “I could have done it”. And I likely always will. For I am, without a doubt, a glutton for experience.
photo credit: graphistolage
by Tara Joyce | Nov 5, 2009 | My Journey | What's On My Mind
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This past Monday
It was a rainy night in a slightly pretentious Italian restaurant in downtown Toronto where mid-level suits go to wine and dine. I’m standing at the bar, expecting two confirmed attendees and wondering what I was thinking when I picked the place. The first person to arrive is Nathalie Lussier, the Raw Food Witch. We stand, waiting and start chat about where we live and what our passions are. She’s a black belt and a computer geek. She’s f’ing cool to me. It’s a natural connection.
One of these things just doesn’t belong
It’s too loud. Apparently. I didn’t notice the noise. That was the observation of the entrepreneur who showed up next. He was there to recruit salespeople for his business. He was the second person to arrive at the meetup though his attendance was brief.
I liked that he was there. Speaking with him about his business values affirmed why we were meeting up. With the right people, it feels natural and authentic to meet and honestly talk business. The third, expected attendee didn’t make it.
The start of something good
Nathalie and I had a wonderful dinner where, as she so beautifully put it, we chatted about “what happens on the inside when you’re running a business, and went all the way to actual steps to getting more business in the door. (Or via the web, as the case may be.)”
It was great to have her there supporting first Toronto Innerpreneur meetup. We are a small group, but we’re confident we’ll grow.
Why don’t you try it?
Have a meet-up. Even if only one person comes, it’ll be the right person. It felt really good to talk.
Meetup.com worked great to organize it. I’ll promote it here too. I’ll help you.
Think about it.
photo credit: divya_
by Tara Joyce | Nov 2, 2009 | Cultural Creativity, Self/Business Growth
I’ve noticed that people often use the word “compromise” not in relation to a mutual concession or a trade, but to describe the betrayal of their principles, the surrender of their belief to the groundless claim of another.
A “compromise” in this instance could be a wife’s surrender to her husband’s irrational demands for social conformity or pretended religious observance. Or a writer creating books to please “the public”, against their own judgment and standards.
Let’s make a deal
A compromise, by definition, is an agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions. That means both parties in the compromise have some valid claims and some value to offer each other. And this means that each party must agree on some underlying principle (or fundamental truths) that are the foundation of their deal.
It is not possible to compromise on basic principles or fundamental issues. Can you compromise between such issues as life and death, or truth and falsehood?
It’s not a compromise when I betray my beliefs
Rather, I am giving into another’s irrational, personal desires and encouraging them to grow. I am signing myself up for a tortured life spent in progressive self-destruction.
Integrity is displayed through being loyal to your rational ideals, subjective whims don’t mean shit.
I don’t care if you feel like it
Just because you feel like asserting your desires on me does not mean that I have a moral primary to meet them. You are not entitled to assert your whims on people. Not every impulse you have has equal validity.
Do not ask me to “compromise” on what I know is true and good. There is a powerful difference between conceding on basic principles and bending to irrational flights-of-fancy.
photo credit: mar00ned
