Be An Amateur...
If you follow my content at all, you know I’ve been obsessed with Austin Kleon’s trilogy of books! You can buy them here…
In the second book, “Show Your Work,” he talks about embracing the thought of being an amateur.
He says this…
“We’re all terrified of being revealed as amateurs, but in fact, today, it is the amateur—the enthusiast who pursues her work in the spirit of love, regardless of the potential for fame, money, or career—who often has the advantage over the professional.”
He goes on to also say…
“Sometimes, in the process of doing things in an unprofessional way, they make new discoveries. “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities,” said Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki. “In the experts’ mind, there are few.”
Why do you struggle with social media? Because you’ve let the “professional” you’ve trained yourself to be shut down the ideas the amateur inside of you still has.
You’re too safe. You’re too worried about what others will think. You’re stuck trying to sell to people instead of just being passionate about it.
In your attempt to be the “buttoned-up professional,” you stop being relatable to your sphere that lives on social media. Therefore, falling into the vortex of online lead generation like most of the industry.
But there is a better way to “do social media!”
Keep viewing yourself as the expert of real estate…you should be! Just stop being “professional.”
Why?
Because professionals….
Don’t teach until they are an expert.
Are afraid to fail.
Can get lackadaisical with what used to be their passion.
Keep things and “secrets” to themselves.
Stop being relatable.
These five things make social media really hard for the “professional.”
But look at what happens when we flip these to benefit the “amateur…”
When we are amateurs, we have nothing to lose. We are passionate. We love doing what we do. We don’t do it with money in mind, we just do it. This is where brilliance happens on social media.
Hear me out…
The sweet spot is when we know we are a professional, but can let loose and love and serve people as the amateur on social media. THIS IS HOW YOU WIN! Be fun, be silly, showcase your kids, shoot, be a big kid…but get the freaking job done (because at the end of the day you’re a professional)! People will LOVE you!
Charlie Chaplin said, “That’s all any of us are: amateurs. We don’t live long enough to be anything else.”
Amateurs aren’t afraid of what everyone else is…
Professionals think they have a reputation to protect and defend…
Amateurs are just ignorant enough to not think that matters…
The good thing is, it’s 2021 guys! People don’t want the professional, they want the one driven by passion and purpose.
So you choose what you want…I’m going to stay the amateur. The one that learns as he goes. The one that isn’t afraid to mess up in pursuit of loving and serving others. The one that remains relatable because his scars, fears, and stories are the same as those he hopes to help.
Let the professional die today. You’re welcome. Your people have been waiting for the amateur to show back up!