Who am I
I am not my job,
but I am what I do
I am not how I describe myself,
but I am the way I make you feel
I am not the person I used to be,
but I am a result of everything I’ve seen
I am not the person I will become,
but I am the foundation, in between
I am not as funny as I aspire,
I am only the joy that I bring
I am not as wise as my mind desires,
I am mistakes and lucky wins
I can not be told who to be,
but I can decide who you see
So may you watch what I do,
and the way that I do it,
I can’t get around the problem,
I can only go through it.
As an adult, I’ve never written a poem before, but there you go. Poetry. I think…
I’m not really sure what just happened but feel free to let me know your thoughts.
I started with that because it fits with a short article I wrote a year ago, which I didn’t quite publish. I hadn’t worked out where to put my writing and now that I have a newsletter, it was about time I completed it.
Show me, don’t tell me
You can convince anyone of anything about you, by showing them.
In 2019, I had the legendary Oren Klaff on my podcast (author of Pitch anything). At one point he told me to go f#ck myself. At another point, he told me I had just given him one of the best examples of a concept he often teaches. He is a strange guy but he is effective.
The part of the conversation he liked was on the subject of credibility.
Oren had explained the importance of showing people your value. In sales or any job, you can’t just tell someone you are good at X. This does nothing.
You must show them, and then they will believe you.
My example was humour.
If you want someone to think you are funny... don't tell them you're funny, make them laugh.
If I tell you that I'm very funny, you will nod politely and maybe smile.
You won't laugh at all.
I didn’t tell you a joke, I made a statement.
I gave you a fact with no evidence.
After our conversation, you won't tell anyone how hilariously funny I am. You might completely forget that I am a funny person…
If I tell a string of jokes so hilarious you do a tiny wee, panic, then remember how hilarious my joke is, subsequently wee again.
You WILL remember I am funny.
- - -
Imagine you are talking with a friend a year later.
They say they are going to meet me.
You will immediately tell them how funny I am.
If they are a close friend, you might mention your incident and wisely recommend a toilet break before they meet me.
We expect people to believe and remember the things we tell them about ourselves. This is absurd.
People don't remember facts, they remember feelings. So we must make them feel what we want them to remember.
“I am not how I describe myself,
But I am the way I make you feel…
…So may you watch what I do,
and the way that I do it,I can’t get around the problem,
I can only go through it.
Focus on your actions, over your descriptions.
You are only the joy that you bring.
Don't tell them you're funny, make them laugh.
Thanks for reading.
⛈ / ☀️ —> enjoy the weekend
Sam