Remove the Mask

Are you afraid others will discover you're a fraud? If you promote yourself, everyone will be able to scrutinize your invention, business, or books. So, you hide. You put up the mask of the suffering martyr that says, "If only . . . "

"If only I had the money to launch my dream, it would sell millions."

"If only I could afford to publish my own novel, Hollywood would line up at my door to buy it for a movie."

"If only I could pay a publicist, my new business would boom."

Bring your dreams of mega-bucks down to reality and you can promote your own work. You may not have a sell out in your new store, but you can enjoy the launch by measuring success in new contacts and renewed friends. Your new novel may not open on the Best Seller List but those who read it may love it and benefit from the words. Your "game" or invention may not make you a dot-com millionaire by Christmas, but you may gain new followers, start a contact list and thoroughly enjoy the ride.

Remove the mask you hide behind. You are a sincere, realistic person and that is whom others will see. Make honest claims about your product, service the customer with joy and make new friends.

You do not claim to be Henry Ford, but you do have an exciting new product.

You do not have a sign on the wall that says, "I'm All That and More," but you are who you are, and you are a wonderful person.

You do not claim to be Charles Dickens and affix his name to your books but you do have something to say.

You have a product to offer that is uniquely yours, so go out and promote yourself - permit success.

Promote Yourself - in eBook!

Promote Yourself is now available in eBook form at www.amazon.com and Barnes and Noble at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Promote-Yourself---Doris-Gaines-Rapp?keyword=Promote+Yourself+-+Doris+Gaines+Rapp&store=book.
It will soon be available in paperback at www.dorisgainesrapp.com.
Fantastic!
Are you willing to take the step and begin promoting your new office, book, invention, ideas or project? If you are still apprehensive about self-promotion, order and read Promote Yourself by Doris Gaines Rapp.
No eReader? No problem! You can download an app at no charge and read it on your computer!
Get started! Permit Success - Promote Yourself!
Doris

What if a Writer is an Introvert?

It is no surprise that writers are five and a half times more often Introverts than Extroverts. Is it any wonder they shrink from self-promotion? Introverts do their thinking in their head, not rearranging sentences in mid-air once the words blurt out of their mouths. I read "Writers According to Myers-Briggs" on http://youngbloodblog.wordpress.com/myersbriggs today. The author reported the  statistics and I drew the conclusion that writers just may be uncomfortable promoting their own work.
Really?

Introversion or Extroversion is the way an individuals orients themselves to the world. That makes it a personality trait, not something they turn off and on. One does not have to become an Extrovert to promote a novel, new business, or any other new project. You can learn to be assertive.

When you are assertive, you go about getting what you need without walking on anyone else. That's not Extroversion. That's confidence - and we all know some Extroverts who talk loud and long with no confidence at all.

You have a right, and are expected, to be assertive, to promote what you have for sale or have created. That's not a personality trait. That's belief in yourself.

Promote Yourself - Permit Success

Doris
Copyright 2013 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D

[Promote Yourself ISBN:  978-0-9637200-7-8 (sc - soft cover),  978-0-692-01895-8 (eBook) will be available at www.bn.com or www.amizon.com on Friday, August 23, 2013.]

Permit Success

For  some of us, it is the step of giants to move into a successful mindset. You may have a positive self concept and feel mentally healthy - but, successful? Not so much.

You may feel good about your garden and the wonderful vegetables you pull out every year, but write a gardening book or present a seminar? "Who me?"

You may pin hundreds of pictures and suggestions to your Pinterest board on home schooling children, but lead training sessions for a text book company? - "No way!"

Your children may listen in awe as read the stories you create about their dog Boots. "Write children's books, The Many Adventure of Boots? Who am I kidding?"

Part of your reluctance may be the measurement you use to determine "success." You may not sell ten-thousand Boots books, but the few that you sell may be cherished by the ones who own them. If you always validate success in terms of the size of your bank account, you will miss the fun of accomplishing that you have always prized.

Do what you love. Step into success by permitting yourself to use a different yard stick than the one the world uses. The prize is in the doing, not the achieving. Permit success!

LinkedIn to What?

We have been discussing why people are reluctant or afraid to promote themselves and their work. This blog focuses on "Why not?"

Part of "Why not" may be a lack of knowledge. The last post dealt with the ease in setting up your own website. Just click on “1and1 Website Building” – under “Build Your Own Website – Follow 1and1 below,” in the right column of this blog. You will go directly to the website building program I used for my website. It is very affordable.

Today, the topic of LinkedIn will be addressed in case lack of knowledge is part of your, "But I can't." I have received many invitations to link to others on LinkedIn but knew so little about it I bought LinkedIn for Dummies.

I will be sending my new book, Promote Yourself, to the printer in a few days. I have included small paragraphs about social media sites. For LinkedIn I wrote, "There are First-degree connections – people you know; Second-degree network members – people who know at least one of you first-degree connections (friends of friends); and Third-degree network members – friends of your friends’ friends.) The chain that is built of connections and network members is vast and long and begins with a friend of yours. Remember the game Six Degrees of Separation? That’s LinkedIn." 

I am very new to LinkedIn. It is easy to see how one could be connected to millions of people through this site. What I don't know yet is, do any of those linked members ever look back and see the information posted by others? I will announce the publication release of  Promote Yourself on LinkedIn and see if the information flows along the millions of connections or snaps a link in the chain before it ever gets beyond "friends." I'll keep you posted.

You Can Build a Website

We are not talking about the where of promoting. We are talking about the "why-not."  Part of the "why not" may be because you cannot conquer the "where." So we will tackle these "where-places" over the next few weeks.

Websites are important in today's e-commerce economy. I will include more about this in my book soon to be released, Promote Yourself.

For many, you will not have to pay-out big money. A website, on the simple scale, is a presence. I built mine, http://www.dorisgainesrapp.com, at http://www.1and1.com . I know you can do it yourself. It is all constructed with templates. If you are still concerned, a twelve-year-old in your life can help or do it for you. We'll continue to talk about this. In the time being, follow the link and check it out!

If you have a favorite website builder, comment and let us know.

Hiding or Healing? Try an Apprenticeship!

Those who have not found work or are under employed often hide from their current reality, when what they need to do is heal. They haven't gotten over the shock that their great education is not able to secure satisfying employment. They believed the dream, recited from middle-school: work hard, earn good grades and you will get a great job.

There are some who hide in front of a game screen in Mom and/or Dad's basement. Their identity is being informed and formed as a competitor. Even "social media" does not actually socialize anyone like face-to-face contact does. They are bright, competitive, quick thinking but stagnate. They need to heal, not hide.

Start a plan of your own. You could begin by outlining an apprenticeship for yourself.

Many years ago, I interviewed Catherine Marshall for a magazine article. Before I left her home, she lined up a tour of her husband, Leonard LeSourd's publishing company, Chosen Books which was just down the street from the farm house. They were thrilled that a young man had contacted them about doing a year long apprenticeship at Chosen Books, no pay, just a sleeping room. They felt blessed and the young man received valuable training, contacts, and experience.

Find a way to heal, then you will not have to hide.

Not Where? - Why not?

This is an invitation for others to post comments on the "where" we could promote our ideas, products and services. The internet has many suggestions as well.

The purpose of this blog will be to encourage - to support those who fear self-promotion.
          Self-promotion is expected and accepted. Permit success!

Authors - Self-publishing

All of you authors are discovering a reality you may not be comfortable with. Before you can promote your book, you must have a book in hand (or in eBook form). As the publishing world closes houses or consolidates to become one big conglomerate . . . more and more people are earning degrees, advanced degrees and professional experience that qualify them to write books in their field or create a wonderful fiction that can transport a reader to another place. Now what do you do?

Self-publish? No! Those are vanity presses! NO THEY ARE NOT!

Large, prestigious publishers are offering self-publishing departments where authors can partner with the publishers, take advantage of their years of experience and talents, and co-publish the book. The word-weaver then has a compound job description - author and publisher.

That's not vanity! That's business!

Let's Promote Promotion!

In a short time, my book, Promote Yourself, will be available in eBook form and some paperbacks. Let's start a conversation! I have talked to too many people who have written wonderful books and/or have fantastic ideas, but they are afraid to promote themselves. Get over it! It is absolutely necessary in the twenty-first century!
Come on now, let's talk about it!