This post means a lot to me, a lot to this blog, and I hope it will mean something to you too. If you intend to continue reading Leaving Work Behind for any period of time beyond today, I urge you to read this post in its entirety.
The Situation
I have been blogging mindlessly. Leaving Work Behind has been relatively directionless. It has essentially been about my experiences – a quasi-journal if you will – but it has had no real central focus.
My approach to blogging has been very broad – I’ve basically written about anything that has taken my fancy. I don’t have a problem with what I have done – after all, I was brand new to the blogging scene just 11 months ago. I’d barely even read a blog, let alone produced one of my own. It has been a huge learning curve.
But I now realize that this blog has to become something more meaningful in order for it to evolve further.
On Getting Naked
I recently had the privilege of reading an advance copy of Danny Iny’s Naked Marketing Manifesto. Whilst it is eminently quotable, one of the excerpts that really caught my eye was this:
Just as we each have our unique personal tastes in romantic partners, we also each have a specific type of customer that is an especially good fit for our business. It will never be everyone, though, and that’s a good thing.
Getting naked in your marketing isn’t about showing your goods off to the entire world – it’s about finding the ONE person who will appreciate them the most.
Whilst I certainly don’t think of this blog as a business, the logic is precisely the same. I need to find my one person.
What Does This Mean?
It’s simple really – I need to clearly demonstrate to my visitors what they can expect from this blog, then deliver on my promise. I need to let go of the fear that some people won’t like what I have to offer.
Here’s a simple fact – plenty of people will have absolutely zero interest in what I have to offer – but if I target my “one person” effectively, that won’t matter.
At the center of this is one simple desire – to get an awesome reaction from my ideal reader. As Danny says, “You can’t just get attention by shucking your pants and waggling around, hoping that the right people notice!” If I’m going to be shucking anything, I sure as hell better be doing it in front of the right person.
Who Is My “One Person”?
If you haven’t yet read Danny’s post on finding your one person, I heartily recommend that you do. What I am about to say may not mean a great deal unless you have.
My one person is essentially me. To begin with, this blog was intended to chronicle my journey to quitting my job. That time has come and gone. Now it is about quitting your job and creating a fulfilling and happy life for yourself. It’s about creating a life where you have the power to effectively control your hours worked, your income, and your expenditure. It’s about enjoying the now, whilst also working towards the future. It’s about creating the best possible balance that you can. That’s what I want – and I am hoping it is what you want too.
If you do share my values, if you want the same fundamental things from life that I do, then you can look forward to content that is written specifically for you. I want to help you, and no one else. No diluted messages, no broad brushstroke remedies – I want it to seem like we are sitting down together for a few beers on a warm summer’s day, like old friends, ready to build a life worth living.
It may seem self-centered to build a blog around what I want to achieve from life, but what I could be better qualified to do? If you are like me – if you don’t want to work 12 hour days, if you want the flexibility to take the day off from work, if you want to build a life that isn’t centered on money alone – then this blog will become a goldmine of resources for you over time. Ultimately, I have a great passion for building a better life for myself, and for you. If my passion doesn’t seep through the damn monitor and slap you around the face, I’m not doing a good enough job.
Much More To Come
This is the beginning of something very big for this blog – you’ve just struck the tip of the iceberg today. You’ll see a few changes around here, and I am going to be following this up with what I consider to be a great series of posts, all written with you (and only you) in mind. I have no doubt that you will take great value from them, because I have already done so in writing them. And you are just like me.
What Do You Expect?
I do not want to alienate any of my readers – but I absolutely do want to crystallize my “brand” and “message”. I want my one person to know as soon as they hit this blog that it was written specifically with them in mind.
What I want to know at this stage is, what do you expect from this blog? It’ll be interesting to see how well that aligns with my focus over the coming weeks and months. Open fire in the comments section!