As I sit down to begin this blog, I’m led by the same questions we ask our clients before they create content too: To whom are you speaking? Who is your target audience?
Content marketing is all about knowing your audience.
But this is my blog, and while I certainly have goals for this endeavor, I am also straddling the line between wanting to write for you, and wanting to simply write authentically. To write what I’m thinking and feeling and finding out about the topics that engage me the most.
If my authentic output matches your needs and pain points and issues, well, then you’re my target audience.
(This is … not me.)
Let’s talk about authenticity for a minute.
I’m probably one of the least spiritual people you’ll ever meet.
It’s almost a little strange, since I was raised in a proper Catholic family. We went to church every Sunday – even if I was at a sleepover, my parents would pick me up to get me there.
Most people who grow up in the church hold on to some level of spirituality, even if it’s not the same path on which they began. But when I reached the age of making my own decisions, I simply … stopped going to church.
When all of my yoga-going, astrology-believing, meditating friends start talking about reconnecting with their authentic selves and “radical acceptance,” I don’t know how to react.
First of all, I love these people and they’re the sort of people I’ve always surrounded myself with. The ones who go on weeklong retreats in the mountains and attend tea ceremonies or nude yoga. I love that they get power and strength from doing these things. I love that they’re open to exploring and improving and that they’re just … open.
I just don’t understand the value of these activities in my own life.
Authenticity or FOMO?
I am proudly and fiercely me. I’m empowered to be me and know that my feelings and my desires are valid. I don’t need to seek assurance or find something deep inside that allows me to be me.
There are a lot of factors at play that have brought me to this point, and they start with great parenting and end with turning 40. From a foundation of empowerment, through the insecurities of growing up, to the natural not-giving-a-fuck that comes with age. Here I am.
That is my version of radical acceptance: Accepting that I am quite happy with myself, and that I can and will make any changes to myself that I want to make. That I am in complete control of what I allow to affect me, of how I treat my body and prioritize my time. Of how I react to or handle things. Knowing that there’s always room for improvement, and knowing that I can create a plan to do just that.
But if I’m being honest …
If I’m being authentic, there’s a little FOMO inside, too. Is there more power that I could be harnessing? Is there something missing inside me that doesn’t connect with silent meditation and tea ceremonies? What am I not getting or understanding that they are?
And … Do I have to do nude yoga to find out?
Discovering authenticity
Finding your own authenticity is in itself a bit of a journey. Knowing what’s inside you, what’s driving you, and how to be true to those things can be challenging. There are many external factors at play that need to be recognized.
Am I writing for you, or am I writing for me?
Right here, right now: this is me. This is for me. This is by me. Let’s begin.