I won’t say the name of the course, but the second I purchased it I turned to my girlfriend and said, “I’m going to follow this program to a tee and it’s simple. It will massively grow my business. This will change everything.”
Spoiler alert… it did not.
Funny thing to say in the middle of launching my program. Hah!
But I gotta be honest.
I don’t want you signing up for The StoryGrowth Framework if you need it to save you or you think I’m going to give you some magical answer to content.
That’s precisely what kept me stuck below 6-figures for my first 4 years in entrepreneurship.
Information and education is incredible. I’m not shitting on that.
The next course you invest in COULD be the thing that changes the game for you, but if you going into it needing to be saved, you’ll block any good that can come from what you learn and take action on inside the course. (unless of course the value is finally learning this exact lesson I’m talking about right now, which hopefully I can help save you some time and avoid the pain and frustration of not getting an ROI on your next business investment by sharing this)
So today I’d like to share with you the 5 StoryGrowth Principles so you can start creating content from an aligned, authentic, and energizing place. And you can use these principles and see how they line up with any and all action you take into the new year.
Principle #1: All this work is for me
I keep telling my girlfriend, Natalie, “Of course the world revolves around me. How else am I supposed to experience it?”
It’s another way to look at the common metaphor of putting your oxygen mask on first before assisting others.
If I’m a complete mess, what good am I to others?
So, just for a moment…
SCREW CONTENT!
Yeah I said it!
Just forget about it for a second.
I quit engineering and pursued entrepreneurship by going full time as a personal trainer in 2018 because I loved fitness.
I didn’t just sit around and teach CrossFit classes and have personal training clients all day.
I trained everyday and competed in CrossFit competitions because it was fun.
I spent time creating a “Get Huge” program for the men in my gym because I wanted to see if I could create my own bulking program from all the knowledge I learned. I loved testing my lifting protocols, taking before & after photos and eating way more carbs than I ever imagined possible to see the change in my own body.
It wasn’t to make me or the gym more money. It was for me. And that shit worked, I got huge in just two weeks!
We can get so caught up in growing the business and needing to make content we stop doing the thing we love doing for ourselves.
The things that got you here and has made life so fun and enjoyable.
Instead, we pressure ourselves to make content, so we can have more clients, so we can make more money, so we can have more freedom to do… uhhhh… more of what we love….?
Wait… but that is why we started this all in the first place.
Instead of worrying so much about growing the business, what if you got back to doing more of what you love and enjoyed the journey of getting better at it?
For example, last night I started reading, “StoryWorthy” and blasted through 30 pages in the first night. Not because it’s giving me more knowledge so I can teach you all more storytelling tactics, so I can make more money.
Noooooo! 😭
I stayed up because it was naturally energizing me because I love the art of storytelling (should I remind you again, we created this business because we fell in love with this work)!
That same night, this book introduced me to the Moth podcast. The podcast exists because of an open mic night that started in NYC back in 2011 called StorySLAM. It has since expanded worldwide and so I spent 30 minutes looking up events in Portland (3 hours away) and began the planning process of finding a place to stay so I can attend one.
I was fucking jazzzzzzzzed about this idea.
Naturally, I had trouble falling asleep last night.
If my life is spent doing things I love, then I am vibrating hiiiiiiiiiigh.
And maybe when I raise my vibration, I no longer need to chase my goals, but they come chasing me.
The world does revolve around you. Put your oxygen mask on first, and watch what you attract.
And oh yeah, content…. well, while you’re pursuing a sick fucking life…. you can take 30 seconds to whip out your camera and film some footage and turn that footage into content because you’re so excited to share your endeavors and lessons with the world.
Principle #2: Sharing is the ultimate embodiment practice
Let me share something about my love life.
I am the perfect example of the avoidant attachment style.
If you’re unfamiliar with this, in my own words it means, in intimate relationships I avoid speaking my truth for fear of upsetting my partner and I will avoid having to say how I really feel at all costs.
It can even be as simple as where we go out to eat that night. If I want pizza and she wants burgers, that’s fine. We can eat burgers, “I’ll enjoy anything!”
Of course, it can be much deeper than that like how many kids we want and where do we want to raise them. “Oh I’ll be happy anywhere!” now can we please talk about something else, as my unconscious mind begs for safety.
Now that I have this awareness, what I have found my biggest challenge to be is thinking I need to understand what I really want before speaking to my girlfriend about it. I hope that if I have all the perfect answers, that when I speak my truth, I won’t hurt her feelings so badly. This can take weeks or even months to uncover.
Ultimately, it’s just another strategy my unconscious has found to continue being avoidant.
Now that I have THIS awareness (😆), the only thing left to do to break these wounds is to just share my truth—without having the answers.
Here’s what I’ve found in doing this.
Every time I share, I get close to or uncover the answers I was seeking on my own AND our relationship becomes more secure (a secure relationship being the ultimate goal, as well as my own internal security).
Sharing your truths is not only is THE path to clarity, but it’s the complete embodiment of the person you desire to become.
You don’t become the confident, bold and courageous person you desire to become by waiting to become it. You share your truths with the world and become a bold, confident, and courageous person.
This may be my favorite part about content.
If you fear sharing and being vulnerable on social media.
That’s the story you get to tell.
“I want to share more on social media but I am afraid of your judgement.”
When you own your truths, not only do you take your power back by being bold, but you see that you are not alone and that this is exactly what people relate and connect to.
Here’s the kicker: People don’t think you’re a mess, they actually view you as the confident leader who has the courage to go first.
As you take principle 1, pursuing what you love, and pair it with principle 2, sharing the truth of your experience, you find that you have endless stories to tell and endless lessons to offer your audience who is struggling with this very thing. The difference is, even though you struggle and have similar fears, you take action anyway.
That’s what it means to be a leader.
Principle #3: Becoming an Industry Leader
Now that we are sharing content with the world, it may be a bit frustrating because it’s not getting the engagement you want.
Great.
That is information.
Information that your messaging isn’t dialed in.
Your content doesn’t have to be super “professional” looking. There are tons of creators who speak directly to the camera and grow massive followings.
They grow massive followings because they speak their truth AND they do it effectively.
Here’s a quote form “The Inner Game of Tennis” by Timothy Gallwey which was written over 50 years ago and was way ahead of it’s time. In this chapter he is talking about competition and why we choose to play tennis by using a surfing metaphor.
Why does the surfer wait for the big wave? The surfer waits for the big wave because he values the challenge it presents. He values the obstacles the wave puts between him and his goal of riding the wave to the beach. Why? Because it is those very obstacles, the size and churning power of the wave, which draw from the surfer his greatest effort.
It is only against the big waves that he is required to use all his skill, all his courage and concentration to overcome; only then can he realize the true limits of his capacities. At that point he often attains his peak.
We spend so much of our time trying to hit goals and hope we arrive, and THEN we will be happy. But, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, you reach a goal only to want to ride the next biggest wave… and THEN you’ll be happy.
As I said in principle #1, I don’t believe the main goal of content is an avenue for us to get more clients so we can make more money so we can have more freedom to do what we want.
Isn’t this business the thing you love doing?
That’s why I started mine.
If I wanted to skate through life, I’d go back to being a civil engineer and just play the game where I do just-above-mediocre-work to ensure I collect a paycheck every two weeks.
Instead, I became an entrepreneur to do work I love and to be fucking great at it.
So what if I let content be my wave?
It’s because content is challenging and other people in my industry are making incredible content that I get a chance to become better at the thing I love.
Therein lies the joy.
Allow me to rework what Gallwey said for this context:
It is only against other great thinkers on social media where you are required to use all your skill, all your courage and all your concentration to overcome; only then can you realize the true limits of your capabilities. At that point you attain your peak.
Principle #1 states that this is all for YOU first. An opportunity to do more of what you love.
Principle #3 states that content is also for you first. An opportunity to become world-class at what you love.
If you give yourself the space and time to do that, growth and leads wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
In other words, the more challenging the obstacle he faces, the greater the opportunity for the surfer to discover and extend his true potential.
The potential may have always been within him, but until it is manifested in action, it remains a secret hidden from himself. The obstacles are a very necessary ingredient to this process of self-discovery. – Timothy Callwey in The Inner Game of Tennis
Principle #4: Freedom to Pivot
You are under no obligation to be who you were yesterday.
Life is all about growth and expansion. We grow out of things all the time.
The problem with traditional brand building and niching down is that you get stuck in a box.
However, when you allow yourself to share the journey you will find that you will never be stuck in a box.
What if I realized that all I want to do is be surrounded by tennis? That I want to drop all this storytelling coaching stuff and become a tennis coach?
It wouldn’t be a surprise to my followers.
I’ve made content about tennis here, here, and here.
Wouldn’t ya know it, I included a quote from a book about tennis in this email.
What if I decided to become a therapist?
Wouldn’t ya know it, the 3 pieces of tennis content I just shared is pretty damn introspective.
All I am doing is sharing my life experience with you and relating it to my work as a storyteller and content creation coach.
By incorporating all of me…
- It sets me apart from other experts in my industry
- It makes content FUN and enjoyable for me
- If I ever get sick of being the storytelling guy, I can pivot my content topic into a new interest seamlessly
Principle #5: Trust Yourself
There’s no secret to content.
Spend 2 minutes and quickly swipe through your discover feed and notice the type of content you see. Now grab your friend’s phone and do the same thing.
What you’ll see is that ALL sorts of content gets engagement and can grow your business.
EVERYTHING WORKS!
The real secret?
To trust yourself to make content YOU love and to improve your communication skills by 1% with each new post.
That’s 👏 It 👏
I’m pretty sure that’s the key to life too.
Principle #1 – Trust yourself to love what you love
Principle #2 – Trust yourself to share it, warts and all
Principle #3 – Trust yourself to unapologetically pursue greatness in what you love
Principle #4 – Trust yourself to let go of what no longer serves you and jump headfirst into the next exciting chapter of your life
The StoryGrowth Framework
If you’re sick of trying all the gimmicks and they’re not working…
If you feel like you’re not being authentic or able to stand out online…
If you’d like help gaining the confidence to live a more spectacular life and have the confidence and understanding of how to tell effective stories online, join the 6-week cohort course, StoryGrowth Framework.
Learn more by clicking here.
Don’t miss 25% off until Monday 12/16 at 9am.
With so much love,
Matt
View comments
+ Leave a comment