Wondering how you can write with personality?

Well, you know how it is: It’s as welcome to your ears as the sound of nails scratching on a chalkboard….

It makes you want to scream, “NO…LIKE….SMASH!!!”….but instead you paste on a smile so forced it hurts and politely say, “Thank you.”

Sound familiar?

I’m talking about that word you despise, but that for some reason, people always use to describe you.

For me, that word is “nice.” It makes Hulk-Luisa want to come out and scream and smash…

Because it’s so bland and forgettable, and those are two things I never want to be.

So, it really gets a girl thinking, how do you get to be the opposite of bland and forgettable…especially when you’ve been taught all your life that the best thing to do is to fit in, and, well….be nice?

Lean in, because I’ve finally figured out the “secret” to standing out, attracting your tribe of raving fans, and pretty much having everything you want in your business….

Write with personality.

It’s the difference between “nice” and… one-of-a-kind-out-of-this-world-Audrey-Hepburn-Marilyn-Monroe-Grace-Kelly-unforgettable.

And often, it’s the only difference between a filled to the brim bank account and one that’s empty and scared.

Because let’s be honest for a second, there’s nothing new under the sun, and there are easily at least a thousand other business coaches out there teaching what I’m teaching, just as there are a thousand other [fill in the blank for what you do]’s out there selling what you sell.

So…ready for the no-fluff tactical steps you’ve come to know and love from yours truly? Keep on reading.

If you’ve been struggling to “stand out,” “be yourself,” and fully own YOU, here are a few tips that have helped me go from “nice” to being described as: incredible, authentic, cool, funny and my favorite one….goddess (yep #proudmoment)…

1. Write down your thoughts

Take your next blog topic or newsletter idea and without filtering, word for word, write down all the thoughts that come to your mind about it.

For example…

Subject: Behind-the-scenes into the day of an entrepreneur

My day is actually super boring, will anyone want to even learn about it? Will I have to take pictures? But my workplace is so messy! I bet Oprah’s office is really beautiful. Ooooh let me google celebrity offices, maybe I’ll get a great idea for decorating my own office!

An hour later…

Or, maybe I should rent an office space so I can get to know more people. ugh, but I’m so awkward what if I don’t like my new officemates? OK back to my day-to-day. I do schedule things, like my mindset work in the morning, client calls on certain days. Will my tribe find that helpful? Should I mention support team, time for family, etc? Or is that a separate post? Can I take a break yet?

And so on…

But do you see how in there, I’ve spiced up my facts with different aspects of my personality that’ll make my article so much more interesting? (By the way, this is an actual outline of my thought process, so look out for that fun article soon…)

2. Share your strong LOVE/HATE opinions

The easiest way to be forgettable? Not feel strongly about anything.

I should know, because I used to be that person who was P.C. to the max and didn’t have strong opinions about anything.

But you know what? The real reason I didn’t have strong opinions was because I was afraid of offending people.

But what I’ve quickly learned in business is…that if no one hates what you’re saying, very likely no one loves what you’re saying either.

For example, sharing your numbers as a business coach is a hot topic. Most people either love it when coaches do or else hate it.

Personally, I’ve taken a strong stand for sharing my numbers for two reasons: 1) I share not my highest, once-in-a-blue-moon numbers, but the numbers I consistently make every month, so my clients and tribe know what they’re getting with me. 2) Because I’m a numbers nerd, and if it’s something I would want to know, then it’s something I’ll share with my tribe.

Some people hate that about me, and that’s fine. What matters is that the right people love it.

3. Say what you really mean

This is one that took me a while to get over, because in the corporate world, you and I both know we’re taught to do the exact opposite.

For example…how often are you asked, “How are you?”

And how often do you respond, “Oh I’m fine, thank you.”

When instead, what you really want to say is: I had to drag myself out of bed this morning, hit that snooze button 7 times, and barely bothered to put on my makeup because honestly, I’m tired of being unappreciated here and can’t wait to turn in my notice in 10 days.

Now that I’ve gotten the hang out of it, I can’t stop:

I batched my newsletters for the next few weeks.

I spent an entire day sitting in front of my computer, staring at everything except my monitor, wishing I was anywhere else, hating that writer’s block, and wondering how I could physically (and legally) borrow my copywriter’s brain for a day.

I engaged on Facebook.

I spent 15 minutes reading posts of other women traveling the world, feeling a little jealous that my life isn’t half so glamorous…and then another 15 minutes overanalyzing my 4-sentence posts before I actually posted them.

I did mindset work.

I’m still not sure I grasp the full power of mindset. Most days, it’s a rollercoaster of fear, stress, and gratitude and I’m still constantly fighting the fear even though I know it’s completely in my mind. I did have some great moments of inspired action today, though, so that’s a win!

I bet after reading this, “nice” is the furthest word from your mind to describe me, right? Now you try it. Writing with personality can be fun.

But before you do, leave me a comment and let me know….

What word do you absolutely hate to be described as?

Warmly,
Luisa