Friday, 9.27pm
Sheffield, U.K.
This is an era of specialists, each of whom sees his own problem and is unaware of or intolerant of the larger frame into which it fits. – Rachel Carson
Why do I write this blog?
It forces me to ask questions – to consider approaches, options and alternatives – and choose one to do.
Yesterday, for example, I learned that it was important to create links – to try and distribute yourself widely.
So, I thought, maybe I should share these posts more widely on social media.
Today, I’m re-thinking that approach.
For a start, these posts are a first draft. I write them, proof read them, hope they’re ok and send them out into the world.
Some of you read them and a few of you give me feedback in the form of likes and comments.
Now, think of this blog like an organism.
Something that exists in an ecosystem – just out there trying to stay alive.
What could it do?
It could try and adapt – to camouflage itself and be like the others out there.
It could stand out, have bold colours, a loud cry and show itself off.
It could become huge and dominate its space lumbering through with little regard for anyone else.
Or it could be predatory, opportunistic and targeted, going after a target with precision and focus.
At the moment, however, it’s a bit like a petri dish full of uni-cellular organisms.
Each post is self contained, there are few links between them and the topics sort of bounce about based on whatever seems interesting right now.
Okay… you get the point.
Blog – like an organism – but not a big one.
More like jelly on a plate.
What next?
Well,the next bit is evolution.
Let’s take anything that’s at this stage – a blog, a new business, a new relationship.
Can you come along and shout at this thing to improve?
Can you create a business that has the gravitas of one that has been around for 130 years in the next twelve months?
Can you pack a 10 year relationship with this person you’ve just met into the next week?
Or do you have to evolve?
Do you have to go from being an employee to being a one-person business to hiring your first part-timer to your first full-time employee to two, to ten to five hundred?
Clearly not – as any advisor will say.
What you need to do is create explosive scale and growth.
And that comes from getting lots of money and lots of people and shouting very loudly and working very hard.
That sounds quite exhausting.
What does any of this have to do with the title of this post?
Well… it’s one way to think about where you are right now.
Are you uncertain, nervous, looking up all the time to see if you’re safe – in your job, career and relationship?
Or do you pad along, working on stuff you know is important and going after opportunities you want?
Whether you’re either of those or something different what’s happened is that you fit into your environment – there’s a niche shaped just like you.
For others, we’re still evolving – trying to being the parts together to become something bigger, something better fitted for its environment.
And at this stage it’s probably wrong to force it.
It’s better to have one reader that enjoys your writing than many that have somehow been persuaded to share it.
At these early stages staying organic seems a better way to survive.
But if you have a choice right now of choosing which direction you want to evolve in next – wouldn’t you rather be a predator?
Cheers,
Karthik Suresh
Handcrafted insight 