Blow Your Own Horn!

If you can master this one action, and excel in promoting your own brand, then your earning potential can become unlimited.

At the end of the post I have included an exercise that you can use to help you to achieve just this, but first I want to share with you my personal story.

For the past few years I have been quietly working away in the background growing my passive income. Creating my products, from digital files to the books I have written, to experimenting with a number of online platforms to earn an income from.

The other day I did the math, and I can actually say that I have made tens of thousands doing this and selling my products. Sounds impressive right? It is, but sadly I know I could have done better than that, but I didn’t, why?

Like so many people out there I have been embarrassed to really “blow my own horn”. That’s right, I have always been too embarrassed to promote myself and my own products. Sounds strange right? But in truth most people have the same problem, and I hope that by sharing my own personal story that you too can work towards any fear that you might have when it comes to blowing your horn.

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, in fact as a small child of no more than 5 or 6 years old, I remember making little trinkets from items around the house and garden. I worked hard at them, I glued leaves to cardboard, and tried some terrible finger knitting, amongst other crafts to create bookmarks. My goal was to sell them to any guests that were going to come and visit the house – I had a business mind right from the start!

I never got as far as making any actual sales pitches though, as my parents had figured out what I was doing, and to prevent any embarrassing situations, persuaded me not to go ahead with my plan.

I can’t say they went about it too tactfully, I felt horrible afterwards, and my young mind learned a lesson that day that it took me decades to overcome and “un-learn”. The lesson my parents had tried to teach me was that “We don’t beg for money.”

Now I know that their intentions were never to cause me any harm or unhappiness, and I know that they were reacting in part because of how their parents had raised them, so I know now that in truth that nobody can be blamed.

Unfortunately I was too young to understand it at the time, so my young mind “recorded” an association of making a sale with being akin to begging... which is wrong. Right?

It’s one of the reasons why I did not succeed at many jobs, and even with my first few businesses, because although I absolutely love the creation process of creating products, and I get really excited about starting up my own business... when it came to actually selling my own products I always used to feel as if I was doing something terribly wrong. I would be overcome with feelings of embarrassment, and guilt whenever I tried to approach clients, or make an appointment to promote my products, or even just to mention them among a group of friends, or when I met new people.

However once I became aware of what it was that I was doing, I was able to disassociate myself from that feeling, and I began to tell myself how self-promotion is actually brilliant. After all, I have amazing ideas based on my experiences, and I can really and truly help people and make a difference in their lives... how could that possibly wrong?

Do you have any similar feelings when it comes to talking about something you have done or created? Do you struggle to promote yourself and the products you sell? If so, here’s a task for you to give a try:

Step 1: Close your eyes and try think back as far as possible to the very first time, you tried to make an exchange of any kind for money. Perhaps you wanted to earn pocket money to buy yourself something, or perhaps, like me you were trying to sell goodies to visiting guests. Whatever it may be, I want you to think about that instant, and the adults that were in your life at that moment, and what happened. Write it all down in your journal with us much detail as you can remember. Write down how you felt coming out of that situation.

Step 2: Really think about how you were left feeling afterwards. Is that perhaps the same feeling you feel now when you try to make a sale, or promote yourself? Write about what your emotional responses are now whenever you try any form of promotion or self promotion. Notice where in your body you feel this emotion, and put your hand on that area of your body.

Step 3: Now I want you to visit that past experience again, but this time I don’t want you to take part in the moment, instead stand outside of the scene and watch it happening as an observer. The goal here is to remove your emotional attachment to that moment. Look at all the parties involved. The adults you were interacting with, whoever they may be, were simply responding with their own pre-programming that had been taught to them as a child, and they inadvertently relayed that same message to you, whether consciously or subconsciously, it does not matter. The goal here is not to blame anyone, but rather to work on “re-programming” yourself and your response.

Step 4: Now remember the place in your body where you could feel those negative emotions? I want you to place both your hands there and say out loud “I am the master of blowing my own horn.” And smile... because it’s true. Then go forward and make an amazing "sales pitch".

From this point on, any time you catch yourself beginning to feel those negative emotions associated with selling and self promotion, place your hand on that spot and say those words out loud. You are making yourself aware of that past programming and any negative habits, and changing them to better habits, and re-affirming yourself.

Once you can master this exercise, you are well on your way to becoming so much more successful.