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Call me crazy, but it's March, and I'm still stuck on new year's resolutions. This really made me stop and think: "If you're not making progress personally, you won't be making progress professionally." Let's use this is a compass for the rest of the year.

I was recently listening to a new podcast, and the host said: "Your business will only grow at the rate of which you are growing as a person." I realized I sometimes think of my life as separate but parallel roads – professional and personal. But, the reality of our blurry, busy, Omnimedia world is that they are often the same road. For example, who doesn't check work email on their personal phone, right? Or read a business book before bed?

I think to find that intersection between personal and professional growth means getting back to basics: what are you passionate about? I’ve asked a whole lot of people this question in the past month and everyone takes a pause. Here’s my answer, as it relates to marketing. I feel a huge amount of personal satisfaction when I help people solve their marketing challenges. Maybe it's identifying a new insight, a different perspective, an unexplored media channel, or a creative idea. When my passionate "light" doesn't shine brightly, I start to lose focus. Start the week off by identifying your passions and get yourself aligned for the rest of the year. #motivationmonday #marketing

Here are five links that will give you a boost:

Reframe your resolutions: read more about the four ways of "being" here: "To Me," "By Me," "Through Me," and "As Me." It's a great exercise to help you refocus on your goals for this year.
If you think personal affirmations are hokey, instead give yourself a pep talk in an easy, fast read.
If you’ve been to the Five Ones blog, you know we love a good quote. Peruse and write one on a sticky for your computer screen this week.
ABL (always be learning) - expand your Google tool skills here.
Take stock of your personal brand. This uses European grammar, but it's quicker than watching a YouTube video and has some great ideas.

Forward

I recently led a workshop on content curation, focusing on how to be a more passionate writer. One takeaway: don't be afraid of the high-emotion words. They are a must for persuasive nonprofit comms. This BBC article about harnessing our emotions says empathy can "motivate us to act positively on behalf of others." That's exactly what your organization needs, I bet.

I hate to say it, but if you're not thinking about influencer marketing (or at least someone else on your team) then you're behind the times. Even nonprofits can use influencers to expand their audience and bring in new supporters. Think peer-to-peer fundraising, but with a "peer" who may be purely digital and practically a stranger. Check out my take on how to get started.

Copyright © 2020 Five Ones | Visionary Leadership and Marketing Momentum, All rights reserved.

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