Posted on May 17, 2012 - by Lucie
Marketing Mentality is Not For Me
~ The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~ Henry David Thoreau
I detest this whole marketing yourself mentality that seem to be the new way to succeed today. It appears that in order to meet people and prove yourself, you need to plant seeds of who you want people to perceive you to be. In order to attain a specific goal or a new job, you need to sell part of yourself that you think someones wants.
So the question remains, once you have painted this inaccurate picture of yourself, then what?
The whole “What’s In It For Me” mindset just makes me cringe. We have become such a sad population of finding ways to get something from someone at the cost of losing who we really are. We “friend” people with the sole purpose of appearance and networking. And the underlying thread? It’s all about status and money. Its high school in a grown up world.
If your job is to market, then all the power to you. There is a time and place for marketing your wares. The psychology behind finding what plucks the consumers heartstrings is a booming business. I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to choosing this product over that. But it seems the older I get, the more prevalent this has become in every aspect of our lives and frankly I don’t care for it.
I realize that it’s all in the way you interpret things and it’s a choice people have to make when it comes to making friends or spending your money. But what about the trust that is lost along the way? If you have sold me an erroneous picture of who you are or what you are selling, then how reliable are you?
However that being said, I fell for it all. I wanted to succeed. I wanted to shine. I wanted to be popular. But at what cost?
Don’t misunderstand. I never give up but I do re-evaluate and this kind of marketing myself to be something I am not just doesn’t sit right with me. I am all for adapting to changes as we grow, but I am no longer going to buy into changing the core of who I am just to fit someone elses agenda.
I may not get the job I thought I wanted and make the money I dreamed of but when it comes right down to it, I would rather work with like minded people at a job that brings me contentment. This is my reality and that doesn’t make me any less valuable as an employee, volunteer or a friend.
I get that companies are driven by the bottom line from IBM to the book store where I work part time. But it’s up to me to choose which bottom line I work with.
High school is over and I am not interested in measuring up to standards I no longer respect. Living my life on my terms, feeling good about what I do and with whom I choose to work with is where I reap my rewards.
And that is what personal power is all about.
