Last week, I was completely minding my own business when I came across this “you are not a rockstar” post. And I thought to myself [at the risk of sounding a little defensive of your rockstardom], “Huh. Because that’s exactly the problem with entrepreneurs…we are much too confident. We think we’re too awesome.”
Not once have I encountered a struggling entrepreneur who thought that they were amazing. No one needs to tell us that we’re here to serve. We struggle with feeling worthy even of that. We stutter when someone asks how much we charge. We get heart-palpitations when we walk into a room of strangers. The only people who struggle with rockstar-itis are rockstars who are rolling in fame. That’s like 0.0001% of the population. For the rest of us, taking ourselves down a peg is not a business strategy.
You vs. Lady Gaga
- Lady Gaga wakes up thinking “How can I add leather, metal, or a hat made out of my own hair to this outfit? You wake up thinking “You know…I could probably get by with my pjs today.”
- Lady Gaga “can’t live without attention.” You eat blog comments like peanut butter.
- Lady Gaga gets pissed when a waitress gives her food with trash on it. You would probably be more pissed than she was.
- Tim Gunn rejected Lady Gaga for a Project Runway appearance. Darren Rowse never answered that email you sent him. (Sidenote: It probably went to spam. He’s actually a really nice guy.)
- Jason Derulo is pining for a collaboration with Lady Gaga. You’re pining for a collaboration with Naomi Dunford.
- Lady Gaga’s tweets are grammatically and punctuationally challenged. Your tweets are highly decipherable.
- Lady Gaga looks scared to death of Barbara Walters. You’re scared to death of Lisa Barone (Sidenote: I love Lisa Barone! Though she does make me wet my pants occasionally.).
Being a rockstar does not mean free cheese platters
(Though to be honest, that’s a reallllly good incentive.) It means being comfortable enough with your strengths so that the rest of the world can benefit from them. It reminds me of the sovereignty concept. As Havi puts it, sovereignty “is the quality of owning your space so completely and fully that you can’t be shaken from being you.” You can’t effectively serve people unless you know that what you’re serving them is at least as good as a platter of cheese.
You are specifically gifted to accomplish a purpose (or a platter of purposes!) to better our planet and our world. Take yourself up a peg for a minute. Embrace your rockstar-self. We need ya.
20 Comments
LOVE this post! You are so creative and talented, Sarah. Me thinks you need a few pegs added to your day.
Blessings…
Tammi
Tammi´s last blog ..Tabatha Kicks Butt in Business
Sarah,
You just hit this outta the park. Hello?! After shuffling around the house yesterday with a giant case of the mopes, it’s posts like this that pick me up and remind me why the heck we’re all doing this in the first place.
You rock.
Erica
Erica´s last blog ..erica_swanson: Sarah, you nailed it. Thanks for this. RT @sarahjbray: The difference between you and Lady Gaga http://bit.ly/aMBGov
Seriously, this post is rock star material. Hell, I’m duck taping some metal to my boots today
Hillary´s last blog ..flowers13: Best birth video ever! http://bit.ly/8v0E58 #birth #pregnancy #mom #baby #doula
Here’s some peanut butter for ya: AWESOME POST. Thank you, thank you.
Too. Much. Seriousness. Seriously.
Oh, not you, Sarah. This post (shhhh) rocked. You’re one of my favorite rock stars.
It’s hard enough trying to get a business going when you have a day job, three kids to manage, or you just feel too lame about your thing to even imagine it could be successful.
So you hang out on twitter and read blogs, trying to figure out how to do it right. And people will definitely tell you when you’re doing it wrong.
This kills me.
“Guru is the new Coach.”
“Ninja is overused.”
“Rock star is a big ego trip.”
The pendulum swings. Today it’s cool to tweet about your blog post. The next day it’s wrong.
Too. Much. Seriousness.
Do your thing. You’re a rock star. You’re ninjariffic. It’s a game! You’re JanisJoplinTreCoolGwenStafaniAnthonyKeidis all rolled into one huge rock idol.
Let’s play this game and call ourselves rock stars. What the hell, it’ll be fun. Let’s have some goddam fun around here or I’m turning this internet around.
Reading blogs to understand more about marketing is awesome. I just hate to see people latch onto the idea that being one thing or another is wrong – not because it’s true, but because the voice is strong.
An “A-list blogger” thinks sour cream is gross. What follows:
“Oh, I never use sour cream.”
“I used to use sour cream, but I always secretly thought it was gross.”
“Is sour cream gross? I didn’t know. I’ll stop using it right away. Thanks for the heads-up.”
I’m tempted to shout “I AM WOMAN!” right now, but alas, I am not a woman. I am a squeeky toy trapped in the body of a man.
My point is, simply, think for yourself. If 9 out of 10 coaches say “Rock Star” is icky… call yourself a rock star. You’ll get the attention (and possible devotion) of the people who secretly love the whole rock star thing but couldn’t find anyone who embraced it. Is wanting attention bad? Um, no. Not when you’re trying to find people who need your kind of help.
If you’re helping people get what they want through your business, I dub thee Rock Star. And all that implies.
Sarah nailed it: “Taking ourselves down a peg is not a business strategy.”
Ugh. End of rant. I have to go trash my hotel room now.
David´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at
Hey Sarah, I loved this! “We stutter when someone asks how much we charge. We get heart-palpitations when we walk into a room of strangers.” Sooooo true! Thanks for sharing.
Two words Sarah: Nailed. It.
I love the idea of taking yourself up a peg. That’s a message the we seriously need.
Here’s to inching closer to being ok rocking the rockstar thing.
And Mr. Pants? All I can say is word.
Fabeku´s last blog ..You Are Not Your Stories
I have been singing “Just Dance” all day after writing this post. “Gonna be okay…dadadodo”
Me and Hillary are going to have to get some matching metal to duct-tape to our boots today. (Or in my case, slippers.) YES!
Anyway. Wow, Sparky! You are highly entertaining, my friend. Loved the rant. I’m right there with you, brother.
And Fabeku, loved that thought about “inching closer”. Yes, indeed. We are inching.
Love it. You always know what to say to make a gal feel special. =]
David, you crack me up. =]
Wendy´s last blog ..Facelift
No kidding right before I read this, Sarah, I was rockin’ out on the treadmill to P!nk, singing “So what, I’m still a rock star, I got my rock moves…” Whatever takes us entrepreneurs (and everyone) up a notch, I’m all for it.
I want to be a rock star, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Thanks for already being one!
Love it, and love David’s response. Is it wrong that the part that made me laugh the most is his trapped squeaky toy admission? Well, a tie between that and how I’m not like Lady Gaga ’cause I’m not including my hair in my outfits.
We need to remember we have to put the wind in our own sails. And while it helps to have at least enough people onboard our boat to enliven the trip (and folks who love us waving from the shore), we don’t need to abandon the journey or change the travel log just because somebody else doesn’t want to go with us or insists we paint our boat a different color.
“Because that’s exactly the problem with entrepreneurs…we are much too confident. We think we’re too awesome.”
This part fulfilled my snarky side for the day. Possibly the week. Loved it.
Ana Ottman´s last blog ..Part 2: A money exercise
+1 for the lisa barone comment
Graywolf´s last blog ..How to Use Tags on Your Blog or Website
OH yeah Shannon, “I got my rock moves!” I always feel like doing some karate action when that song comes on.
And Emily-Sarah, I am really wanting to hear David live now. I highly doubt he sounds like a squeaky-toy.
Of course…it’s no surprise that I want to read, reread, ruminate on, print out and paste to my computer, and generally share-with-the-world your wise, funny words.
This post has totally inspired me. Thanks, my dear.
Cali Harris´s last blog ..gater snacks
Helluva read and very true. I’m getting over the stuttering when asked how much my services cost, didn’t want to turn anybody off initially, but now as some of my clients are seeing my worth, and letting me know how much they appreciate me, a little more of that “rockstar-ism” is coming out.
Once again great read, thanks to @caligator for bringing it to my attention.
Lisa Barone is a beast, that’s a compliment by the way.
Domenick´s last blog ..SEO’s You Should Follow On Twitter
LOVE this post! I totally eat blog comments like peanut butter, ha! PS – I found your blog through a Design Sponge article on toddler beds (random, I know) and just had to check out the blog of ANOTHER Sarah Bray!!
You had me at Lady Gaga. Love me some Gaga. I’m all about the rock stardom. I mean, even if I’m not really a rock star, how the hell else am I supposed to describe what I do?
“Oh hai, I’m Amanda: I design and develop websites. Oh and I write stuff. Oh! And I design video games sometimes. Oh! Oh! I do some marketing stuff too. OH I TOTALLY FORGOT: I’m also a techie.”
Screw it. I’m a freaking web rock star and that’s how I roll.
You’re amazing. Please continue being so.
Amanda´s last blog ..A Simple Nod to the Extraordinary
Excellent and sage. Thank you for putting this out there.
As an aside…I’ve worked with many, many rock stars over the years. I’m forwarding this to a few now as they need to be reminded now and then too. Thanks!
Note to self: If finding the need to bribe Sarah arises; start with cheeses!
Another entertaining & informative post; you continue to rock!!
Steve “Dream” Weaver´s last blog ..WORKING!!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sarah Bray, Sarah Bray. Sarah Bray said: Comment ranting? By @sparkyfirepants? No way! (This was totally worth writing the Gaga post. I <3 sparky.): http://bit.ly/bnAPtT [...]