The story of self gives you standing, a platform from which to speak. When you talk about your transition-from who you used to be to who you became--you are being generous with us. It's not about catastrophizing your situation or the faux empathy of online vulnerability. Instead, the story of self is your chance to explain that you are people like us. That you did things like this. That your actions led to a change, one we can hear and see and understand.

A Simple Marketing Worksheet: Who's it for? What's it for? What is the worldview of the audience you're seeking to reach? What are they afraid of? What story will you tell? Is it true? What change are you seeking to make? How will it change their status? How will you reach the early adopters? Why will they tell their friends? What will they tell their friends? Where's the network effect that will propel this forward? What asset are you building? Are you proud of it?

if you're having trouble making your contribution, realize your challenge is a story you are marketing to yourself. It is the marketing we do for ourselves, to ourselves, by ourselves, the story we tell ourselves, that can change everything. It's what's going to enable you to create value, to be missed if you were gone.

You're already telling yourself a story. Every day. We may market to ourselves that we are struggling. We may tell ourselves that we are unknown and deserve to be unknown. We may tell ourselves that we're a fake, a fraud, a manipulator. We may tell ourselves that we are unjustly ignored. They're as true as we want them to be. And if you tell yourself a story enough times, you will make it true.

Make things better. It's entirely possible that the thing you are marketing satisfies no real demand, there is no good strategy behind it, and that you are being selfish in thinking that just because you built it you should stick with it. Blow it up. Start over. Make something you're proud of. Market something you're proud of.