The article “The Perils of Audience Capture” opens with the fascinating – and disturbing – story of the transformation of Nicholas Perry into “Nikocado Avoado”. You may wonder why I am sharing this article with you, as at first blush it doesn’t seem to be related to the world of work which is my usual area of focus. You might think that the idea of a “captive audience” has nothing to do with you. But, I think that this challenge goes well beyond the world of online content producers and influencers. The lessons apply to all of us.
We are all deeply involved in continually reshaping our identities, even if we are not aware of it. We use feedback and signals from others to help shape these identities. This goes back to our deep need to “fit into the tribe”; we have evolved as social animals and getting excluded from the tribe would have likely meant death. But what is interesting is that this feedback does not come directly from the people around us, but from how we imagine what they are seeing in us. Fascinating. We perform for others, fulfilling the expectations that we think that they have of us.
That means a couple of important things.
- You need to be careful of who you spend your time with. Once you understand that the people surrounding you are actually shaping who you are and how you behave, you realize the importance of being around people that align with who you wish to become.
- You need to be very clear on who you want to be. If you don’t have a strong sense of this, you are likely to become what people in your circle want you to be. You will unconsciously adjust who you are to “fit in” with the people around you.
That is why I am such a big proponent of reflection and introspection. It is crucial to make time to think, to dream, and to get a genuine sense of what you actually want out of life. You need to understand where you are coming from, why you think and act how you do, and figure out where you are trying to head. That will allow you to set yourself the right goals to get there and give you signals if you are drifting too much from that direction.
Quotation I Have Been Pondering
As we age, we lose flexibility. We become more rigid, more set in our ways. We take ourselves way too seriously. However, meaningful work is almost always the product of curiosity and play. Which is why I love this quote:
Journal Prompt
This week’s journal prompt relates to the above quotation. I am convinced it is worth spending some time reflecting on it:
Take a few minutes to consider how you might make your work more playful and then commit to trying one small idea. It will probably be uncomfortable. You will worry about how people will perceive you, and feel that you won’t be taken seriously. Do it anyway and observe what happens.
Have a great week!
Summer is still here, but it is quickly fading. Make sure that you take advantage of it while you can. Your work matters, but you can only do great work if you are fully rested, refreshed, and engaged in what you are doing.
If I can be of service, don’t hesitate to reach out: tim@timparkins.com
Tim
