The one where I wanted to do a TED talk
š³ and what it was really about.
Almost a decade ago now I mentioned in passing to my boss that my greatest career ambition was to do a TED talk.
Thinking about this now gives me the same reaction as when I think about the time I accidentally did a mail merge and blocked the entire companyās email as spam for 5 days.
In my defence this was the #girlboss era and as Iāve spoken about before Iād been drinking (downing) the kool-aid.
Donāt get me wrong, I absolutely love presenting. Thereās something truly special about putting together targeted content about a topic, for a specific audience, and then delivering it. Itās why I hold my annual social media state of play events, why I run workshops with agencies looking to get ahead and why Iāve spoken on various podcasts plus ran my own for two years.
Public speaking is now, and will always be, something I look forward to and really thrive in.
But the vehicle is different.
Because I have to ask myself; what was doing the Ted Talk really about?
Partly it was because I love Ted Talks. That feeling you get when you listen to something and feel so inspired and uplifted. Itās the same reason I kind of want to write Fantasy fiction one day: I love the feeling I get when I read it. (Onyx Storm fans come at me!).
So naturally, that inspired me to want to do my own.
But greater than that motivator, I think I wanted to do a Ted Talk because I saw it as a true marker of success. The fancy car, or big house, or first-class plane seats, or [insert here] arbitrary marker. Something that would tell me (and everyone else) that Iād āmade itā.
Because so often in our careers we look towards āthe thingā thatās going to prove to our endlessly striving selves that weāve done it. Weāve reached the point we need to.
But what truly happens when we reach that goal? We donāt stop, or sit back, and sometimes we donāt even remember to celebrate.
When I first went freelance I remember thinking all I needed to do was make Ā£600 per month to cover my half of the bills at that time. What happened when I made Ā£600? I canāt even remember because I was already onto the next challenge.
Which tells me what many already know; the excitement is really in the journey not the destination. Itās something Iāve particularly lent into during my journey of motherhood, because when thereās a mound of washing despite all your best efforts and the megablocks get emptied back out almost as soon as youāve tidied them, you canāt only be happy when you reach the end goal of a tidy house.
And in a way, itās freeing.
Itās why I decided at the start of this year to write the fiction book thatās been in my head for many years, but rather than focusing on the end goal of a finished/published book, Iām simply focusing on the joy of writing it. Without any end goal of where I expect to end up.
Leaning into the journey of it, rather than the finished result, takes away so much pressure and brings back a daily joy to the things we spend our time on.
Tell me, what project or idea could you lean into if you only focused on the journey and not the end result? Iād love to hear.
Yours, no longer dreaming of Ted,
Beth
Links & interesting things š
New data suggests that ālonger short videosā are gaining better traction on TikTok. With Instagram recently reframing its advice to creators (lol ofc) that ā3 minutesā is an ideal length of reels it definitely feels like a marked shift in social strategy from the āshort is bestā of times past.
If you, like me, are desperately in need of headshots I highly recommend checking out Candid Studios. Itās a London-based self-portrait setup where you get a slot to take your own photos using a remote (no awkward photographer moments) in a pre-lit, pre-staged studio and itās first on my list to visit when I can extract myself from baby šø
A few days ago Google started rolling out a core update. These updates happen a few times a year (think of it like a software upgrade on your phone where a few things may be fixed/changed/improved). Will be interested to see if the proportion of AI-generated results in search will change. From my research itās reported to be at almost 50% of searches but most are only seeing it in about 10%.
Friend of the newsletter š Shout out š My wonderful friend Jess Shand has released her debut Hormone Balance Handbook cookbook, packed with 75 beautiful recipes and I seriously recommend you take a look. Itās already become a firm fixture in my weekly meal planning and is currently on my kitchen side full of post-it notes. The salmon sunshine bowl is a must!
Thank you for reading ā¤ļø
Iām Beth, freelance marketer supporting startups and ambitious businesses with plans for growth using content, customer marketing and community building tactics.