“I love your stuff Lynne,” they said.

What is our stuff? 

It’s our perspective. It’s what we think and how we package that up to share it with others. 

It’s how we express ideas and how we explain things, our views and values and experiences. 

It’s also our MO - modus operandi or our way, our method of doing things. 

So ... what’s yours? 
Have you thought about it? 
Are you already working on it? 
And do you share it?

The need for us to declare who we are and what we believe is on the rise: there is the growth of personal branding, sole business operators, your name dot com, individuals as brands and the opportunities available to share our stuff via social media profiles. 

Even if you don’t run your own show, having a profile and sharing your stuff helps build a body of your ideas, thinking and work that can help you carve out your career.

Do you know what your stuff is? And have you worked on it recently?

Collect plenty of ideas

Not just one idea or three, but plenty. You never know when you’ll need them.

Many people ask me about my blogs and posts.

They ask:

- How do you post everyday?

- How do you come up with ideas?

- Tell me/show me how you do it...

The key things you need are to be able to generate content, to deliver value via that content and then to execute on the idea ... among that is to have a wad of ideas. (I don’t know how many a wad is!)

I focus on ‘curating’ my ideas; collecting them as I think of them. I don’t ’sit down to have a good idea’. I grab them when they arrive. Once collected in an Evernote file, I wander through that file each day and think, ‘which of these ideas is buzzing for me?’ (Singing, buzzing, humming, glowing - whatever the verb, it’s about the idea that I react to.)

That’s the one I pick ... and then I write.

I don't stockpile pre-canned posts.

I don't copy and paste from the past.

It's more like I’m riffing from an idea I collected, likely a while ago - days, weeks, months.

You can do it too… to share your thinking, ideas, thoughts and value.

Become what I call a ‘Leader of Value’. So to get started, collect plenty of ideas.

The power of a book, no matter your job or role

Books have become a powerful marketing and branding tool of today. They're better than a business card and can become a key part of your social media content. A book authored by you is an immediate way to show that you've got a point of view and that you have some wonderful expertise.  

Yes, authoring a book shows you have a story to tell, advice to give or you want to provide an accompaniment to your services. This is ideal if you’re a coach, trainer or business or management consultant or have your own business. 

Imagine being able to drop a book on the desk or table of a prospective client… it's powerful, influential and impactful.  You’re saying ‘here’s my thinking on the topic’, and 'this is why we know what we're doing'!

But writing a book is a big deal. There are plenty of people who start but can’t finish. Or they don't start because they’re not sure of what's really involved ... it can be a tricky process to think, write and publish!  So, yes, a book is a BIG project.  

Starting and then fizzing out...

Many people start with great intentions, some clever ideas and a few words here and there with their initial attempts to write a book.

I sure did! Several times. I think I had six different books that I'd started - and none of them finished, published or available for sale or put out into the world to go to work for me! That's a missed opportunity. A BIG one.

A book can seem insurmountable at times; especially if you start with a flurry and then it all fades away and other things in life seem to take a higher priority. You might feel like you lose that initial spurt of energy or enthusiasm. You might even wonder if writing a book is a bit of a 'brag'. 

Having a book (a hard copy book or an e-book or digital download) with your name on it isn't an ego thing at all. In fact the opposite is true; it's saying 'here is my thinking', 'here's what I'm working on' or 'here's where I'm heading next'. It's helpful, instructive, supportive and clarifying. 

A book is a vital marketing tool for today. With social media available for you to share your thoughts, ideas and opinions, a book is the perfect way to bring these - and other -  ideas together in a focused, professional and contemporary way. 

From average to leverage

Having your own book published can help take you from being lost or hidden in the crowd.

With so many businesses, consultants, entrepreneurs, marketers and job hunters looking to stand out and have a profile, it's too easy to slip into a space where everyone else is. Being a commodity or the same as others doesn't give you a competitive advantage. You're lost, hidden. 

If you appear the same as every other consultant or coach, business owner or entrepreneur, how do you get ahead, build your profile or get known for your unique offer, services or expertise?

Whether you're starting up your own business - or hope to in the future - having your services clearly positioned early on in the journey is smart thinking. And if you're already along the journey of being a freelancer, sole trader, entrepreneur or business guru, the best time is always ...now. 

Getting the leverage of a book looks like this...

Break clear

Writing and publishing a book is a strategy to help you break clear from average. 

You'll build your profile in the fields or industries you're interested in, strengthen your identity and be able to leverage the power of having your thinking, ideas and knowledge in print and able to be shared.

This powerful combination helps position you in the market or industry in which you work - or would like to work. And if you're writing a book for the pleasure of it, you'll position your unique thinking and ideas in a way that no one else has. 

You'll move from commodity to identity; from average to leverage. 

Once your book is published, you have incredible opportunities to build on the profile and positioning that come from authoring. 

Make 2016 the year you write and publish your book.