“Just be yourself”. It sounds easy, but it can be so hard to do.
When you’ve been put in a mold, you sometimes don’t even know you’re in it.
Or how to get out!
The corporate zombie
You probably know him, and maybe he even bit you, too.
This shallow creature, devoid of any personality, we encounter on so many dusty business websites that haven’t caught up yet.
Who thought it was a good idea to write soulless stuff that will even lull the strongest to sleep?
You can look anywhere, and they will tell you that the right tone of voice is crucial. To be successful (whatever this means), you must be authentic.
You need to find your own voice, and it has to be consistent throughout everything you do. And I don’t mean consistently dull.
But for some reason, even though I know all this, I just can’t do it. I’m stuck in corporate limbo. And maybe you have the same problem. (Also read how to get over your fear of writing).
So what is my personality? I’m obsessed with self-improvement and getting a little bit better every day. It’s unimaginable to stay the way we are. This is one serious mission.
I also have a lot of humor, but you usually couldn’t guess from my writing style. Having fun and working hard are not mutually exclusive.
And I’d even go so far as to say that fun makes our hard work much more enjoyable.
I’m usually a bit heavy on the sarcasm side of things, but it’s the genes… Germans are born sarcastic, so no hope there.
After 60+ posts on Learning Ninja, I realized that much of it doesn’t sound like me.
Apparently, I got stuck in a Bermuda Triangle of English class, University, and Corporate communication styles. And I can’t stop. The worst part is, that I didn’t even notice it until about a second ago.
It’s all about personality
What a scary epiphany. Personality, where did you go? Please come back! I need you.
Being flat and dull is unacceptable. I can’t take it anymore. (You can also check out my blog post on standing out if you like).
I was unaware of my squeaky clean writing because I only published on LinkedIn for a long time (and also extremely sporadically).
When I post on LinkedIn, I subconsciously put my corporate hat on. Don’t want to offend anyone, need to look “professional”, can’t make jokes…you name it.
But this is my private blog. It’s about having fun while sharing tips and insights and learning from you.
It definitely shouldn’t feel like a lecture. And so I say “No more”.
It sounds ridiculous, but it takes a lot of time and conscious effort to erase this other persona that took over my brain for so long.
I love blogs that explain even complicated things in a relaxed and fun tone. That’s what I would like for this blog, too.
Getting drunk is not an option, although that would probably help tune out the zombie.
Wait, should I be making jokes about drinking? What if someone thinks I’m an alcoholic??? Ahhhhhh.
If we were on LinkedIn right this moment, that’s exactly why I would get rid of the alcohol comment immediately. Zero, Zilch, Nada.
Better to be on the safe side.
But in all seriousness, I have to start digging and see if I can find myself again under these layers of artificial seriousness.
If you have the same problem, let’s do this together. Let’s break out of the formal rules we were trained to use for so long.
It’s funny to see what happens when you can do anything. Strangely, it’s not that easy to decide what I like.
So I’m curious to find out how this will all turn out. Learning Ninja is always a work in progress, and it will take some time to discover what my own personal style looks like.
Put the corporate zombie back in his grave and just be yourself. Life is also supposed to be fun.
Who would have thought that being yourself required so much effort? But you can also improve your writing with this simple trick.
Happy digging and have a great weekend,
Improve yourself. Improve your life!
And please comment if you experienced the same struggle. You can also give us a before/after example if you like.
- The Joy Factor: The Secret Ingredient to Crush Your Goals - July 13, 2023
- Areas of Personal Growth – Focus on Just One - September 3, 2022
- Let No One Stop You From Following Your Dreams - August 13, 2022
