From My Heart to Yours!

I have the most incredible group of readers. Seriously. And I don’t take any of you for granted.

I consider myself incredibly fortunate to receive thoughtful notes from many of you every week. Your feedback is not just a reflection of how my writing resonates with you, but it also plays a significant role in shaping my perspectives and ideas. Your messages, whether they challenge or support my views, are always filled with respect and thoughtfulness, and I truly appreciate that.  

Recently, a reader shared that while they find most of my writing helpful and on point, they disagreed with my views on climate change, sustainability, and global warming. They believed it was nothing more than a harmful brainwashing of humanity.   

I respect their opinion, as I do with all of you, and I truly value the diversity of thoughts and ideas that constantly come into my inbox.  

I recently completed the Avatar for what I am building. It took me much longer than usual because that Avatar has morphed from where I started to where I stand today. And that is perfectly fine and normal. (When I say Avatar, I refer to the ultimate fan/user/purchaser of my ideas, products, and services.)  

A standard business mantra from any ‘goo roo’ is to define the end user of your services BEFORE you launch your business or idea. This is not always possible. Particularly when building something a little out of the ordinary. For example, it’s pretty easy for a doctor, hair stylist, mechanic, plumber or artist to decide who the end customer will be. Most of these are consumers. So, define the consumer, and you’ve got your Avatar.  

It’s a bit more complicated for, say, an IT reseller, a lawyer, a marketing founder, an accounting firm, a movie producer, and even an advisor or mentor because these ideas, products and services are generally being peddled to businesses. Businesses come in many different shapes and sizes, and the hardest thing to nail down is the WHO in that business, which is the one we need to get in front of.   Knowing once and for all who or what our Avatar is does make life much easier.  

There is an overriding aha moment for just about everyone who goes through the exercise of creating an Avatar. “OMG, I am not for everyone. Not everyone is going to buy my ideas, products and services. If I want to make more money, I need to find more people who do get me/agree with me/understand me/see me/will buy from me.”  

Only when we understand that this little issue has such a massive impact on our businesses can we finally be at peace with what we create, how much we charge, and how much we plan to sell.  

HOWEVER,

There is space, a hole or a gap that we will never fill. That space, that hole, that gap is where all those who don’t ‘get us’ sit. Truthfully, that gap is much more significant than those who do get us. And that’s okay. The best way to deal with them is exactly as my discordant reader did.   

Remember when I shared the difference between being nice and being kind? Only one is a strength. Being nice is to ignore, file, or delete whenever something we disagree with comes in front of us. Being kind is about being strong. How?   

What truly inspires me is the way ALL my readers bring kindness to the table, even when we disagree. Your ability to express your arguments and points with compelling and dynamic precision while maintaining a respectful and polite tone sets a high standard for meaningful discussions.    

And I am just fine with any of you disagreeing with me.  Frankly, I wish the world were filled with more people like you. We can agree to disagree, have conversations about our differing opinions, and still appreciate and love each other for the goodness you bring to all other areas of life.   

Each one of you, including me, is not always right. But what makes our community special is the high level of maturity, respect, and kindness we show towards one another. For this, I am deeply grateful and proud to know each one of you.   

From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.