Hey Friend
This week has been a grind. We are in the final stages of the new website, which means I had to go over every word and detail double and triple checking it. I also made requests for some alterations that I think could annoy my website people. Since I’m a visual person, seeing everything in context sparks new thoughts changes my opinion or shows me something I missed.
I’m self-aware enough that when I began this process, I told them I was a “high-maintenance” client. Not only is it my business, I’m actually the product. So I have very strong opinions about the look and feel. Also, the last time building a website ended with me getting a lawyer and sending a letter to the wretched company who shafted me. (I’m not still bitter) ;P
This experience has been entirely different! Though it’s alway slower than I’d like, the interactions have been fantastic. They’re open, receptive, challenging and thoughtful. They’ve caused me to see things differently and they’ve been open to my perspective. It’s been an effective partnership. Of course, they may be cursing my name around the office and I just don’t know it.
The above picture is version one and version four of the homepage. What I submitted this week, will be version five and the final one (I hope). Words, colors, pictures, layout, design elements, links – they all contribute to the overall vibe. I say it regularly, but it’s worth continually being reminded:
Becoming something we’re not is hard!
You know what’s funny? When they presented version one to me, I LOVED IT! It’s so different than my current site and it felt more like me. When we see change in our life, we’re enamored with it. Yet the evolution process of our growth requires a more substantial effort, than just being different from our current reality.
You and I have areas in our life that need altered. Swapping one aspect for another, isn’t the same as us becoming something more. Now when I look at version one, I’m like “oh man, so glad we didn’t stick with that.” That was just weeks ago. My eyes have been opened to a way better end result, that I originally didn’t see.
Our growth isn’t as simple as reading books, watching TedTalks, listening to podcasts, digesting all that information and miraculously becoming like those offering it. Granted all those inputs are super helpful for expanding our mind towards possibilities and new ways of thinking, but ingesting it doesn’t equate to growth.
Becoming more is a creative process.
Required Becoming Elements:Others. I invited friends, other speakers, clients and Sarah to look at version one and share candid thoughts. Responses ranged from Nickelodeon to Mickey Mouse, too many colors to too far off brand.
Who have you invited to offer critique about your current efforts for growth?
Seeing the Future. Imagining how new prospects would react. Considering how Sarah could talk about our offerings. Envisioning how clients would respond. Conceiving how each word and picture would be interpreted. Projecting the feelings everyone would experience as they navigated the site.
How clearly have you conceptualized the impact of your growth?
Collaborate. When we got started on the website, all I had were words to help guide the visual creation. My brand vibe is green, circles, energy and professionally fun. I didn’t want it to be anything like my current site or that of any other speaker. They took it all in and generated the first draft, which enabled me to contribute.
Whose interpreting your aspirations and creating a point of reference for you to consider?
It’s exciting to anticipate the new. The process however is grueling and exhausting. If we’re not careful we’ll get frustrated at the iterations of progress because we just want the final version now! It can be disappointing to think we’re there only to realize we have whole segments that haven’t been addressed and need our focused attention.
Becoming more is a lifetime pursuit. However, there are definite places of achievement that we celebrate. You and I get to define those. This website will go live in a few weeks. There will be things that could be tweaked, but I’m going to declare “we’re done” – at least for a while.
What if this week you…
1. Targeted a specific area you wanted to grow?
2. Offered to help a friend or colleague in their pursuit of becoming?
3. Wrote out the consequence of two years from now if you do or don’t become more?
I’ve actually gone through this exact same process with the new demo video that will accompany the website. Having all these random pieces of our lives – experiences, relationships, hopes, knowledge, talent, passions, calling – and inviting someone else to assemble them in a way that makes sense to them, is a revelatory ordeal. Others don’t define us, but sure can offer a perspective that unveils a cohesive, underlying purpose to all those elements! I hope you become more…
Have you ever been surprised by what others thought of you or the motives behind your efforts? Do you work with anyone on who they’re becoming? What memorable moments of achievement do you hold sacred? Have you ever built a website? Do you imagine the future much? Imagine in the present saying Hello. Hit Reply