February 19th, 2014 by Morna

Do you toot your own horn? Or are you like many women – yes, it’s mostly women – who are reluctant to talk about their successes and talents? You probably don’t have any problem talking about the success of your loved ones. Why is it that we have that problem with ourselves?

This came up in a discussion with a group of ICAP members lately. One of these women felt uncomfortable about promoting herself. And she was not alone. Plenty of others shared their discomfort about promoting themselves, whether that’s in person, on the blog, Facebook or Twitter. It was okay to talk about others and share their successes, but we downplay our own. Why? I think it is because you are not ready to step into your own power.

How do you get beyond this? Here are a few ideas:

1. Pay attention to when you shy away from sharing your gifts or minimizing your talents in public, i.e., with those who don’t know you. Awareness is the first step to changing.
2. Change your internal message about what you are doing. You have gifts that others don’t have. And, I know that you want to share those gifts. That is why you started your quilt or fiber arts business. You need to share your successes so others can learn about you so that you are able to serve them. It is really about providing a service to your customers, and you cannot do that if you hide your talents.
3. Start to put yourself – and your brand – out there in small ways. Take 30 minutes a day and look for ways to contribute. This could be by commenting on someone’s blog, writing your own blog post, sharing something on Twitter or your Facebook Fan page, pinning to your Pinterest board. It is about taking that first step.

It gets easier as you go along, and the more people know about you, the more people you can serve with your unique talents.

I am sure you have read the following quote from Marianne Williamson. I love this quote and it is pertinent to this discussion:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Morna McEver Golletz is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals where creative arts entrepreneurs craft business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://www.creativeartsprofessionals.com.