Pick Yourself

Seth Godin is an American author that has a podcast I enjoy listening to called "Akimbo." And he often says, "Pick yourself." He encourages his listeners to reject the tyranny of being picked and instead to pick yourself. Most of us are like kids on the playground hoping that the most athletic, most popular kid will "pick us." And we do it in so many different ways. The singer-songwriter is hoping that RCA, SONY or some record label will "pick" them. The comedy writer is hoping that some late night talk show host will "pick" them. And Seth points out that the world has changed drastically. Where before you had to get CBS, NBC or ABC to "pick" you, today you can publish a series of "shows" on YouTube and grow your own audience. Where before you needed a record deal in order to do music, today you can use simple software, learn how to use it on YouTube for free, purchase a relatively inexpensive mic and you can produce and publish your own music to SoundCloud or Bandcamp or so many other platforms. We want to get "picked." But things have changed. You can "pick yourself." You can start your own business, register it and set up a website in less than 24 hours. Pick yourself. When we wait for others to "pick" us time keeps ticking away. Some people will never "see" your worth. But you know what you're good at. You know what you are capable of. And guess what? Someone "out there" wants what you have to offer. So stop waiting on Mr. Popularity or Miss Popularity to knight you. Go ahead and pick yourself.