Self marketing

So in a previous post I mentioned my “lack of profitable and marketable skills” and got a comment saying a reader was relieved not to be alone in this sinking boat of possibly and most likely failure. But then I started thinking – what if we are marketable and have potential to be very profitable, but we just don’t know how to market ourselves?

By nature of my personality I’m not a huge fan of self-promotion. I have a hard time selling myself to other people (asking for a raise without sounding apologetic took a LOT of prep work) and I mildly judge people who go out of their way to seek attention.

I see people with “vote for me for this on this link” on their Facebook and some friends of mine put new blogpost links on social networking sites – it works for some but personally I’d much rather people find me interesting enough to subscribe or stop by themselves if they want… this… advertising just seems forceful and a tad bit shameless.

Plainly put – I find asking for support and attention embarrassing. And I blush. In deep deep shades of red. So you see why I’d be inclined to stay away from drawing eyes to myself. I shuffle on my feet and do awkward i-have-to-pee dances even if I don’t  have to pee because I’m trying not to do what a 1st grade classmate of mine did where he’d yell “WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME?! STOP STARING AT ME!!”

(Lucky for me, I saw how this method of trying to yell attention away did not work for him so I can avoid erring in a similar fashion.)

I think, instead of being aggressive in a competitive world, I’d rather be “discovered”… if there is any talent to be found. But, before you make me eat my own words – this is an incredibly competitive world and some sort of fighting is required.

My sister always says that you have to market yourself and you have to market yourself well. She tells me our achievements aren’t something we should hide because it’s nothing to be modest about – if we worked hard and made something of ourselves, we should let others (read: employers/college admissions) know. She’s given me stern mini-lectures telling me people aren’t going to hand me success and they won’t come looking for me, I have to show myself to them and I need to look gooooood.

So, I meekly requested she edit my resume, and I have to admit – the final product was so good even I was impressed with myself.

Somewhere in this blundering self I think I have something to offer, I’m just now sure what it is. I guess again, it’s a matter of  being truthful and managing to avoid vanity. I still find attention-whores incredibly annoying and what saddens me is that self-glorification is now the norm. Narcissism is NORMAL and so accepted in my generation…I think it’s a tragedy.

And here commences another battle for balance:
pride (the type that comes before a fall) VS being proud (for hard earned credits)