Change That Self-Talk!

Marketing is hard enough without sabotaging yourself with unhelpful self-talk. You say that you don’t like marketing? Change your self-talk! Last week we looked at five unhelpful thoughts-and-reframes; here are the concluding five.

6. “There are so many things to try, it’s impossible to choose.”

Reframe/thought substitute: “I know how to choose.”

Or perhaps: “A word like ‘impossible’ is really unhelpful and I’m not going to use it any longer.”

7. “With galleries closing, this is a ridiculous time to try to market.”

Reframe/thought substitute: “There are many new opportunities and I’m going to learn about them.”

Or perhaps: “I can prove the exception and get a good gallery, even if there are fewer of them now.”

8. “Other people are natural marketers. It’s in their DNA!”

Reframe/thought substitute: “I can do things that don’t feel completely natural, if they serve my needs.”

Or perhaps: “Maybe I can embrace marketing and, if I do, maybe it will feel completely natural!”

9. “I’m much too shy and introverted to market.”

Reframe/thought substitute: “I can adopt a public persona that isn’t my ‘real’ me and that serves my ends.”

Or perhaps: “I can create a powerful ‘me’ that loves to market.”

10. “What’s the point of marketing, I have no chance anyway.”

Reframe/thought substitute: “I matter and my efforts matter.”

Or perhaps: “Of course I have a chance!”

These ten supremely unhelpful thoughts, if left uncontested, will rob you of the motivational strength to market, convince you that you’re constitutionally incapable of marketing, and likely prevent you from having a career in the arts.

To change this picture, all you need to do is notice what you’re saying to yourself, decide if the thought you’re thinking is helpful or unhelpful, and, if it’s unhelpful, dispute it and replace it with a thought that serves you better.

This is not only a simple procedure to describe, it’s actually a simple procedure to do. You just have to want to do it. If you agree that your natural reluctance and antipathy to marketing don’t help you much, it’s time to take the “cognitive plunge” and think differently. Only you can do this work—only you live inside the room that is your mind. Take charge there and turn yourself into a much more willing and energetic marketer!