Self-promote to survive
There’s a real danger in today’s culture, especially if you’re a young person in some kind of creative industry - I even feel this as a church leader - that in order to survive and become successful, you need to end up becoming obsessed with promoting yourself.
I don’t like it.
I really don’t like the person it turns me into, the way it encourages me to relate to other people, the way it feels sometimes like it could take over my life.
Three dangers of pursuing a lifestyle of self-promotion:
1. You become firmly rooted as the centre of your world.
Everyone else becomes a supporting character in the play of your life.
2. You end up with fans rather than friends.
The art of relating is forgotten, replaced with endless networking.
3. You rob yourself of the chance to be content with who you are.
Our identity becomes rooted in showreels and portfolios, rather than in who we are and what we mean to the people we care about.
Originally posted at James Henley's blog.
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You have just described the
You have just described the classic narcissist.
Amen, Brother. You are dead
Amen, Brother. You are dead on, and I get as caught up in this as anyone. Thanks.
Self Promotion
Amen, amen. I have been seeking a new call in the Episcopal Church and each Search Committee I speak with sounds more and more
like they are seeking a new CEO rather than new spiritual leadership. Today, our resumes need to sound like a list of on-time "deliverables," an answer to the unspoken question: "What have you done for us, lately?"
Self-Promotion
I feel that pull as well. I think it's helped that I separate my promotional sphere from my personal sphere. On Facebook I have a page for my blog, so that it's separated from my personal account. I have separate Twitter accounts for myself and my blog as well. And I maintain a separate personal website from my blog. I do all of this so that my personal life doesn't become wrapped up in the aura of my blog.