The difference between serving and selling
Be Here Now
If you missed my last email about brain candy, beans, and bikinis, you can find it here.
Here we are. It’s November. And it’s been a wild one, y’all.
The heaviest of the heavies. The craziest of the crazy. The hardest of the hard — especially globally.
I didn’t mean to take such a long pause on my weekly sharing, but I did. Thanks for opening this email and being here now.
If you’ve been in my orbit for a while, you know that’s my saying: “Be Here Now.”
We’re not promised tomorrow or even later today — and the only thing that’s real is the moment we have right now.
That doesn’t mean we can’t plan or have goals, or that we can’t spend time to repair and heal what’s been done, but it does mean that we are present just as we are without judging the past or micromanaging the future.
I planned to write about 2024 brand and business strategy planning today as I’m leading several clients through that right now, but instead, my friend Chuck shared this excellent piece he wrote on death (and life), so instead I’m inspired to share a few meaningful things from my heart right now.
(If you’re interested in a 2024 Brand and Business Mapping Mini Session, let’s do a virtual coffee to see if it’s a fit!)
A wonderful Richmond maker that I adore – both for her amazing products and her fierce candor on issues of humanity – recently shared a quote that I have long loved:
“Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
The quote was a well-timed reminder to be here now and know that humanity endures. (side note: MavenMade’s facial serum is hands down the best product I’ve ever bought)
The word Endurance has been on my mind lately since it was recently the CreativeMornings global theme. At the end of our CreativeMornings/Richmond event last month, I shared my reflections on how humankind endures.
You can see my video about this here, but the short version is this: We endure better together. The world is always in turmoil. There is always joy. These things are concurrently possible. We rise and make meaning in the hardest of times when we get out of our own heads and gather in community.
Community is also a big part of my heart, but even more so in this “still-recovering-from-a-pandemic” where we’re back to busy and consumed by headlines, politics, and wars. In order to build community, we must consciously make the choice to call in people instead of just calling them out when we don’t agree (which is also important, but not the only step). To impact true change, we have to work together openly with the ability to hear and understand one another.
My friend Ashley Williams at The Well Collective does this beautifully, and I’m grateful to be in her orbit as she works to organize collective action around healing, wellness, and promoting humanity in real ways. (check out Race in Richmond and the work being done to explore race and identity through photography, storytelling, and interactive experiences.)
While this email from the heart may feel a bit long and rambling, here’s the point:
We all are led by the things we value most and true connection happens when we can see how our values all have similarities.
This was the focus of a values-based storytelling session I led for the American College of Cardiology earlier this week, and it is just as relevant to corporate communications as it is to all of us who are trying to create better stories in our businesses and lives.
Sharing from the heart and finding connection in the things that make us most human is the most important groundwork we can do to drive the outcomes we seek.
That’s the difference between serving and selling.
Serve more. Lead with heart. The things will sell themselves.
Xox
Michelle
Want to design your own values-based stories and strategy for 2024? Need content that connects and converts? Let’s chat about it! My “virtual coffees” are quick connections to see if we should make some brand magic together!
Excellent day-long storytelling and team strategy session at ACC
