Just Be You!

Being human is, perhaps, the most critical element to one's online content. Nobody wants to read something written by a robot.

But the ability to convey that human element is hard.

As individuals, we all spend so much time trying to please everyone around us. Pleasing a client. Pleasing the boss.  Pleasing friends and family. As businesses, we're trying to engage, relate and please every living thing that can stare at a screen.

Deep down, we all know pleasing everyone is downright impossible. And the more we try, the more our real tone suffers.

In reality, though, there is a simple way to be more human:

Just be you.

Well, that was certainly profound, no? Let me illustrate the point with a personal example.





I'll tell you something - I'm not the most descriptive of writers.  Seldom will you see consecutive adjectives in anything I write. I'm straightforward, to-the-point (ok, that was the seldom).

Over the past few months, however, I've made a concerted effort to be slightly more engaging. That meant tweaking my style.

It meant shorter sentences. It meant being slightly more descriptive. Less journalistic.

A new, five-word paragraph.

But I recently realized that, while maybe the layout of my writing needed to change - dare I say, dumb-down - my tone couldn't, can't, wouldn't and won't change.

I'll still always be a straight shooter. I'll always be more interested in getting straight to the point, rather than painting a vivid, lucid, alluring picture.

Maybe I won't paint glorious pictures of daisy-filled meadows, clear-blue skies, birds melodiously chirping in harmony while perched on sturdy oak branches.

Sorry, that doesn't interest me.

And I realize not everyone will like it. Some may find it dull. Others may find it curt, abrupt and offensive (still seldom!). But someone out there will appreciate it, and I'm going to target that someone.

I'll be me.

One man's creative is another man's dull. It's downright impossible to please everyone.

The same goes for your content's voice. Just be you.

Now certainly, you have to be yourself while playing within the rules. But you know what? That just takes even more creativity.

Don't know who you are? Well, figure it out and then go out there and be yourself.

I'll say it again: Just. Be. You.

There ain't nothing more human than that.