I’m often told by people that they couldn’t imagine me angry. It’s something I’m quite proud of.
It can all be explained by one sentence…
“It’s All Going To Play Itself Out”
*A sentence I’m sure are borrowed from Gary Vaynechuk, go read his blogs not mine, they’ll help you more, I promise.
At it’s most fundamental level, the thought behind this sentiment is rooted in karma, and to reference Gary again, one of his most tightly held beliefs is that…
“Karma is Practical”.
For the last four years of my career, these three words have been my entire business plan and despite not being too far along in my career, all my experience indicates this one strategy is fundamental for business success.
The videography business is all about reputation and word of mouth and I’ll bet that whatever industry that you’re in, the situation is also the same.
And without having ever seen their work, there’s lot of filmmakers that I’m desperate to work with, just from hearing what people have said about them.
Writing these blogs have led me to reflect deeper on my career than ever before and with absolute certainty I can say the majority of the clients I’m very lucky to work with, have come through connections and word of mouth.
And often doing a favour or something not directly in your self interest can be all it takes for someone to want to go out of their way to help you. Whether that’s making sure their company hires you as a client or passing your name on to someone else.
To complete the Vaynerchuk hat-trick, Gary often exhorts that…
“Giving without expectation is the only way to win”
(I’m a big fan of his work and beliefs if it wasn’t obvious already).
Now I’m going to throw a caveat in here, in my experience I’ve found that there are people who will exploit your good nature. I wish I could tell you how to spot them so you could avoid it, but sadly it’s not as easy as that. But if you are doing someone a favour (especially if it’s a big one), try explaining it to a friend. I’ve found that talking someone through why and how you’ve made your decision can often lift mental fog if its clouding your judgement.
But another caveat, trust your gut. I’ve talked previously that my intuition says that doing the right thing is always the right thing to do, and if you are 100% convinced that you are doing what’s right then go for it.
In my career (and I’m sure it’s the same for you, I’m in no way unique), there have been time where I’ve been let down, treated poorly and generally disrespected by people I’ve been working for and with.
When this happens, I recommend following the procedure below…
Step 1 — Ask yourself if you’re giving your full effort, commitment and acting appropriately and with integrity. If yes, move to step 2.
Step 2 — Don’t get mad. Continue acting professionally.
Step 3 — Be patient, it will all play itself out.
Now I acknowledge that this blog post presented the opportunity to name people in my career who I feel have treated my unjustly and acted in their own selfish interests, which directly negatively impacted me.
But I’m not going to do that, because remember…
“It’s all going to play itself out”.
Is getting on my high-horse and naming those who I’ve been let down by going to help anyone and be a positive action?
Nope.
Next time I get offered a really cool project but am unavailable am I going to pass their details on to my client?
Nope.
Am I going to recommend those people who have selflessly helped me out and treated with me respect?
Of course, I am. You would too.
A.K.A What goes around comes around.
A.K.A Karma is pratical.
A.K.A It’s all going to play itself out
Reflecting on my own career, I’ve been genuinely surprised at how investing your time doing nice things, however minuscule they may be, have come back around to provide tremendous return in the long term.
And my intuition says, that if you are setting up your own business, however tempting it may be to chase numbers in the short term, my experience has taught me that your ultimate goal should to be the best person you can be in the long run, and it might just surprise you how that reflects on your balance sheet.
Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, only time will tell.
But even if you’re a business owner concerned far more about your money than your legacy, I wold implore to remember that it’s all going to play itself out.
Even in my short career so far, I believe I’m already starting to witness things plays themself out amongst people in my network. And I couldn’t be happier to see those doing good things starting to get rewarded with good fortune and opportunity.
So remember, it’s all going to play itself out.
And I wish you every success.
Jack
What I’m Currently Reading…
‘Crushing It’ — by Gary Vaynerchuk — it’s a great one! Check it out here… https://amzn.to/2t13pmR)
About Jack
I help people, brands and business communicate more effectively with their customers through visual, audio and written content.
I do this through Southpaw Sport, the sports content marketing company I’m currently building as well as on a freelance basis working for agencies and production companies.
Visit www.jacktompkins.co
You can follow me on YouTube where I post weekly vlogs sharing my experience and opinion on content production.
YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/user/jackt18
And my social media for behind the scenes look at what I’m up to
Instagram — @jackwrtompkins
Twitter — @jackwrtompkins