On the Sidelines, Creating an Avatar

I thought I was ready. I had my plan, and I was ready to change the world. Then something funny happened, pretty much nothing happened. The busy season I was expecting never developed. As I was waiting something else happened. I found myself standing on the sidelines. I don’t want to go so far as to say that I felt like Lou Gehrig, but it sure feels like a twenty-year streak ended. I used to come to work sick. I would come to work hurt; I would come to work on no sleep. Now those days are over. I feel like Father Time tapped me on the shoulder and called in the rookie. The bell rang, the game started, and I was on the sidelines sporting the team jacket. My job is now moral support. I don’t hate that job, but it’s not what I thought would happen. I was going to go out a champion. I would raise the trophy, covered in champagne. Now, just like so many other fans at the end of the season, I always have next year!

So, what now? I’ve struggled all year reading. Just like with everything else, I got off track and just couldn’t recover. I’m starting to feel like myself again and with that, I have a streak of two books that have really motivated me. I’ve heard this before, but this time when I read it, it really stuck with me. If you want to create something, you need to find your ideal avatar. What does that mean? It means what does your perfect client look like. In my case right now, it means who is the perfect ideal person that I see reading my articles. So now I am being forced to answer the question. Originally, I thought that my perfect reader was someone at work who was ready to take the next step but didn’t know how. Then I thought it was someone who knew what to do but got off track. Now I am starting to think that it’s actually someone who shows up to work every day bored but wanting a challenge. What happens if the skills you have no longer match the job you have? I wanted that busy season more than anyone. I wanted the opportunity to show people that the team I was on had the perfect answer. We would all come together, show everyone what winning teamwork looked like and our reward would be a little bit more freedom to try more ideas we had. Now that season has passed, and I’m still bored with no challenge in sight. With everything that has happened that put me on the sidelines, the answer isn’t a new team. The answer is still in the mirror. I have to find a way to rebuild. The newer model must be stronger and more durable. I have to know my strengths and improve them even more. I have to know my audience and what they need. I feel like I am in a room of fifty people, and they are all waiting for the same thing, but no one has brought it to them yet. My challenge is to give them exactly what they want. The answer isn’t a secret, that is part of what frustrates them. They are waiting for someone to bring them together. My ideal avatar is bored, their job is way too easy. Since the job is so easy, they have no challenges. With no challenges in sight, everyone is distracted. Everyone has too much time to look around. They see a house that is falling apart. Sitting on the sidelines for so long I finally saw things that no one had seen before, I stopped doing the little things, I compromised my way to mediocrity. I was so bored it became way too easy to turn a blind eye. I stopped working hard. I’m not ready to answer all the questions that the mirror keeps asking, I have a little bit more recovery to do, but I promise that it’s coming. People will once again be jealous of the team we have, and yes, I will be checking receipts.