May
I hit a brick wall one day, and I spent a lot of time by myself learning about me and who I am and what I want and don't want.
Karrueche Tran
Ah, marketing. How much I hate thee! I wish I can say that it is my Achilles’ heel but it is actually my Great Wall of China, the point in which I cannot go any further. Don’t get me wrong, I also have an Achilles’ heel but that is my penchant for frustrating people, ones with whom I should cut ties but can’t because I like them too much, perhaps too much. Yet this I can work with because I tend to come to my senses eventually. I do, unless I think I need them.
No, marketing is the wall which I always fail to breach. When I am faced with the wall, I realize the limits of my abilities (my failure), my need for other people (my vulnerability), and my inability to control the universe (my humanity). I have moments in which I believe that I am like the great Genghis Khan who breached the Great Wall, albeit a miniature version, but marketing exposes my mortality, my mere peasant stature. And who wants to be a peasant when they believe they can become the next Genghis Khan? I know the mini-tyrant within me can be a bit much for everyone especially my niblings but it is this side of me that has brought me to dare, to transgress all the boundaries imposed on me.
Yes, marketing demands that I ask for help, that I reach out to people, that I am ultimately NOT the master of my own fate. I know, I know. I teach people to know their strengths and find people who can complement them. I know all too well what I say to people but practicing what I teach ain’t so easy - you know what I mean? Until I figure out how to financially support people who can complement me, I have to strategize a way out of this marketing debacle which is impacting the growth of Platform. But what to do? I feel like I am going around in circles every time I get to this point.
What is different this time around is that I know the specific people I will need to grow Platform. Now whether they want to join or not is a completely different matter. I share my thoughts and when everything is aligned, I ask and pray to God, they will accept. I can’t share the details of my plans because there are so many variables which need to line up and since I am not in control of my path, I can’t determine the exact direction yet.
If I was or thought I was young, I would have just rushed into action because words for me have absolutely no meaning without an accompanying action. I would try to force the gods to deal me a better hand. But I don’t have the energy or wherewithal to breach the metaphorical Wall so I am slowly learning to be patient, to dig deeply to see how Platform should develop, essentially to allow life to unfold. In other words, to pause, listen to the universe, and see. Again, it ain’t easy because God knows I am impatient at best and a fierce, tempestuous cauldron at worst. At this point though, I really have no other choice. Otherwise, I will burn out before I am able to get the organization to what I believe it can become. It has the potential to grow hundreds of effective, impactful leaders.
Sam Joo
CEO and Founder
April 30, 2021