Don’t be a knob…

Once again, just wrapped up our live show with guest Ben Hall from the UK, who runs a podcast called Pilot Base. Not just a podcast by the way, there’s a whole lot more to what he and his team are doing behind the scenes, they are busy with some phenomenal projects.

Ben Hall, just like myself, Bryan, Jason Northwood and many other Pilot’s across the globe, has been affected by this bullshit pandemic, and his career flying the mighty Airbus A380 for a legacy airline, British Airways was crushed last year.

But, like a real trooper, he did not take this lying down! An admirable quality that I find so amazing in all the people we are connecting with as we continue to build our network through the podcast.

Something that really touched a nerve during our conversation this evening was that, during the lockdown phase, he didn’t see any value in wasting time, waiting for better things to happen, or come his way by some sort of magic. Instead, he seized the opportunity to take the available time and put it to good use, and started concentrating on this concept that he had in the back of his mind for quite some time.

I really loved that statement, because, I felt exactly the same! However, in my case it was a little different, because, although I was trying to put all the free time on my hands to good use…., I hadn’t figured out what exactly it was that I wanted to do yet. I had this deep desire to do something great, and be part of something that would be worthwhile. I knew that whatever I would pursue, that it wouldn’t bear major financial gain any time soon, because let’s face it… the gig that I had prior to all of this was pretty sweet…sitting fat, dumb, and happy flying fairly little on a CRJ, earning a fair wage from a state owned entity. Life was great, yet, it had an invisible barrier to it that I couldn’t see until all this happened.

Then my good mate, Bryan Roseveare had this idea to include me, and Brett Mark Preston on his podcast that he had started about a year prior to this. I decided to leap at the opportunity, albeit something that was so unimaginably far out of my comfort zone “and if you watch our first few episodes together, that was pretty evident”. But I had reached a point where it was, well, why the hell not? Let’s give this a bash, and see where the chips fall.

I can honestly say that was probably the best decision I have ever made. Only time will tell, where we will eventually land on this, but for now, I could not be more grateful for what this has done for me, and when you get to have a conversation with a guy like Ben Hall, it confirms, that my own trepidations about this journey into the world of putting yourself online are not just my own. We all have experienced the same kind of “insecurities” for lack of a better word, but now is not the time to dilly around those ideals or negative sentiments.

Now to get to the point! We were talking about what it felt like when you first started posting on social media, and how difficult that really was for guys like us, who were not used to this, especially because, a few years back, in our careers there was no need for it. Probably even frowned upon by some companies if you did, one had to be quite careful.

There wasn’t any real reason to have to put yourself out there, because at the end of the month, that cushy little bump into your bank account was guaranteed, and that would take care of all life’s little commitments. 

BOOM….and in the blink of an eye, that little fluffy cloud of freedom ain’t there no more! Now, the harsh reality is, that you gotta get your butt into gear and make things happen. 

Self promotion, creating a brand, establishing a niche’, all that good stuff is only possible nowadays by making the use of every platform available to you. But its like jumping off a cliff the first few times you post, there’s no guarantee as to how the world out there will respond to what you put out, and as we all agreed on the show, you cannot help but, feel like a complete “KNOB” every time you post something…..until such time that is, you manage to find your groove.

Up until this podcast journey began, I didn’t pay any attention to social media. In fact I had decided, that my claim to fame would be that of being the one guy in history that never changed his profile picture on Facebook. I honestly don’t know why I thought that was really a thing? But at the time, that was how little I cared for any form of social media.

There will always be those people out there that either like, or absolutely despise what you post. But then, that’s up-to them…..You need to do what is good for you! There’s also no way of telling where your niche’ lies until you actually cast that net. Find your following and grow from there.

I will be totally honest, and admit that every time I post something, there is this element of “Shit, I hope this doesn’t make me look like an idiot” But, then again, so what I guess? Take me as I am or not at all. At least, I am trying, and if all else fails, I know that I gave it a shot.

My point is, if you are reading this, and finding some sort of comfort in knowing that you are not the only one that feels that pang of anxiety every time you put something out there on the great wide “inter-web” then welcome to my world…, and to the world of many other’s out there.

Take the leap, create your content….or “your online CV” as it very quickly moving in that direction. Promote yourself, sell that brand, but most importantly……start building your network. 

The value of taking the time to start building your network now, cannot be stressed enough. Build on as many connections as you possibly can, and you will be immensely surprised at how the relationships in the spheres of your chosen direction start to take form. After all, at this point in time, everyone is chasing the same goal, and that is to connect, promote and garner support.

Having listened to quite a few podcast’s lately by some of the most influential guys out there, I think you are going to hear this more and more right now. Believe me, the value in building your network and relationships at a time like this is vital. In fact, if you think about it, it’s quite a pity that its taken a global pandemic, with devastating job losses, that has forced us to actually come to this realisation.

Anyway…, I just thought that I would put it out there. Don’t be a knob! Get to it, build that network, post as much as you can about what you’re doing, and don’t hold back.