Who's afraid of rejection, oversharing and being boring?
AI can copy your skills. It can’t copy your personality. Here’s why being specific, a little weird, and fully you is your smartest career move.
Everyone thinks they’re boring
Newsflash: they’re not. You’re not. Ok, some people are. But I know that isn’t you.
How do I know this? Because I’ve never worked with a boring client. Every single person who comes to me, or follows me, has something unique and interesting about them. Even if their initial profile says otherwise, within a few minutes of chatting, they’ve mentioned something about them or something they do that makes my ears perk up. You do what? Tell me more! And moreover, why isn’t that somewhere on your LinkedIn profile or about page?
Usually the excuses come fast: oh, I didn’t want to include anything personal. Someone told me once, many years ago, not to include it. What’s the point? How does this help me? Who cares?
But the real reason is always fear. Fear that they aren’t interesting. That what they do isn’t special. That it might be too special or too weird.
But people want weird. They want special. They want to connect over things that they also love, or even never heard of. I always tell clients, specificity is your best friend. The more specific you can be about who you are and what you love, the more memorable you’ll be.
I want you to like me, really like me
At the heart of all we are as humans, is the desire to be liked. To be included. To be appreciated. Our biggest fear is rejection. That we aren’t enough. That we aren’t welcome. That we won’t be included. That we won’t be liked.
So to protect ourselves, especially in business, we hide who we are. After all, if people don’t know, they can’t judge us. If we just do the work and suppress the human, we can belong anywhere.
Except that’s not belonging. That’s blending. That’s hiding. You can’t belong if you aren’t connecting. Aren’t relating. It’s the illusion of being included. The illusion of being liked.
Because they don’t know you well enough to even form an opinion either way. But they also don’t know you enough to remember you, want to include you or speak about you in rooms where you aren’t. You’re not the person they’ll go-to for anything because they don’t know you enough to trust you. They don’t know who you are.
Let me tell you every detail of my life’s story
One of the biggest reasons I hear from people who are resistant to building their personal brand is fear of oversharing. They worry that they might tell people too much. Like where’s the line in a professional setting?
But that’s not the actual fear. The fear is that THEY are too much. That they will be perceived as too much. (see rejection above)
But here’s the thing, you know where the line is. You aren’t turning up to work and vomiting every personal detail about your partner, family, health, etc. You might have a trusted work friend who you share things with, but in work and in life, there are things you don’t need to share.
We all have things that are personal. That’s why personal brand is a misnomer. It’s why I talk about Personality Brand. Personality: your unique traits and characteristics. The things that make you, you. Those things come to work every day. They are part of you. And the more you share them with colleagues, prospects and employers, the more you shine and stand out. The more you’re remembered.
And in the age of AI, this has never been more important. That’s why I want to help you be In Demand.
She’s In Demand - free summit
I’m thrilled to share that I’m speaking at She's In Demand: The Summit. This free 5-day online event, October 19 to 23, includes 30+ badass women teaching the messaging, visibility, and systems that bring the right clients to you.
My session “AI-Proof Yourself: Why Personality Is the One Thing It Can't Replicate” is just 20 minutes and even better, free for 24 hours. No stress-watching, no panic note-taking. Just take what serves you most. All sessions are on demand (thus the title!).
Are you ready to become the woman clients chase? Even though this summit is geared for entrepreneurs, my session will be relevant for anyone looking to stand out in the age of AI.
P.S. Want lifetime access to every talk plus speaker bonuses? You'll see the All-Access Pass option right after you register.
Speaking of In Demand, The Creatives Roundtable is Expanding
Maybe Summits aren’t for you. Maybe you want community. Support. Collaboration. Accountability. Maybe you desire a sounding board of like-minded creative professionals who can help you grow your business and navigate the challenges of being a solo business owner. Good news, I gotchu!
The Creatives Roundtable is hosting two drop in sessions to see what we’re all about. We’re looking to add another group for our small group coaching in January and now’s your chance to see if the CR might be for you.
Pull up a chair on November 11th and join us. You don’t have to figure out every part of your creative business on your own. And you don’t have to commit to a year of coaching to see what it’s like. A Creatives Roundtable drop-in group gives you a chance to experience our small group coaching firsthand. Bring a business challenge, an idea you’ve been circling, or that decision you keep pushing to next week. You’ll get thoughtful questions, fresh perspectives, and support from fellow creative business owners who understand what it takes to work for yourself. It’s dedicated time to focus on your business — and figure out your next move.
Group coaching includes:
Monthly small groups
Bonus group day per month
Weekly co-working
Free admission to all CR events ... and more!
To try a drop-in group and see how it feels to have a roundtable in your corner. Shoot me an email if you want to join us! danielle@Morethanwordscopy.com
What’s really stopping people from showing who they are at work?
Fear. You might say “it’s unprofessional” or “nobody cares,” but underneath it’s the fear of rejection: that you’re not interesting enough, or that you’re too much. So you hide the human and just do the work, because if people don’t really know you, they can’t judge you.
What’s the difference between sharing your personality and oversharing?
Oversharing is unloading your relationship drama, your health updates, or your whole life story on people who didn’t ask. Sharing your personality is mentioning the obsession, quirk, or side passion that makes someone say, “Wait, tell me more.” You already know where the line is, because you don’t tell your coworkers everything now. That doesn’t have to change.
What if I’m actually boring?
Newsflash: you’re not. Okay, some people are, but if you’re worried about it, it’s not you. Most “boring” people are just leaving the interesting parts off their profile because someone once told them to. The thing you think doesn’t matter is usually the thing that makes people remember you.
What happens when I stop hiding who I am?
You stop blending and start belonging. People remember you, include you, and bring you up in rooms you’re not in. You become the go-to person, because people trust who they know.
Why does being specific make you more memorable?
Because nobody remembers “hardworking professional with a passion for excellence.” People connect over the things they love, and the things they’ve never heard of. And with AI churning out generic everything, your specifics are the one thing it can’t copy.
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