I’m trying to write an elevator pitch.
For those not in the know (like me until around 5 minutes ago when I googled it), an elevator pitch is a succinct and persuasive sales pitch that you use to spark interest in what you or your organisation does.
What I’m finding challenging is the succinct part. Last week my physio asked – and you’re still a full-time content writer? At the weekend my boyfriend’s brother said – so what do you do? Yesterday the my car insurance company asked – what is your profession?
Well… <insert 5 minute ramble>
The challenge comes in trying to express the multitude of pies my fingers are in whilst simultaneously making it clear that quitting a full-time, stable job was a good decision. Yes I may seem less successful than I was a month ago and no I can’t explain my vocation in a few words, but I’m nowhere near as miserable.
This got me thinking about how we perceive success. Let’s face it, you are what you do. Your vocation is how you introduce yourselves at weddings, it’s how the car insurance people decide how responsible you are, it’s how your parents’ friends gauge your success at Christmas gatherings. If you can’t really define your vocation, it’s hard for others to work out where to hold you in their estimations – how successful you are. This shouldn’t be important in day-to-day life, but unfortunately it is. It’s even more important in an elevator pitch.
The way I see it there’s what we perceive as successful, and there’s the reality of being successful.
Perceived success if what we see as children (and all too often as adults). It’s the jobs that we all understand (lawyer, doctor, teacher) and it’s the stuff we own: a house, a car, an all-inclusive holiday. It’s a judgement we make based on tangible stuff.
Then there’s reality, in this case success is pretty much how happy we are about what we’re doing. This is a lot harder to judge.
Look at the First Order and the Resistance. On paper the first order is the successful party: they have the latest technologies, the smartest of uniforms and incredible communication skills for such an enormous organisation. Meanwhile the resistance are rushing about and fighting fires all over the place. But at the end of the day we’re all rooting for the scrappy, scruffy Resistance who are doing something they believe in rather than blindly following orders.
Anyway, on paper I’m probably moving backwards. My salary depends on how much I can work, I work weekends and evenings and do lots of juggling (not the cool circus-skills kind). I’m scruffy, I wish I was scrappy, and I’m a lot happier than when I seemed to be succeeding in my career.
If you are still wondering what I as a job, so am I. Woohoo I’m an enigma, but I’m happy about it. Although if you are genuinely interested, read my profile on here.
Is that too long for an elevator pitch?
– Hati
Hati Whiteley 