My journey to having a point of view
Written by Lian Brook-Tyler
“When I say “point of view,” I mean: your perspective, philosophy, take on things, approach, cosmology, system, world-view, core principles, voice, values, map, compass, and route.
“Your niche is central to relevance, whereas your point of view is absolutely central to trust and credibility.” Tad Hargrave
I adore Tad’s work and his whole thing about ‘Point of View Marketing’ (follow the link in the comments. His ebook is epic and highly recommended).
And I’ve found it SO challenging to embody and express my point of view for a number of reasons…
My passions and therefore my philosophy (and therefore my work) have changed radically over the years. It’s SO inconvenient (hello yet another rebrand, hello upsetting people who loved what we used to be about) and yet feels so enlivening and right for me.
After a childhood of being trained to look at all sides of *everything* and to play Devil’s advocate (when we weren’t playing Dungeons & Dragons), I struggle to stand strong in one perspective of The Truth or opinion of The Best Way. I can find a way to understand and respect almost anyone else’s position and I’ll be thinking of everything questionable or weak about my own philosophy with more incision than any ‘hater’ (aren’t we all lovers really?) ever could. From there, it’s been a challenge to truly empower my perspective over all the other perspectives.
Until very recently my fear of being seen as weird held me back from sharing much of who I was or any philosophy I was exploring at the time. Most of what I dig is waaaay out there (if you think the things I share here are weird, you should see the rest of what occupies my mind). I chug down books like most people eat breakfast (actually, I usually fast from food in the a.m. so books *are* my breakfast). I create notes, poems, essays, prayers, songs, squiggles, compositions and ideas and I share about a fifth of it because the rest would only make sense on some other planet in some other galaxy. I obsess about specific phrases, dreams, myths or paintings for weeks (sometimes decades). I see visions, hear voices and know things I have no earthly reason to know.
And finally I’ve realised I’ve arrived at a place where I have a point of view that allows for all of this and more. It’s really how I’ve gone from being ‘weird’ to being wild, it is the path I was fortunate enough to walk and now share with others.
The weird ones… those of us who live for depth and meaning, who are magical, idealistic and dreamy and for whom music or the forest or the vision we have for the world or poetry or painting or dancing are woven into the fabric of us so deeply it’s how life unfolds *as* us.
We are the ones who have been called old souls, accused of thinking too much or too deeply about EVERYTHING (it’s no accident that my monthly show is called ‘All The Everything’), and for whom our worlds of big dreams and rich fantasies are at least as real as the world inhabited by everyone else.
The struggle for us to fit into this material world is real. I’ve found it can be done and not by packing away our hearts and souls into a box in the darkest, dustiest corner of the attic (that strategy has a shelf life). But by becoming wild.
Being Wild… No longer listening to our culture’s shoulds but by committing to living a wild life, which can also be described as soul-led Sovereignty.
That was one of the most powerful commitments of my life, not least because it’s meant I *have* to be weirdly, uniquely me (allowing myself to be seen in doing so has come only recently and there’s still room for more).
It’s meant reconnecting to ancient, primal elements that have served our species for millennia… These include brotherhood and sisterhood, embodiment, intimacy, the magic of creation, the wild world and retrieving gold from shadow.
And most of all it means being guided by my wild heart… what I love, what I value, what I desire and what calls me, which is how I know what’s for me (that changes and that’s OK, that’s wild hearts for you).
The path… I followed the breadcrumbs into my body, the earth and my soul. It worked. It’s the path of Waking The Wild we now offer to others to allow them to live from wild hearts and soulful sovereignty too.
Ah, finally… I not only have a point of view but have shared it.
How about you? What’s your point of view?
P.S. I’m sure my point of view could be better articulated with more depth of understanding of Tad’s work.
Coming up in 2021 there will be more ways that you can walk the path of Waking The Wild. It’s going to be an epic year of Soul, Myth & Magic if we have anything to do with it! To find out more go to: Go deeper – Primal Happiness –