Some of you may be unfamiliar with the Greek myth of Apollo and Daphne. Here’s the short version: Apollo chases, Daphne runs. The more of Apollo chases, the more Daphne runs. this is a simplistic view of the myth, but for my purposes, I’m using this bare bones interpretation.
What does this have to do with marketing? If you don’t know, I can’t explain it to you.
For the last year, I have been trying to market myself with integrity and effectiveness. The integrity part I have nailed. The effectiveness part I’m still chasing.
For the last year I’ve been in a bit of a frenzy, even though I am committed to having fun every day. For the last year I’ve been Apollo. The more I chase the elusive Daphne/client, the more she seems to run.
Or at least that’s how it’s felt. I have gotten new clients this year. I have gotten speaking gigs. I am writing a weekly e-zine that I am enormously proud of. I am creating what I’m calling Visionary Voice Messages on a regular basis and finding that process meaningful and satisfying.
But still I have been waking up every day feeling chaste as well as being the chaser. This is tremendously unsatisfying and “unfun.”
Since I am committed to Fun, I knew I would figure out a way to live my life and not be in frenzy, overwhelmed and constantly feeling chaste and exhausting myself by chasing. Yesterday I figured it out.
Daphne Day
Yesterday I decided to be Daphne. Yesterday I realized that I have been Apollo on crack for the last year and generic Apollo for about eight years before that. I thought I had to be Apollo. I thought I had to be taking action moving, going after. (This feels very mail as I describe it.) I think that’s what I thought I had to be–male. Or at least I had to “build my business”, which is also more male language, by taking action, pursuing, doing.
But yesterday I decided to stop being Apollo and start being Daphne. I declared yesterday Daphne Day. I’ve lost myself in this chronic Apollo seeking behavior, and so when I asked myself what I wanted to do I didn’t really know anymore.
But Daphne knows. Daphne knows just what she wants to do. And, as it turns out, Daphne isn’t running from anything either. Apollo may be chasing her, but she doesn’t care.
Daphne has no agenda except pleasing herself. She doesn’t feel she should or ought to do anything in particular. If she feels like writing, which she feels like doing right now, she writes. If she feels like doing Pilates, she does Pilates. If she feels like staying home and lying in a hammock and listening to a book on tape, she does it.
Daphne doesn’t care if she’s invited to the party because Daphne is the party. If she comes upon a party and it’s fun, she’ll go and stay as long as she feels like it. She doesn’t care if people notice if she leaves or not.
Daphne doesn’t care about other people’s opinions about her or about anything else for that matter. Daphne enjoys being herself and feels beautiful all the time. She dances, she giggles, she laughs out loud–and she’s wicked every now and then.
Daphne did the laundry yesterday, and cleaned up the kitchen, and listen to a book on tape, and then didn’t go to Pilates because she didn’t feel like it. Daphne was enormously happy all day long.
She answered e-mail when she felt like it and stopped when she felt like it. She took naps, she talked with friends, she watched So You Think You Can Dance. she drank a delicious gin and tonic.
Daphne did whatever she wanted to yesterday. I like being Daphne so much yesterday, I decided to be Daphne today too.
My Helping Addiction
Daphne doesn’t care if she helps people or not. If she feels like helping people she will. Daphne doesn’t care what other people are doing. She is busy amusing herself from one moment to the next. She doesn’t care about outcomes.
Daphne feels beautiful all day long, connected to the world, connected to herself, and is not connected to any Agenda. Daphne is free.
I am so glad to have Daphne as my new best friend. I don’t even know if I like her, but I sure like being her. And I sure trust her when I ask her, “what do you want to do right now, Daphne?” She always knows what she wants to do, and always enjoys what she is doing.
Apollo would try to start a movement here, but Daphne doesn’t care. Oh, the freedom of not caring so much every single minute about every single thing!
Blessings,
Vicki
P.S. I love comments, but the spammers are better than the filter for this blog. You can always email me with your comments, vicki@outrageousvisions.com, and I really appreciate it when you take the time to let me know what you are thinking.