Chapter 1: The Truth About Passion and Ego

In reality, any genuine enthusiasm that leads you to take from someone else is not true passion; it stems from ego, plain and simple.

As an entrepreneur utilizing social media to promote my website, writings, and services (you can find me on TikTok under the username Sanni Lark), I've become acutely aware of the many opportunists lurking in the digital landscape. One troubling trend involves countless accounts set up solely to siphon off posts and reels, effectively stealing the creativity, time, and effort of other content creators and passing it off as their own without giving due credit.

While I recognize that this form of thievery is part of the online business landscape, I’ve taken steps to safeguard my creations, such as incorporating several watermarks into my reels. Yet, I understand that because my writings and the content derived from them are publicly available, there will always be those ready to appropriate my ideas, creativity, and messages.

What's even more concerning is their lack of remorse, believing that they are merely inspired. Surely, thievery cannot coexist with inspiration, right? Wrong! Instead of supporting your business, they extract from it, misrepresenting your work as their own while claiming to spread the message more broadly.

Although their intentions might seem noble to them, two critical issues arise. First, they are not divinely meant to replicate your work. Second, there is valuable information that remains hidden behind paid, exclusive content, subscriptions, and newsletters for reasons that extend beyond their inability to afford your insights. These two points are interconnected: when someone is not genuinely called to act on those fleeting feelings of inspiration, their lack of spiritual wisdom prevents them from respecting their own lane.

Everyone shares their unique gifts and insights for deeper reasons. For instance, I identify as a writer, dancer, and artist, but I do not consider myself a singer, hairstylist, pastry chef, or soccer player. While I appreciate the talents of these individuals and can learn from them, I know that I am not destined to follow in their footsteps, regardless of how inspiring they may be. I have invested significant effort into personal growth, allowing me to resist the temptation to chase after every fleeting feeling and instead focus on building my own brand, no matter how tedious the process might seem.

It’s truly unfortunate to witness individuals using the exhilarating emotions tied to motivation and inspiration as justification for stepping into roles they were never meant to fill. Just last night, I consoled a close friend whose client felt "inspired" to emulate her business model by launching a monthly newsletter and offering consultation services, all because of a shared passion for helping women.

I celebrate the enthusiasm for aiding women; I share that passion! However, my friend is channeling her passion in a way that fosters her success and allows her to reach more women. Unfortunately, her client is undermining her own unique gifts, believing that heartfelt passion alone justifies copying my friend's business model and offering lower-priced alternatives.

My friend understandably felt hurt; she is called to assist women through her premium products and services, which she has developed over years of dedication and investment. The client’s mistaken belief that passion is the sole requirement for replicating her business model, while offering a cheaper option, reveals a lack of understanding of the unique value my friend brings.

It's crucial to recognize that any sincere passion that leads to stealing from someone else is merely a manifestation of ego.

Life generously offers opportunities for course correction. These moments of growth often appear as challenges, financial hardships, and feelings of dissatisfaction—each designed to guide you back to the drawing board, prompting you to realign your business model with your true self.

For my friend's client, this struggle has translated into a lack of readers and subscribers, even with her significantly cheaper newsletter. While they may share similar content, my friend's business thrives at a higher price point because she is genuinely aligned with her calling.

The takeaway here is clear: never presume you can outsmart the system by offering inferior access to the profound insights that others have invested heavily to acquire. Certain truths about life, finance, business, spirituality, and health remain concealed behind paywalls for reasons that go beyond simplistic notions of sharing knowledge for quick financial gain.

By undermining the significance of these mysteries and making them accessible for the price of a coffee and donut, you risk facing life's consequences for cheapening its wisdom. And you know what? You deserve whatever comes next!

In my few years of writing and brand development, I've seen many individuals who believed they were destined to write ultimately return to square one. Life revealed to them that writing was not their true form of self-expression, and they wisely shifted their focus elsewhere. I genuinely wish them well, hoping they find immense fulfillment in their new paths. My aspiration for everyone is to uncover that inner spark that yearns to flourish through hard work and dedication to a passion.

May we all be inspired by authentic self-love, driven by a commitment to realizing our most genuine life expressions.

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