A lot of folks who have a public platform get really, really good at their role… their persona, their character.

So if that character/persona is an ‘up’ person… even if they feel like death warmed over… they play the role.

I get it. I really do.

Heck, I’ve done it myself.

But lately I’ve been wondering…

Is that genuine?

Is that being true to yourself?

’Cuz to be totally transparent with you… every time I’ve put on the ‘up’ act when deep inside I feel like complete doody… I’ve felt VERY uncomfortable.

Because it makes me feel like a fraud.

Yes, I know people with a public profile are always supposed to be an encourager for their followers. I understand that better than most. Heck, I teach it in my Newsletter Publishing Profits program. (Because a successful newsletter that gets people to stick with you month after month, year after year, is always based on a unique voice/persona.)

But I feel like a complete fraud if I put on the “hey, everything’s awesome” act… when in reality I feel 180 degrees to the contrary.

And I ain’t gonna do it anymore.

Listen… I’m gonna reveal something that a lot of folks might not understand…

Doberman Dan is a fictitious character. A role.

It’s based on the good qualities of Daniel Charles Gallapoo. (Last name is supposed to be Galipeau… a good French Canadian surname. But that’s a story for another time.)

So Doberman Dan has all my good qualities (although slightly exaggerated) … with little or none of the qualities I’d prefer the world not see.

But ya know what? Lately I decided I really don’t care anymore if the world sees what I’ve considered to be my “bad qualities.” I’m just gonna be true to myself by being totally transparent. If that lets anybody down, so be it. That’s reality. Besides, an intelligent person knows not to put anybody on a pedestal.

In addition to that… although it took me half a century to finally realize it… here’s something else you might find shocking:

Just like Doberman Dan… Daniel Charles Gallapoo is a role, too. Neither of them really exist. But that little revelation will take us down a rabbit hole that I’m not prepared to explain today… so let’s just move on with my original question…

Do you ever feel this way, too? Like you’re not being genuine when you put on the happy face and fake like you feel great… when in fact, you feel pretty bad.

Listen, there’s no point to any of this today. I’m not trying to teach anything or sell you on my philosophy.

In fact, I’m not sure what the heck I’m doing. I guess I’m just doing the writer thang and having a cathartic experience “on paper” so to speak. (Actually, “on electrons,” I guess.)

Sooooooo… if you’ve ever felt the same, I just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone.

All the best,
Doberman Dan

P.S. I’ve struggled a lot in my entrepreneurial life.

Interestingly, almost none of my struggles were from lack of “how to.”

Almost all of my struggles… and the ones that held me back the most… were all the result of a self-defeating/limiting mindset. Which is the result of a poor self-image.

Until I came to that realization, I spent decades doing all kinds of self-sabotaging behavior.

Because when your conditioning says that you’re just a poor guy from Barberton, Ohio who will never amount to much… regardless of how much “success” you experience… and regardless of how much money you make… you’ll do whatever it takes, consciously or unconsciously, to get back to your comfort zone… being a poor guy from Barberton, Ohio who will never amount to much.

Which is why… after decades of searching for ways to overcome that HUGE problem… I finally revealed this…

Pax vobiscum.