Unmaskd at the Crossroads

[tweetmeme source= “unmaskd” only_single=false]Time flies and it always flies a bit too fast. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been over 6 months, since I first tweeted as Unmaskd. This journey has come to a crossroads, and today I’d like to shed some light on Unmaskd’s origins and the dilemma I’m facing.

Once upon a time… No, that sounds too much like a certain fairy tale. The reality was simple. Unmaskd account on Twitter was born in 10 min, from the idea to the the first cry i.e. tweet. There was no meticulous planning, no agenda, no deliberate considerations. Like many things, it came out of a moment of frustration. I don’t even remember what it was, but something made me go “Man, do I wish I could always say what’s on my mind!” You know what I mean, right? Expressing yourself without thinking twice, without trying to impress, without considering consequences. Expressing yourself openly with no regrets. And then it hit me: I actually can! Five minutes later the first Unmaskd tweet went out to the twitteverse.

Then there was my Twitter “bio”. Those of you who remember these days, asked me more than once why I changed it later. The thing is, my original Twitter bio (while true) was intentionally worded to draw attention. I needed audience. You don’t need Twitter to speak to yourself. Later it became more of an inconvenience and so I changed it. Speaking of bios, I also want to bring some clarity into my “celebrity” claim to end certain speculations once and for all. Let me be crystal clear: I am not a A-list celeb. Neither I am a lying through my teeth wannabe, as some people have boldly suggested. According to this research paper, I’m in “C” category. If you google my name you get about 90,000 hits. Hardly Paris Hilton. I know that some people are still following me, secretly hoping that I’m John Mayer or Jim Carrey or Joaquin Phoenix, but I am none of these guys. Really. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of gender I’m a guy (which all of my regular readers have already figured somehow). There’s a small chance you’ve seen my picture or read an interview with me, or are familiar with my works, but you certainly have never seen me mingling with the Oscar crowd. Identity issue covered. Check. Back to the Unmaskd journey.

At first it was just about blurting out whatever came to mind. Talking to strangers, joking, replying to fascinating ID tweets and so on. It was fun. For about a week or two. Than it became boring. I was about to let go the whole unmaskdness and then an interesting thing happened. Surprisingly to myself, I started talking about things I really cared about. As it turned out, it wasn’t just about speaking my mind. It was about speaking my mind on topics that truly meant something for me. And in my case those were subjects like self-discovery, self-motivation, inspiration, imagination, mind, fully realizing my potential, taking responsibility for my choices and actions. Notice the focus on “self”. As I’ve mentioned a few times, I don’t aspire to be the next Tony Robbins. I have enough of a hard time motivating myself. But apparently, sharing some of this soul searching, and frustrations with my own weakness, and some kick-my-own-lazy-ass moments was helpful for others. And so I kept unmasking, sharing more and more, and getting to know some of my readers better than I know some people I talk to every day.

Then there was poetry (or “rhymed musings” as I call it, since poetry is too eloquent of a word to describe the songs I come up with). I’ve never had such a broad audience for my poetry before, and hearing all the feedback was very rewarding. My readers and their words are the only reason these rhymed musings came into existence. I don’t think this would have ever happened had I tried going the traditional find-a-poetry-magazine route or dropped my verses at one of the online poetic forums (which I have to admit I’ve never been to and likely never will be).

Then there were Q&As ranging from deep to odd, posters, tumblings, and even a video. As you can see, the Unmaskd stint was going well. Yet being the guy I am, it wasn’t enough. It still isn’t. The way I way approach many things in life is “go big or go home”. Some would call it ambition, others would say it’s arrogance, but to me it’s a reflection of a simple fact that my clock is ticking. Over time, my Unmaskd identity has become too small. I still enjoy sharing my thoughts and discussing them with my readers (and there are a few dozen unwritten posts roaming my mind), but my life is already on several fast tracks. Adding another one is not really an option unless it replaces some other things I’m doing during 19 hours that I’m awake on an average day.

So here’s my dilemma: I either “go home” (i.e. stop my Unmaskd activities altogether) or go big. And I mean BIG. I’m not talking money (though it’d be nice). I’m not talking number or followers on Twitter (though it wouldn’t hurt). I’m talking about impact. People keep telling me that my thoughts, ideas and values, as well their conversations with other readers are helping them. If that’s the case, I don’t see why it should be limited to 1000 people on Twitter and a few hundred blog subscribers. How about a million or two? Yes, I’m serious. More importantly, it’s not just about my thoughts. It’s about growing that community we have created — quite unexpectedly — around this blog, and taking it to a completely different level. When I sent out “What should be the name of Unmaskd site” poll it wasn’t about dropping “wordpress” from my blog’s URL. It was about creating a place where people who want to grow, to be better at whatever they choose to focus on, to do what they believe they were meant to do, can connect. Where everyone can go unmaskd and perhaps, just like I did, get surprised by the results.

That would be a major commitment on my part and I don’t like leaving things half-done. I’m simply not good at going half-way. So that’s my dilemma. I don’t know yet which road I will ultimately take. But I’ll make the call pretty soon and will stick to it. At the very beginning of the Unmaskd journey I said my only promise was “no bullshit”. That’s why you’re reading this post. And that’s why you will know once I decide one way or another.