#Stories: Bryan Allain

Today we introduce you to Bryan Allain. The man is a blogging genius. First off, he has a hilarious humor blog that involves living with the Amish and great series like “Proof of my own idiocy” and the best “Caption Please” posts you’ve ever seen. Secondly, he has a blog writers training and community site called My Killer Tribes. There he helps people find their voice and build a “killer tribe” so that they can make a deeper difference in the world. Lastly, he wrote the funniest guide to blogging ever and you should read it.

Here is the audio from our interview, and you should definitely listen to it. But if you hate audio, you can read the highlights of what he said below:

[podcast]

Here at #LiveFully we talk about how important community is for making a difference. What is a “tribe” and how why is it so important?

• Community is huge, and I would say a tribe is synonymous with community.
• Today it is more important for artists, musicians, and businesses to build a tribe instead of a fanbase. There is a connotation with a tribe that you don’t have with a fanbase, with a tribe you are more their equals. “These are my people”
• A tribe is a group you share your work with and they are passionate about it as well.
• It is much more important to go deeper with your tribe than to grow it in size. Quality over quantity.

In your book you say, “we need more people blogging because it is important for their voice or message to be heard.” Tell us more…

• I see the value of community, and there is value in finding another person to share your passion. The energy and the inspiration you get when you connect with others is amazing.
• There are tons of reasons for blogging (sharing stories, selling something, making money for ads, getting a book deal). Few of them are wrong.
• At its core, I love the idea of someone being passionate about something and putting it out there. Then another person finds it, and is moved by it, and the two people interact. That is what I love about blogging.

You also have a humor blog. What kind of important role does humor play for somoeone who wants to Live Fully?

• I think humor is huge. Both the Bible and Science talk about its benefits.
• I love making people laugh. So I don’t know if this is true for everyone, but for me it is essential to living fully.
• Life can be so tragic sometimes, and being positive through the ups and downs is huge.
• I don’t write humor because I believe it is super important, but because that is my natural gift.
• I used to think I was annoying and so I stopped trying to be funny, but then other people weren’t stepping up. They kept looking to me for humor. Through that experience I realized how much I love humor and started to own it.

That’s huge because there are so many people trying to be good at something they’re not. Then there are people not doing what they are good at because they think others won’t like it. But the Full Life really means you do what you were made for.

• Yeah, my humor blog does not provide for my family. It is just a creative outlet for me, but if someone told me I could not do it anymore it would kill a big part of me.
• I love doing it, and the thought of doing it full-time someday, which i’m working towards, is amazing.

Thanks Bryan!

Questions for the #LiveFully Community: Who is your tribe? What do you love doing and are you doing it?