From April 17 to May 7, I decided to take a break from posting on my personal social media accounts (instagram and facebook). Prior to this decision, I was posting upwards of 3 times a day on both platforms. My posts varied from business promotion, inspirational quotes, to random thoughts and self-expressions. What had me take a break was two-fold:
1) I felt that my posting style (frequency, format, etc) was not optimal for the results I want in terms of business growth.
2) I was getting very attached to the meaning behind likes, shares, views, comments, and sales (or lack thereof). So much so that my self-esteem and drive to continue my dreams was being diminished.
In this post, I will share with you five things I learned about myself (as it currently stands) by not posting on social media. Enjoy!
If you want to watch the video version of this topic, watch the video below:
1. I Am Not A World Wide Celebrity, Nor A World Wide Influence (yet)
I aspire to be one of those people who millions of others look up to and gain inspiration from. I dream of not just getting millions of views and millions of dollars, but rather impacting millions of people.
It would kill me inside when a blog post of mine only got 4 views, or a instagram post only got 3 likes from people who I'd consider friends and family.
In my mind, I let the lack of likes on my posts indicate that people who know me don't believe in me, my message, or my content. I let my mind fill with doubt. I digress.
When I was away from social media, not posting whatsoever, nobody cared. No messages saying "we miss you! please come back!" Nobody arguing in the comment section over my whereabouts. Nobody cared.
To me, this is not a negative thing. To me, this was an indication of the reality of my situation, which is this: I am a nothing burger in the space of personal development and global impact. (shout out to Kevin O'Leary of Shark Tank, whose "nothing burger" phrase I just stole)
I am not depressed over this reality check. Rather, I'm humble and grateful. Overall, what I'm going through is normal as fuck and I get that.
That said, if you doubt me - fuck you. If you believe in me - thank you.
2. "Likes" Actually Don't Mean Shit
Look, I'm like most people, I use social media to subconsciously and consciously feel good about myself and feel validated. Meaning, I post shit that will make me look good and will get lots of likes. Those damn heart notifications can be so addicting.
I'd post stuff on instagram or facebook and let the amount of likes indicate my self-worth. 100 likes, OH WOW LOOK AT ME! 1 like, OH WOW I HATE MYSELF.
After going 3 weeks without posting, I learned something that actually cracks me up: All "likes" really fucking mean is that someone scrolled through their news feed and clicked a like button.
It doesn't mean you're the fucking shit. It doesn't mean you're sexy. It doesn't mean people like you. It means that someone clicked the like button.
Literally, the other day, I ACCIDENTALLY liked a picture. And yet someone potentially saw that "like" and had a whole emotional fucking rollercoaster about it.
Literally, "likes" don't mean shit and it's best to keep your self-worth separate from your like count. Trust me.
3. Social Media Is Supplemental When It Comes To Growing A Business/Audience, Not Primary.
Although you can definitely grow an audience and business primarily on instagram and facebook, it's really a supplemental tool. What I mean is that you can't expect to post something on Instagram and grow a 1,000,000 company.
What makes a company is the product and service, first and foremost. That's my opinion so far at least. Please humor my conviction despite my lack of experience and results. I'm just sharing what I have experienced thus far.
Social media is public access to who you are as a person or a business. It's a way to peak interest. It's a way to create a brand. It's a way to market. That's just one aspect of building a business and growing an audience. It's not the bread and butter.
4. Most People Don't Really Give a Fuck What You're Up To
Let me clarify. Most people are concerned with their own life, their own goals, and their own problems - as they should be. Meaning, whatever validation, praise, or acknowledgment you're looking to gain from people should be minimized.
They don't really care if you're succeeding in life. They don't really care if you quit your job to pursue your dreams. It's not their responsibility to care. In fact, as a leader, your responsibility is to be someone that can help make their life better, not the other way around.
The excitement you feel for your life will not be mirrored by others 99% of the time. Plus, that's a lot to ask of other people. Get used to being your own favorite fan. Get used to generating your own praise, validation, and acknowledgment. There is not enough of it in the world to keep you running. You will run dry otherwise.
5. Do Not Take Social Media Seriously or Personally
Whether you get 100k likes or 1, it's not personal and it doesn't matter. Receiving 100k likes doesn't make any real impact in the big picture. Focus more on the impact that your social media posts will have. Not the amount of likes you get.
More so, people will react the way they react to your social media presence. Some people will get triggered by you. Some will be inspired. It's not your fault how they react.
Furthermore, as you grow and transform who you are, be prepared for an equal amount of love and hate from people you know and people you don't. In fact, let the amount of haters that attack you indicate you're on the right fucking track.
Why?
People don't hate the person in 34th place doing jack shit. They hate the person who's winning, who's actively changing for the better.
They don't talk shit about the guy on the bench. They talk shit about the guy missing the game-winning shot.
Likewise, people LOVE the ones others hate. It's par for the fucking course. This is the life you wanted, isn't it? Well, here it is. Haters and lovers included.
Welcome! You're finally realizing your potential and triggering others in the process.
Call To Action
Stop posting for max likes. Post for full self expression. Take a stand for who you want to be, the message you have to share, and the impact you have to give to the world.
It's okay to post for attention and to look good. It's okay to want likes and shit like that.
Just know that none of those likes means shit.
Haters gonna hate. People will love you too.
Don't let any of it get to your head and keep the big picture in mind.
Oh, and as my virtual mentor Gary V would say "be fucking patient you self-entitled bitch."
That's all for now!
Much love,
GS
