I was in South Africa visiting my parents with my three kids because I was running away from a horrible situation I was living under, in Austria with my gorgeous husband.
I remember this memory vividly because I was trying to find ME and a way into the workforce again – preferably self-employed (something I always wanted to be but was too chicken to actually DO).
I looked at that memory and felt all those feelings on that day flood back: despair, resentment, love, hatred, hopelessness, excitement, courage, pondering.
In the split second of seeing that memory, the last seven years flashed before my eyes. All the things that had happened since then which had kept me up at night were a thing of the past.
I had grown exponentially since then. All was well. And the Universe really did have my back.
And a surge of achievement encompassed me.
I’d come a long way.
I remember posting that memory on social media too.
My best friend and I in the movies, with popcorn, laughing.
Nothing spectacular.
I’m sure you’ve posted something similar in your newsfeed?
That break over those past weeks was the best thing that I could’ve done for myself.
When I returned back to Austria. I had a surge of energy and courage that’d been missing for a long time. I struggled to find my feet as an entrepreneur offline. There were so many hurdles.
Either from the Chamber of Commerce or pitching my services to businesses – cold calling – hearing all those ‘No’s’.
So what was a girl to do?
I’d scroll my news feed. And there was an advert in Facebook by Lewis Howes. Something about Webinars. Web-i-who?
So I clicked. And from there is when I got sucked into the whole social media world.
I discovered all these new marketing tactics that weren’t taught in Marketing and Advertising school. Things that made my head swirl. Because I found them sleazy and at the same time compelled to use because everyone else was using them successfully.
Yet, every time I implemented all these tactics: Webinars, Email Marketing, Sales Lists, Cold Calling and more. I felt even less like me.
As with all things in my life: I decided to keep one eye on what was happening and the other on focusing on my thing. Dominating my lane. Which is what I did.
And yet, I spent a substantial amount of time on social media.
Which literally drained me.
It wasn’t until I started to delve into WHY WE ARE SO ADDICTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA that I was able to pull myself out of it all and still implement my marketing strategies successfully.
Disclaimer: I have no factual proof for this other than my own observation over the past two and a half years actively being on social media with my business (and other areas in my life).
My discoveries are because it’s a place to escape to, where we feel understood and where we can hide behind screens and images communicating through our alter-ego’s because we’re too scared/ashamed to reveal the real and true us for fear of the online world not accepting us as the offline world.
Those that feel misunderstood in their friendship and family circles offline, join online communities (groups, memberships), to meet like-minded people from around the globe who just get them. Which makes it harder to physically communicate with people offline who don’t get you.
I often (myself included) would speak to friends online, and we’d comment on how we couldn’t speak about what we thought, to our offline friends because they wouldn’t get us.
Social media addiction isn’t so much the platforms, but rather the communities that validate our being, thoughts, existence and character that keeps us addicted to returning back time-after-time.
Once I understood this for myself, I began implementing three simple steps into reducing my social media intake whilst still being successful in my business.
It’s not a nice feeling when you meet up with different people at a party or event, and you don’t know anyone and feel like the sore thumb sticking out. You watch how everyone else is having a good time laughing and joking and you’re the odd-one-out.
This isn’t the case though for your online group(s), there you’re able to voice your opinion, make yourself heard and feel validated.
Hence, you tend to cling onto social media more.
Because you’re liked, loved and appreciated.
Did you know that these online friends can also be found offline?
Just like you were able to find like-minded friends online, make an effort to go offline too. It’s important to find a balance between the two.
The connection between human beings in REAL life, is über important. Human contact, the handshakes, the hugs, the smiles, the scents, the physical energy exchanged is important for us to function as a human being too. The physical contact distinguishes humans from other animals.
Humans become nearly unrecognisable in the absence of touch. Two hundred years ago, French scientists spotted a creature resembling a human running through the forests. Once captured, they determined he was 11 years old and had run wild in the forests for much of his childhood. Originally the child, “Victor,” was determined to be an idiot; French physicians and psychiatrists eventually concluded he had been deprived of human physical touch, which had retarded his social and developmental capacities.
How can you find like-minded friends offline?
- Attend live events where you know you’ll be meeting like-minded humans.
- Google for meet-ups in your area or heck! arrange your own!
- Find that inner-Diva that helped you engage online – offline. When you meet people for the first time, speak up. Take charge. Remember when you first started off online, you were the shy person you’re portraying for finding friends offline. But look at how far you’ve come online meeting new people. Implement that courage and confidence offline too.
Know what you stand for. and why you’re here on earth in this lifetime today. Seriously.
When you know what you want and desire, there is almost nothing that can stand in your way of getting that.
There are so many shiny objects surrounding us. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve landed on a sales page wanting to press that ‘PayPal’ BUY button, but then very quickly caught myself, asking if this item would propel me and my Life Purpose forward expansively to re-empower my soul tribe.
8 times out of ten, the answer would be no.
If I didn’t have a purpose or direction, I would be like a lost fart in a perfume factory.
I see this with many entrepreneurs when they engage with me.
Joining a group or within groups or at live events, on how they love what they’re doing and want nothing more than to do it forever, but feel despondent because they don’t have that many clients to have their businesses support them financially. And they’re tired of following what everyone else is doing as it doesn’t resonate with them and their soul.
They seem to be online always. Answering and engaging on questions all-the-time and yet, with all their knowledge and expertise and AWESOME personalities, their businesses aren’t flourishing.
It’s like they know they want to get to a destination but get sidetracked by all the shiny objects around them, forgetting what their mission was in the first place.
Do you know of someone like this too?
Or perhaps it’s you?
Well, thank goodness there’s a solution to this right?
You never ever have to stay stuck wherever you are that’s not serving you or your purpose in life. You 100% have a choice to step up and step into your power. Every single day.
Depending on where you are in your life, there are amazing life coaches and mentors, healers and shamans, business mentors and strategists like myself. There is ALWAYS help.
All you need to do is ASK and TRUST that you’ll receive what you need and desire.
If you’re one of those entrepreneurs who aren’t 100% sure of their overall Life Purpose, I’ve written a book about this (I know! Pretty snazzy right? And I’m dang proud of this).
And if you’re aware of your Life Purpose, then I ask you to please keep your eyes on the prize when moving forward. All those shiny objects are great to review, explore – gosh even look a little closer. But remember your Vision and stay in your lane.
That way you don’t get swayed by all those things that don’t propel you forward in your life and business.
Deal?
It’s as simple as that.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Period.
What does planning ahead mean?
It means having a Vision.
That BIIIIIG dream/desire of who you want to be and what you want to achieve doing something that you love. And then creating a plan to achieve it. A step-by-step draft on how to achieve your Vision.
Something important to remember when aiming to make your Vision come to fruition is that your business isn’t the be-all-end-all.
You still have a life to live (yeah I know pretty funky right?)
And your life has a few areas that require a Vision too (go figure).
That means, that when you’re planning for your business, ensure you’re also planning for your life development too, as they’re not separate entities but one.
For example, Your Vision is to be the world-known expert in Fitness and Dance. Changing lives by educating souls about fitness and dance and how the two exist together.
Working backwards, you set milestones for all the areas in your life for personal growth and development to move closer towards your Vision. For example:
- Vocational: Creating a marketing and advertising strategy on how to promote your business to your soul clients. Being consistent, confident and knowledgeable in what you put out into the world so that it gives value all the time and doesn’t rob someone of their time.
- Ego
- Physical: Forming habits in which you’re taking care of your health and body. Eating right. Doing exercises that you love 3-5 times a week. Learning to let go of the emotional weight and to learn to love your body for what it is and what and how it’s to serve you.
- Financial: Creating a place of wealth and abundance without any emotional guilt or shame of earning money. And knowing that you’re worthy and deserving of it.
Think about it like this:
My business Vision is: To re-empower the underdogs in the lifestyle markets to become legendary brand leaders, by helping them create and market their unforgettable soul brands.
My physical Vision (for example) is: To learn to love myself where I am, and partner up with my body, doing exercises that are fun and healthy for me, to tone my body and support my body with not only physical strength but mental too.
When I’m on social media addictively 24/7, with no Vision and no strategy on how to market my business, I’m aimlessly wandering on social media addicted to it.
When I’m on social media with a purpose, that is, to market my brand using Facebook Ads, Facebook Lives, branded tools that my soul clients can easily recognise me, and value added social media posts, I’m on social media with limited but targeted time.
This certainly isn’t easy, I understand, but, definitely doable.
It’s a matter of deciding for yourself (and your sanity) where you want to be: targeted on social media platforms or scattered feeling your way around.
What a fantastic post – it went viral.
Journalists discovered your post on Thrive and Medium. They wanted to know more.
They searched for you on google.
But they found no website.
They found a Facebook page with ‘shared’ posts from random people.
They weren’t in any of the groups you were in.
They weren’t friends with anyone you were friends with.
Such great thought leadership they thought.
Such a shame they weren’t anywhere to be found.
The more time you spend on things that aren’t your zone of genius – even if you CAN do it yourself – are hours which could’ve been spent coaching, healing, mentoring, writing, strategizing with your soul client, who will pay you to serve them, and where you fulfil your Life Purpose.
Like, applying apps to your web browser to limit your time.
Delete social media apps from your phone.
Switch off notifications.
Set a timer for how long to be on social media.
And so forth.
But when you’re wanting to GROW your business and LIVE your LIFE, these suggestions are great for a bit, but quickly lose their appeal. You need something viable and sustainable to propel you forward, not hold you back.
Being online and on social media isn’t a bad thing.
Gosh NO!
I LOVE social media and am so grateful for it.
But I don’t let it run my life.
It’s like deciding whether or not you’re working in your business or on your business.
When I took a step back from social media to see how it was dominating my life, rather than enhancing my business, I knew that the simple strategies above needed to be put into place. Which I did.
Because what I didn’t want whilst investing my time in social media, was:
#1 Having too much ‘automated stuff’ that made me look like a robot and unreachable
#2 Doing what everyone else was doing – although I respected what worked for them, it needed to reflect me
#3 Fill my Groups and Email list with people I didn’t KNOW. I’m a very communicative and empathic person. I want to know that if you’re in my group or on my email list, that you’re a human being who has dreams, hopes, goals and I want to help you in some way or other move forward with what you want and desire in life and business. I’m not after numbers but after quality – life and emotions. And I need to be able to communicate with you.
What DO I want to achieve by being on social media?
#1 To work with my Soul Clients and attract my Soul Tribe
#2 Human connections
#3 To LEARN from those that I meet – just because I have over two decades of experience, does NOT mean that I’m not capable of learning from those around me. After all, I learned what I know FROM everything around me
#4 Ensure that I would someday meet these lovely souls in person
#5 To LIVE in the now and enjoy the SIMPLE things in life
There are so many things in our lives that can distract us from our actual Life Purpose: A partner, children, food, TV, Netflix, Social Media, Friends, Sports and so much more.
It’s totally normal.
At the end of the day, it’s how we handle those distractions.
Do we let them control us?
I’m betting we don’t.
Because us Rebels, Free-Spirits, Misfits and Visionaries have a Purpose to fulfil. And it ain’t going to happen by being controlled when we were born leaders.
Right?
Right.
Originally published at www.brandsashka.com