How many of you spend hours and hours looking for the secrets how to get enough followers, enough likes, or enough engagement?
I am raising my hands (both) and feet… Years on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, 1000’s of posts, 2 books, $100’s and $1000’s of dollars on programs, classes, trainings, mentors, and coaches… and still only depending on the platform 1000+ followers, 1 -5 likes, and on a good week 1 comment….
I follow everything I told, hoping this time, it will work. I’ve been discouraged too many times to count. I felt like giving up, too many times to count. But I look back at my life and think, what if I would have given up back then, where would I be?
This was not what I was planning on writing today, but I felt an overwhelming feeling that I needed to say this. I have a gut feeling many of you are out there feeling what I’m feeling.
A mentor today said something that resonated with me… “Yes, being hated feels bad, but feeling ignored is worse.” I sat there and just took that in for a minute. I thought, YES, that is it! I feel ignored. No matter how much value I have to give, I feel no one is listening, or they don’t care?
Since Covid-19 started months ago, too many people have said, “Veenu this is your time! This is what you have been preparing for. Now is when your parenting program and coaching is needed the most. People who used to be at work and barely home are now home with their spouses and kids. Kids are being home schooled with no social face to face outlets. Parents are losing their mind.”
I agree. So I GIVE for FREE group coaching, content, free calls, how many people sign up? 10. I felt like a failure. Here my clients pay top dollar for my coaching and programs and now when it is needed most, I can’t give it away?? WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???
Why can’t it be easy like it was for Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Amy Porterfield, etc.?? The I listened to Vanessa Van Edwards today… She showed me about Swans. I was hearing her talk about the beautiful swans (the followers, the likes, the engagement on her social media platforms) Then she showed the “muddy waters she had to swim to get there.” She says the swans look beautiful and majestic on top of the water, but what you don’t see is below, the muddy waters they swim tirelessly through, to get to where they are going. 9 Years, 1000’s upon 1000’s of blog posts, posts, books, and disappointments until she finally saw her beautiful swans.
I listened to that video over and over tonight as I realized, I haven’t done 1/2 of what she has done and yet I am still wanting the swans. My mentor today, was also saying, when are you ever going to have this small of a following, where you actually can connect personally with them? When have you stopped to look at the journey a truly appreciate it? I didn’t have an answer. Then, I watched this video of Vanessa Van Edwards, and she said the SAME thing. We are so focused on “getting there” we don’t enjoy the journey it took us to get there.
I now invite you, because surely I am not alone with feeling “ignored,” to stop for a moment, look at the last year, maybe even 2. What can you feel proud about? Where are you now, in comparison to where you were? What can you celebrate right now?