Something’s been happening to me lately. To be honest, it happened late last year, which means it’s been going on for quite some time now…probably about six months. And it’s been quite unsettling.
I’m allergic to online marketing.
Right, so I’m not actually allergic. I’m just not really drawn to using it very much anymore. It’s become a chore, rather than a pleasure to use.
At first, I thought it was because I was letting go of my social media marketing company, and my aversion to social networking for business was my brain’s way of helping me to make that transition. Makes sense, right? But then it just kept going.
I’ve fallen behind in reading my blog feeds, and I’ve been neglecting all of my social media accounts. I check into Twitter once a day at most, and I post to Facebook just a few times a week (you can imagine what that’s done to my reach…it’s dismal). I continue to use social media a bit for socializing, but not as much as I used to. And it mostly involves automatic posts of my nature walks from Instagram to Facebook.
And then I understood
It wasn’t until I was halfway through a walk from Guildford to Dorking last Sunday, along the North Downs Way, that I realized what was happening: I’ve been on a deep inner journey for the past few months, and particularly the last six weeks. It’s an exploration of myself and who I am.
I’ve been going on my sacred nature walks as often as I can. Long walks in the woods and through the countryside nourish my soul in a way that nothing else does. And to be honest, before I tapped into the deep pleasure of solitude I get from these walks, I don’t think I full understood what “nourish my soul” really meant.
Nature walks are the most luscious of soul food.
It’s a relief to understand what’s been going on for me. I was aware of this inner journey, but I wasn’t clear on how it was affecting other areas of my life. It makes sense that when you delve into the depths of yourself, reaching out to connect with others on social media isn’t the first thought on your mind. At least, it hasn’t been for me.
I had been hoping to step up my newsletters from once a month to once a week…that seems like a bad joke right now. Content creation, like videos and blogs…it happens every once in a while, but not with the natural ease that it used to.
Read my related blog post: How to Add More Nature to Your Entertainment and Social Media Feeds
Why I’m sharing this
I’m telling you this story not because I have the solution. I’ll be honest: I’m still in the middle of this thing and I’m not sure when I’m coming out the other side. And I’m not in a rush; I’m enjoying it while it lasts.
I’m sharing this with you because you might be going through something similar. Or perhaps you did last year, and beat yourself up with guilt because you weren’t marketing your business like you thought you should. Or maybe it’s something you’ll experience at some point in the future.
The point is: it’s okay. Business will go on.
I actually have more clients now than I ever have before. It might be because all of my work in the past is paying off: both the inner and the outer work. Or it might be because I’m finally stepping into my zone of genius and focusing on that.
Sometimes, we need to take a break to do the inner work that will help us take things to a new level. If we deny ourselves this sacred space to go within, we risk missing out on this new phase of things to come. And we risk sticking to the time-trodden path that we’re so used to, unaware that there are sparkly new things on the horizon for us…if only we’d just pay attention.
If you ever experience anything like this, give yourself permission to take all the time you need. Go within, on your inner journey. Make contact. Get what you need. Prepare to move onward and outward to the new things that await you.
Good luck on your journey!
What about you?
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever gone from being social media maven to social media hermit? Please share in the comments. I’d love to hear your story.
Hi,
Hah! I see Social Media as a necessary chore. From the start. It’s this black box, of often meaningless comments, commenting on people I don’t know and may well never meet. It’s such a random process, takes lots of time, and I get so very little out of it. Of course it’s nice when someone likes my post, blog or quote, even better if it gets more likes and RTs than ever before. But what does it mean?? Is it actually helping someone?
Then when I speak to someone and they say ‘I love your updates, it’s great to hear you are publishing a book and I LOVE the title!’ I suddenly realise the value and it feels great. It’s about keeping in touch with a wider network. It’s important, but it’s still a chore. Needed to build an audience. Needed to build a following. After all, I am not making video’s, blogs and writing a book just to let them gather dust in my cupboard. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE people to hear my message and take it to heart.
Any ideas on how to make Social Media more fun would be good though….
Thanks for your comment, Inge! This has been sooooo baffling to me. I always LOVED social media! It was my business! I saw it as a place to network online, a place to get to know other people. And I’ve met so many amazing people online. Perhaps if you approach it from that angle: as a way to meet other people and connect, that might help. Also…when I taught people social media marketing, I was very big on having them choose just 1-2 social networks and really focus on those, rather than trying to be everywhere. Because that’s just exhausting. Maybe step back, think about which 1-2 social networks you actually enjoy using. Then think about whether your ideal clients and your ideal connections for networking are on there, and just drop everything else and focus on those. Good luck!
Thanks for sharing this Holly, it’s refreshing to hear. As a holistic practitioner much of what I teach involves encouraging clients to spend time off-line and re-establish their relationship to nature. I struggle with social media because I feel that I am contributing to the problem by overloading lives which are already over-stimulated. I think it’s a delicate balance which you have addressed as you ebb and flow with it and in that way your communication is more authentic and has more value. Perhaps if more business owners had your insight we would all have less rubbish in our inboxes!
Thanks for your comment, Fay! I know all the marketing experts tell us we have to send weekly emails, but I’ve never managed to do it more than once a month! First of all, I just don’t have the time. Second, I am very precious about my inbox and tend to unsubscribe when people email me weekly. It’s just too much!
My relationship with nature has grown so much over the past few years, but especially in the last couple of months. It can be hard to balance that inward journey with reaching out to others. I’ll update once I get a better perspective on this. 🙂