Is it just me or is there a general feeling of overwhelm on social media? Anyone running a business seems to be under constant pressure to take this course, take that workshop, read this book, hire that expert, etc.
I recently read a comment on a Facebook group that said procrastination was another term for laziness! There seems to be no room for rest, relaxation or contemplation allowed: it has to be go, go, go!
social media madness
I understand that I am generalizing here and that there are people who appreciate the “go slow” and “grow organically” approach, but they are not as easy to find as the highly driven and driven people who never seem to stop. to breathe
My Facebook feed is now full of sponsored ads instead of posts I’d like to see related to people I’m connected with. An increasing number of YouTube videos (and now Facebook videos) are interspersed with ads, to the point where I constantly see the same people asking me if I want to be successful, rich, travel the world, love myself more. same etc – so often, in fact, that I find myself annoyed by the intrusion – once again he got in the way of me looking at what I had chosen – a bit like an uninvited and unwanted guest at a party.
Now the trend is videos and Facebook Live (and probably others that I haven’t caught on to yet, they move really fast). This is great when people have something important or interesting to say, but my feeling is that some people feel pressured to do so for fear of being left behind and becoming invisible in the face of the ‘Look at me’ culture being created. . I’ve seen more than one FB live session where the person just rambles on with nothing important to say, or spends the time talking to their friends who are watching. I’m not referring to personal messages here that are meant to be just for fun, but to real business owners who are trying to promote their business and are probably doing more harm than good because they haven’t structured their sessions.
self-monitoring
The underlying feeling I pick up from all of this is panic and lack of control. The world of social networks is wonderful: there is a lot of information at our fingertips, but it can also be brutal if we do not control ourselves.
It takes an inordinate sense of self and inner peace and calm to not get caught up in the whirlwind of online life. It pounces on any self-doubt or lack of self-esteem: there are so many people who want to ‘fix’ us, make us better people (in whose image I wonder?), and generally make us the next big business success. Most of the time we can become mere puppets in the online game of life, with our limbs flailing in all directions so as not to miss the ‘next big thing’ that will bring ultimate success.
So what is success? If success for you is millions in the bank, then there is a lot of pressure to achieve that goal, especially if we focus on making it happen more or less instantly. What price are we willing to pay for it? Are we sure that we will achieve happiness and success with an overflowing bank account?
However, if success is happiness, then I think we should be able to jump off the treadmill from time to time: take time to do things we enjoy, or not at all if that mood takes us. We have to understand that we need to bring balance to our lives, nothing in nature is constantly driven. Taking time for quiet contemplation, or procrastination, is just as important as moments of high productivity and focused intention. This doesn’t rule out millions in the bank, it just means we’re not exhausted and close to a nervous breakdown when we get there!
detachment
Detachment from the result is a concept that not everyone accepts, but it can be the key to releasing stress in all areas of our lives. Realistically, none of us know where a new relationship, business, job, home, etc. is. it will take us, if it will bring us what we want or imagine, or something different. There is an element of risk in all of this. There is always a greater plan for our lives that is beyond our control.
Who says that the new relationship is not just a means to introduce you to the person you really should be with, or that new job will not push you over the edge to make the decision to follow your true dream? We just don’t know, and that’s how it should be.
I remember when I lived in the Algarve, teaching English and doing tarot and graphology sessions. I approached local hotels with the idea of becoming an inside reader so they could offer something different to their guests, but no luck at all. I started looking further and soon after I was offered a job as a resident reader at a Golf and Leisure Club in Vale do Lobo. This involved a 1.5 hour bus ride in each direction several times a week. At the time I didn’t understand why I could only get a steady job at Vale do Lobo, but a few months later it became clear. Circumstances changed and I needed to leave the apartment I was living in and it being July it was very difficult to find alternative accommodation. What was presented was a beautiful villa with a sea view, just a 20-minute walk from where I was working at Vale do Lobo. No one will ever convince me that there isn’t a greater plan at work, beyond our individual comprehension.
conclusion
Each of us is different and my message is really that each of us should run our businesses (and our lives) our own way. If we are open and use our intuition, nuggets of wisdom and definite direction will become apparent and we will be internally driven to do what is necessary. That could be downtime: a day watching Netflix or taking a trip to the beach, or a day interacting on social media, making accounts, or writing an article. For example, I had no plans to write this article when I woke up this morning, inspiration suddenly hit me and Hey Presto!
Some of you may have seen a recent video about Adele’s early life. What caught my attention the most was that when she was a teenager a friend of hers made a demo of some of her songs and sent it to her. Two years later she found out and so did Adele, and the rest is history. I am a big believer that things happen when they are meant to happen, and as long as we do our best, are our authentic selves, our time will come!
My last piece of advice is: enjoy your business/life, run it in a way that makes you happy: do your best, take some time to relax, take the advice that resonates and throw the rest away, collaborate instead of compete and watch and see where it takes you. Amazing things can happen when we are willing to let go of constant control and follow our natural ebb and flow.