Okay, I am going to be honest with you. I have a love-hate relationship with social media. On one hand, it is entertaining and interactive. It is also powerful — we can use it to easily connect with like-minded people from around the world. I love that it is a space for people to connect and share their passions.
I have been so blessed to get to connect with Christian women who have similar goals as I do — to do work that blesses others and brings glory to God — via social media. It sounds so vague, but I can really see the hearts of these women in what they do when I connect with them. This is despite the fact that we do not all do the exact same work. Some of these women sell jewelry and use their pieces to help people in need, while others provide devotions to encourage women everyday. I even met a girl who is a brand manager and hopes to use her skills and talents to bring meaning and purpose to small businesses.
On the other hand, social media can be very discouraging and deceiving. I hate to admit this, but sometimes I take the “likes” and “comments” too seriously. However, I have learned a few ways to have a good relationship with these little apps on my phone.
1. Don’t take it too seriously
This one is hard for me as I really am trying to build connections with people on social media. I want to create helpful content, but sometimes the result is not what I expected. I focus too much on writing the perfect caption and choosing the best picture to align with my caption. It’s crazy how obsessed I can get when it comes to making sure that my overall grid is presentable, cohesive, and something that represents my brand in the best way possible. However, I have learned that social media is supposed to be fun as well; it provides a wonderful outlet for people to create and share what they love. These days, I try to tell myself to not take it too seriously and try to have fun with it–meaning I don’t need to force myself to come up with something super deep, impactful or mind blowing. All I need to do is to be genuine in what I share and engage with people the way I want to be engaged with.
2. You don’t need a ton of followers
In the past, I let the number of followers determine what I could and couldn’t do. It was so tiring and honestly a waste of time. We should never let that number determine our worth and what we are capable of. You’re worth so much regardless of that number! For me, I have a very specific target audience. All of my content is written intentionally for women in their 20s and mid 30s. I know I am not a superwoman who can serve everyone. Therefore, I am okay with some people not following or even liking my content, because it is actually not for them. The same goes for you my friend, you do not need to impress everyone. We were made for great things and God wants us to experience the freedom and abundance that life can bring. So PLEASE don’t let your follower count get to you.
3. Maintain Balance
I am guilty of spending too much time on social media, but I have been disciplining myself and learning how to have less screen time and more time being present with people I love. Fun fact: I schedule all my Instagram posts ahead of time so that I don’t spend hours each day choosing which picture to use and what caption to write. Other simple things, likes having no phones at the dinner table, go a long way. There is so much joy and meaningful content on social media that can really serve us well. But don’t forget about balance. Choose what really matters to you, another follower or like on Instagram, or the person sitting across the table from you?
Cheers,
C
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