If you're an entrepreneur struggling to make it in the field of "personal development" - you're not alone. You need to become aware of the noisy landscape that you are attempting to trek.
Over the past eleven years the space of "self help" has multiplied exponentially. One only has to look around and notice that EVERYONE including your aunt proclaims to be a "self-help guru" and a speaker.
The progressive and manipulative advancements of "social media" has corralled billions of people along a delusional path like cattle with little opportunity of breaking free. There was probably a time when you used to drive your marketing efforts with REAL human touch points. We call that "feet on the street."
Face to face meetings
Discovery sessions
Workshops + events
Personalized direct mail
Like most of us old schoolers, you probably didn't know what the hell you were doing with social media. You didn't even have a Facebook account or if you did you worked in a couple hours a week attempting to uncover the hidden mysteries of updating your so called "profile" page. (No offense Linked In but I agonized over your interface for months. "User friendly is not how I would describe you!)
Somewhere over the rainbow you heard the "cattle call" and you blazed a trail to the new promised land of dopamine. You felt you were missing out as the herd began it's unconscious march toward "candy land".
Your social media time increased from a couple of hours a week to daily several hours a day. Like a child in a candy store, your new sugar rush demanded more. Your list of "virtual friends" expanded from 21 to 2,000 in just a couple of short weeks. You had no idea who any of them were but Facebook's new al·go·rithm (a process or system of rules) revealed you shared mutual "virtual friends" so you didn't want to miss out hitting "YES" and the opportunity to sell them your latest product or service. ("If I sent you a video promising you such and such would you watch it?)
Along came the expansion of "candy land" with the emergence of Facebook's little sister, Instagram (soon to be acquired by big brother). She emerged into the world as a place for photographers and artists to share their one-of-a-kind pics. You noticed the herd making their way to her eastern borders so you got swept up into the new age of the #hashtag.
Today, you find yourself unable to cope without your "smart phone". It has become your lifeforce. It tells you everything about your "virtual self" - it's your magic carpet to the sweet and tantalizing mysteries of the "cloud". You can't be more than twelve inches away from it. You find yourself unconsciously checking the social media feeds one last time before you drift off with mister sandman hoping there will be some larger numbers next to your latest "live video". It waits patiently on the night stand while you slumber. It's the last thought of the day and the first upon rising. You wake up in a panic thinking to yourself, "Fuck, I should have BOOSTED that last post!"
The only "smart" wisdom about your digital appendage is that the corporate giants along with the cell phone conglomerates are basking in the world's greatest dopamine addiction in world history.
You begin comparing your efforts with your "virtual friends" - well, let's get real, they are more like "digital strangers" that wouldn't recognize you if you bumped into them in the street!
So, where is this "sugar rush" taking us - what is our point of arrival? Do we even know or do we need another APP for that like the one that tells us what we'll look like virtually when we're fucking ninety-years-old! Really?
What REAL connection can you possibly create when 7 billion people are slaves to the same system? Like most people you're panicking and posting more feverishly than ever before like a drowning victim from the Titanic hoping something or someone will rescue you:
ADD TO MY STORY. Better keep pumping those pics since they dissapear within 24 hours.
GO LIVE 3-4 times a day hoping to attract the breakfast, brunch and after dinner herd - since they can't put their phone down even while they sit their ass on the toilet.
DOUBLE UP your efforts on Instagram to increase your chances of "being seen".
SHARE MEMORIES that Facebook "strategically" brings to your attention. (Those are my favourite. "We've created a "special memory" with your "virtual friend" that you've never met just for you to share).
DON'T FORGET about Facebook Messenger and the forty three groups that you've been added to.
PLAY THE GAMES: What word best describes me - who gives a rats ass!
Like a bad shampoo commercial you're doing the same thing over and over, everyday, every minute - "lather, rinse and repeat." When you actually choose to take a breather you'll notice that five years have drifted away. Congratulations, you've managed to invest around 35,000 hours representing a third of your precious life feeding an out of control system architected to do only ONE sweet thing - to never let you go!
This isn't social media this is "social control" and it's no wonder you're not connecting with the hearts and souls of the people you hope to serve.
You're missing out on the three primary goals of your brand's lifeforce - INSPIRE, ENGAGE and CONNECT.
There is some light on the other side of the valley and it's not coming from Silicon. It's about reconnecting to what really mattes to you in this very brief and noisy lifetime. The shareholders of planet earth have a chance to "plug into humanity" and Reach Out and Inspire one another to look up and witness the miracle of life that is passing us by. As a human being the only thing you need to BOOST is the BELIEF in yourself and your deeper WHY; your true reason for BEing.
