Daring to Be Seen!

Last week was a lot of hard work preparing for and marketing a direct-selling event where I sold the candles I love making.  I tried some new things with video and social media that did not work out as planned. Facebook shortened my video to a length that gave no information to viewers, so I deleted the post. Instagram also shortened my video, but to a lesser extent, so most of the information was included. A post on Instagram containing 4 pictures worked perfectly, but when IG shared it to FB it pulled every photo on my phone. I was told both platforms had been glitchy and not working correctly, but I should have double checked to be certain my posts had gone out into the world as intended. Embarrassing?  Yes!  A learning experience? Definitely! Am I going to be all self-conscious and never post again on social media?  Not a chance!

That being said, I had a moment this morning wondering, "Why am I doing this? I netted about $100 from all that effort." So I sat down to clarify with myself exactly why I'm making these choices.

 

In order to live these "reasons," I have to be willing to do new and scary things that the world will see. I will make mistakes and not let my pride get in the way of continuing to learn and grow. I spent the early years of my life trying desperately not to be seen. I didn't like the way I looked and was extremely shy. I am, after all, very much an introvert and can happily spend days alone in my own company. Now that I feel I'm ready to be seen, I'm finding out how difficult it can be to actually capture an audience.

The past 2 years I've been focused on food production through both gardening and keeping laying hens. I have built 2 gardens and am working on a third. Next spring, I WILL raise meat chickens successfully. All of this has been through trial and error. So too, will my venture into the world of social media. Working in the dirt and taking care of animals is easy peasy compared to learning new technology and apps. In the graphic above I've written "Educate/Inspire Others." I have a lot of learning ahead of me to successfully accomplish this. I'm okay with that.

Best wishes for a wonderful day, Friends!