Be Your Own Biggest Fan

Let everything else fall into place.

Let’s talk a bit about success and social media. When we want to be successful, we dream of a having a giant following anywhere we have a presence, right? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Medium... even Google+.

Wait, wait, wait--is anyone still on G+ these days? Believe it or not, they are. And I only know this because I still have clients there. Yes, it's so weird.

At any rate, we all want the likes, followers, and shares. That means we've made it. Shoot, when you see someone with 25K followers--what do you think? Admit it--you assume they're making money in their sleep.

That’s the real allure of social media success. Deep down, we all want to make money in our sleep.

Of course, there’s another side to the whole "chase down those numbers" goal:

We want--er, hope-- and maybe even expect our friends and family to be our biggest fans. Whether we’re starting our own business, building our writing career, or following some direct sales route, whatever we’re doing makes us think that we’d be one step closer to social media stardom--if they’d just get on board, dammit.

I will be honest in saying that it’s struck me as a little odd. Many friends of mine will share stories from traditionally published writers they’ve never met but not my work. They’ll post the work of someone whom they feel has put in the work already and made it before they consider reading or sharing what I write. Despite the fact that I’m writing about many of the issues my friends are talking about.

And I'm not even selling anything. Unlike most of the people whose stories and statuses they do share.

Where’s the love, right?

Well, actually, I’m lucky because I do have a few active followers among my friends and family. I even have two Patreon patrons, which is kind of a big deal for me. Because I’ve just never been a super popular or influential person. I’m not someone many people have even believed in--except maybe when I was a child. Okay. I was actually like the school’s teacher’s pet in grade school if you can believe it. No, it did not win me many friends.

But I digress.

What have I ultimately learned through being a content creator, freelancer, and aspiring writer-of-whatever-the-hell-I-want even though I’ve got a wimpy network?

You've got to be your own biggest fan.

There's just no way around it.

At the end of the day, who cares how many followers you've got if you don't LOVE what you're doing?

Tons of likes and shares feel amazing... until you feel like you've sold out to get there.

You've got to be honest with yourself about why you're here and what you were really born to do. What are you good at that the world really needs? If that's where your work comes from, you'll be able to believe in it. You'll be able to believe in you. And be your own biggest fan.

Here's the deal: We've all heard the saying, "You can't please everyone. You're not a peach." Or whatever. Basically it means your work can't give everybody a happy ending. Ew, so don't try. But if you can't please yourself, you're going to seriously struggle when a critic or a troll comes along. And they will--regardless of your industry.

That's why I recommend becoming your own biggest fan by focusing on quality and value over any other numbers. Once you can truly believe in you, then the numbers can fall into place.

That's a hell of a lot more satisfying than chasing down those likes and followers--who let's face it, may not actually engage with your work anyway.

Look, I get it. There are many different strategies to obtain the success you've always dreamed of. I'm not here to rain on anyone's parade. But I am saying that maybe if you're not getting numbers you like, or at least, overall metric improvement... you might have an authenticity problem.

Can you honestly say that you are your biggest fan regardless of what anyone else says about your work and your goals?

You should.

See, I believe in a holistic success. Working on goals that will make you healthier and more mentally sound. Not goals that will break you.

You’ve got to feel good about what you’re doing. That shit should energize you even when it’s hard. You want more than the rat race, right? You want to break out of the whole damn thing?

Me too.

Then let's make sure we're each our own most stalwart supporter.

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