Authentically Who?

Last week I made a commitment to be more authentic in this process. This then begged the question "who actually is Bethany?" I can't be myself if I have no idea who "myself" is. I had to figure that out this week. 

So where do you start?

If you're an ambitious creative, I have no doubt in my mind that at least once in your life, you've felt this too. You've paused and wondered if this is actually who you are. You've wondered if you're accidentally putting on a different face for social media. But, we're supposed to be happy and interact with out followers right? We're supposed to be exciting and engaging. Yes we are. But they can engage with anyone and everyone they want to. You have to add a little spice, a little YOU.

It took me a second to figure out what that meant for me, but, I just focused on how I genuinely reacted to things. When I wasn't "performing" for anyone, I watched how my emotions showed through when I received good news or my daily interactions.

I found out that for me this means a little bit of dry humor mixed into things. Obviously I can't be sarcastic in all of my Instagram captions, but it can really shine through in my Tik Toks. I'm able to incorporate my goofy personality and dry humor (contradictory I know, but it's a whirlwind up in this brain and I'm just as confused as you are) into my videos. I've received a much better response on these and it makes my viewer feel seen. I feel more real to them and honestly, I do feel more real. It's like a relief. I can put my camera up and film ME and not something I'm constantly trying to be.

So now it's your turn. Notice how you are alone. You get an email with the dream brand deal. How do you react? Do you cry, scream, happy dance, happy wiggle? How do you speak to your friends when you're genuinely having a good time or when you call your mom to tell her about the amazing day you just had? Watch your tone of voice and facial expressions closely. The viewer can tell when you're being inauthentic or forcing enthusiasm. Make sure you know what you look like and what you do when you are genuinely happy about something so that you can share that with your followers.

I'm not saying to watch these reactions so that you can recreate them, quite the opposite. I'm saying to recognized when you are genuine with your emotions so that you can capture the moment and not try to cover it with a personality you fabricated. 

What now? 

We already know I'm on this insane journey, but right now I am inviting you to come along. I want you to do this with me and see what success comes your way.

There is a comment section on here, so take advantage of that and share your success and your struggles. The more of us going through this at the same time, the better. I want to be able to learn from you just as much as you learn from me.

Even if you don't share your experience on here, I still challenge you this week to watch how you post. To stay authentic when you show up on your social media. It's too easy to pretend we are someone we aren't, so this week you are going to show as much as your personality as you possibly can when you post. 

Now for your fav part :)

My top 3 success tips this week

1. Always be open to realize how little you know. 

This week while managing the social media page for the home security company I work at, I started working with an experienced creative director. He took one look at the page I had curated and immediately told me we needed to delete everything. Throughout the duration of our meeting he threw out technical terms I had never heard in my life and was not please with my seeming lack of knowledge about the professional marketing world. Surprisingly, I did not go cry after the meeting (which would have been very on brand for me). Instead, I felt invigorated. I felt inspired. Weirdly enough, that criticism is just what I needed right then. It was nice to see that I really didn't have all the answers, and I had so much learning to do. He was so assured of himself and had so much experience that I get to learn from. So this week I get to see how the pros do it and I get to grow so much more. I really thought I knew what I was doing, but it's nice to be humbled and shown a different strategy. 

2. Your mental health comes first

Throughout this, I've really seen first hand how downhill you can go in content creation if you are not putting your mental health as a priority. If you are not paying attention to the cues your body is giving you, or taking a break when you need it, you WILL burn out. It's so hard to be creative when you've been talking down on yourself all day for not being productive enough. Breathe baby girl, it's ok to take a nap sometimes and take some time to breathe. 

3. Professionals do it with a headache

Yes I'm aware this basically contradicts the other bullet point, but this doesn't mean push yourself to the breaking point. This means doing the hard work when no one else wants to. It doesn't mean to keep going even when your body is telling you to rest and heal. That's not healthy. This means to keep going when things get tough and you're not seeing results. If you're not getting sales, likes, followers, engagement, brand deals or whatever it is you're aiming for, keep trying. The "headache" is that frustration you feel when it's not going as planned. This is what divides the pros from the wanna-be's. If it gets hard and you roll with the punches, you'll come out on the other side SO much better for it. 

See you all soon!!

xoxo, Bethany