It takes courage to share online…
Journeying through hesitation to expression and spirals of growth.
Delving into the courage that is required to express ourselves and share on social media on this new moon in Sagittarius… It's a journey that sees us navigating various obstacles – from our fears and insecurities to the numerous vulnerabilities we face in being visible online. By acknowledging these challenges and understanding them, we can transform our hesitations and recognise that growth is not linear, that it is a spiral that comes from this brave journey of sharing.
My own dance with sharing on social media is a spiral and I often find that I am self-sabotaging by not using my own systems. I will put client work before my own, have it last on my to-do list, or avoid it all together at times because of what I have going on in life or because of what is going on in the world.
Often thought, I see that this is resistance, and with this resistance there is an invitation to find out what might be going on underneath that.
Sharing online takes courage and inner work to cultivate the confidence required and it is something that deserves more of our intention and attention if we want to use social media consciously and consistently.
I see how so many of us can get blocked, thrown off or avoid it because…
Showing up consistently
Can feel like such a drag,
Sometimes it feels stressful
And sometimes it feels drab.
Sometimes it’s just so overwhelming,
What it does to us inside.
It makes us want to disappear,
To run away and hide.
It triggers our emotions,
And brings up lots of fear.
But we can move through this quickly,
When we bring the love back here.
The love we have inside us,
That makes us want to share.
The gifts and joy that drive us,
It becomes a living prayer.
Poem taken from Social Media For A New Age - Divinations and Activations
Visibility and online communication is something that is called for, pretty much on the daily, for most of us these days, especially if you want to attract people to your work.
Chances are, if you have chosen to use social media to communicate your services, products or passions, then you will have experienced some feelings of overwhelm, anxiety or blocks at different times.
I see clients, friends, colleagues and myself get stuck with…
Perfectionism paralysis and procrastination.
Comparison, self-doubt and self-sabotage.
Not feeling good/ easy with the technology / tools
A fear of being judged or seen, unconscious or otherwise.
A lack of time, energy and enthusiasm
Frustration with a perceived lack of followers, likes and reach / sales / success.
Do you recognise these?
Take some time to sit with each of them, either now or at another time to suit, and think about which ones you most identify with. You can bring this awareness into your journalling, meditation, breath-work practice or inner work processes to feel into and understand more deeply.
Blocks can also stem from more spiritual / energetic places, where there are perpetuating patterns, hooks or past-life karma that we are working through in this lifetime. My friend
speaks to the ‘Witch Wound’, when sharing online in this timeline.It’s worth considering a myriad of things that may present itself to you.
Navigating the online world and having the courage to share is a delicate balance.
When are you being careful, and when are you self-sabotaging?
Wisdoms lie in discerning the difference.
Sharing online is also learning to express yourself in ways that are nurturing, not self-limiting. It really is quite the journey, being visible. Having the courage to share online takes time and energy. That time or energy is not always available, so we have to be mindful and gentle, take breaks and rest too.
The algorithm is personal, subjective and unique - so I propose a way of working that can be circular, seasonal… A spiral. 🌀
The way we share online can be non linear because our growth is non-linear in nature.
Not something we are told by the marketing industry, or led to believe we can do because of the algorithms (and because… Capitalism/ Patriarchy…)
Practising sovereignty around social media is something I will be sharing more about in 2024, the year of the Wood Dragon, where key themes are leadership: specifically sovereignty and self leadership.
We need to take our power, and attention back, through intention and daily practices, giving presence to how we pace and protect ourselves when sharing publicly.
Now take a nice deep breath.
And another one.
In and out of your heart space.
Letting any stress you feel around sharing on social media melt away for a moment.
It's important to approach sharing online with clarity around who you are and what you are doing there.
This is not about crafting an idealised online persona or making yourself go viral; indeed this sag new moon invites us into honest expression and genuine connection.
Yet authenticity might feel risky.
For example I notice that when I show up and share authentically, consistently, I loose as many followers as I gain. But this can be seen as a sweet spot because it is also means it’s a place where we are making meaningful engagement and building real connections through our content online - and loosing those that don’t resonate.
‘Point of View Posts’ or ‘POV’ posts as they are called if you work in the world of social media marketing, get engagement for a reason and are often some of the most popular posts my clients put out.
The sharper and more unique your POV is the more effective it can be in terms of connecting online and marketing yourself and your services.
Sharing your POV, your truth and honest expression calls for a balance between exploration and introspection as you think more about how you express yourself on social media.
It means learning more deeply who we are and what we stand for, finding the courage to express things; even it means people will disagree and unfollow us.
This is hard though.
Especially when opinions are strong and cancel culture is cruel. It can make us hesitate or self-censor… I wrote about this last year…
“The more we become ourselves, speak and share it outwardly - the more we have to learn to love that fear within. That fear of being too much, of being too different, of being too seen or too free.”
Sophie Gregroire @sophieg_ journeyauthenticself
It's easy to get caught up in the cycle of constant posting and the pressure to keep up and try and be a version of ourselves we think people will like online.
But truly, it's not about quantity; it's about the quality, relevance and resonance of what we share. And being consistent with that in an authentic, non linear, sustainable way.
Being consistent does not mean posting everyday but it does mean being congruent with you messaging, trying out different rhythms, mediums and having the courage to share at your own pace and space online.
Thats why I like to think of it as a spiral, and in seasons of showing up.
Cultivating your creations and finding ways to communicate them effectively and consistently over time.
It is like riding a wave.
Walking a labyrinth.
The journey is not linear.
We ebb and flow as we grow.
🌀If you are wanting to work on how you are sharing yourself and your business online, or on your social media strategy/ planning as a whole for 2024, and would like to explore this with me, get in touch kate.brockhurst@me.com ✨
If you enjoyed this moon-letter and you know someone that who would benefit from my work, please share with them thank you!