Why I'm Sharing So Much of My Life
Good morning Ya'll!
Today, I want to talk about why I've made the decision to share my personal life on the internet.
IT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS
For most of the past decade of my life, I was completely off all social media.
I believed that social media was just a game to grab attention, slowly robbing us of our time and self-worth.
I wanted to have no part in that.
A few years later, I was introduced to the power of YouTube.
These videos began to open me up to a new world of knowledge that I had never experienced before.
I began watching personal development and motivational content every day.
I began to warm up to the idea of making social media a larger part of my life, so I began to post pictures of my own.
Before I'd post a picture, in my head I'd ask myself a few questions....
"Does this picture make me look good?"
"Does the caption say anything that might offend someone?"
"How would I feel if my boss saw this picture?"
"If a cute girl were to look at this picture, would she be more or less likely to date me?"
If any of these questions weren't a favorable answer, I wasn't going to post it.
I thought... "The entire world is going to see this, why would I not put my best foot forward?"
This is a completely valid viewpoint, but also not the whole story.
I didn't ask myself these questions from a place of love, it was coming from a place of fear.
I was hyper-focused on what others would think, so I began to filter myself.
At that time, being a severe people pleaser, I couldn't fathom the idea of someone disliking what I had posted.
This often times resulted in choosing to not post at all.
I used to justify not sharing my face or opinions online as a concern for privacy.
But then I realized that it wasn't about privacy, it was just insecurity.
I was so afraid of being seen, that I bit my tongue and put on a mask.
TAKING OFF THE MASK
I had to completely rewire how I look at the world, to finally realize that all of my insecurities were an illusion.
We've all received programming that has been passed down for generations.
We've been taught that we must be perfect in all moments, or else the world around us will crumble.
That's not the case at all...
Through personal experience, I've realized....
That no one really cares.
No one cares if I look bad in a picture,
No one cares if I misspell words in my newsletter,
No one cares if I stumble my words while making a video.
It's actually what people love the most...
When we look back on pictures from our childhood,
the ones that we cherish the most are when we were acting like a complete goofball,
not the school pictures that we needed to look perfect for.
When I think about the political beliefs I once argued about in my high school government class, I can't help but chuckle at what I used to believe.
Even the beliefs that Iām sharing right now...
I know that in 6 months, let alone 60 years, I'm going to laugh about it.
I've made peace knowing that I'm not going to get everything right.
I'm going to make mistakes in front of the public.
What does that make me?
Human.
That makes me human.
WHY POST SO MUCH?
I've been posting a lot recently, and it's only going to expand.
But why?
It's what I'm here to do.
I'm meant to be a writer and speaker.
Structuring my day around sharing messages through the keyboard and camera feels like the best use of my time.
I'm here to take risks, and openly share my mistakes and successes with the world.
I'm here to take complex ideas, and make them simple for the average person to understand.
A part of me feels like I've healed much of my own suffering in a world that seems increasingly challenging for the majority.
I feel it's my duty to guide others who are trapped in the same cycle of suffering I experienced.
I'm in no place to tell anyone a "You should" statement,
but I do feel like I'm meant to share a "This worked for me" statement.
I know how much pain and suffering others have saved me by going out of their way to share their story,
it would be a disservice for me not to do the same with the tools we have today.
Theoretically, I can record a video on my phone and instantly share it with three billion people around the world.
That's absolute magic.
I'm doing my best to utilize that technology for good.
By sharing authentic, positive messages with the world.
I know it's definitely improving my human experience, and I hope it's doing the same for you.
CONCLUSION
I believe sharing my personal experiences can better serve the world.
Therefore, I'm going to share openly and honestly.
It'll be more authentic and vulnerable than what we're used to, and it may take some time for the viewers to adjust.
But that's what the world needs.
The world needs this technology to make us more human, not the opposite.
This is how I'm choosing to make that happen.
That's it for today.
You are loved and you are enough.
See you soon,
I unconditionally love you all.
-Cameron Hogan