I had a feeling, but I didn’t know the reasons. Until I wrote them down:
- to attract the people, I would love to engage with;
- to test my values;
- to market my products;
- to build a media company of one;
- to test ideas and get feedback.
There might be more profound reasons:
- I want to be heard;
- I seek approval;
- I feel lonely.
Or even:
- I want to inspire;
- I feel that I must share;
- I love to write.
I can’t find the only one and the only true root cause for why I do it.
It is all about people
I post a photo of me sitting inside a BMW with a gold necklace on my neck and share common wisdom like: “Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life”.
What emotions does this post provoke? Who would react to a post like this one? What kind of people does this post attract? And do I want to connect to this kind of people?
The shallow answer is that I should do it more. It will increase engagements and the number of likes, and I will receive a dopamine release. More dopamine release, please!
But for the long-term, it won’t work and won’t attract the people I want to build a relationship with.
There is no right or wrong! I am not against posting photos with excellent cars and showing off gold possessions. It is your choice. And it might be your hobby — you love cars and gold toys. But one must know the true reason why they do it and what people they attract.
You have yours, and I share my preferences.
If I share problems that genuinely puzzle me or if I post about my values or struggles and share sincerely what I do and what I think. I see that much fewer people react to posts like these. But these are precisely the people I care about and want to engage with. And these also might be the people who care about me.
This post is an example. I don’t expect any engagement for it. But I would be happy enough to get at least one reply for it because I know that among those who read, there are many exciting people with whom it might resonate.
Test my values
It is a tough one. I don’t want people to follow me or act like me. I am a dangerous weirdo balancing between a colossal failure and a moderate success. It is not for everybody. But! I want to live in a world where people love what they do. I mean, they immerse themselves in their work. It does not matter if they work for somebody else or for themselves. But internally, they are genuinely free and dedicated to their “art”.
I don’t need to change the world. Who am I? The world is already perfect. But I can change myself, act upon my beliefs, and show that living the life one dreams about is possible.
I am still not there. And that’s why it is way more interesting. Once I arrive at my destination, I will start creating “beautiful” stories. But today, you don’t read narratives I crafted for your ears. You read outlines about my journey. You read my raw thoughts and feelings — the raw truth. And that’s why I share. I reformulate my values for myself and check periodically if they still resonate with me. If they don’t resonate with me, they won’t resonate with you either.
Lateral marketing
I am becoming noisy by sharing everything I do and how I do it. It helps me to attract attention and, yes, to create a little noise. It is not easy, but I found that it is a good tactic for marketing, not a strategy.
I share small wins and significant failures related to my products. Many people see it. And if it is shared in a relevant channel, potential customers might see it.
This approach helps me to test channels before investing in them heavily. I see what works and what does not, and if I receive positive signals — I can double down.
A media company of one
Creating a brand or media company of one is an excellent asset to have. You can use the company to communicate your mission and share your values.
If it is a strong enough brand, I can expand and experiment with the product line and share more products under the same umbrella.
Test ideas and get feedback
I want to write well. I want to polish my ideas. I want to see what might work and what not. Writing in public helps a lot. Because every time you publish a piece of shit, it just does not resonate. Nobody cares.
But once you post a great thing, you have much positive feedback. And I don’t mean likes and shares. I mean, people send you messages and give you detailed feedback.
It can’t happen without sharing. You can’t improve your work by sharing it with others and seeing if it resonates. Or you can?
To be heard
There is no right or wrong.
It is a kind of self-centered point of view. Maybe even of the sick person. But everybody wants to be heard. And I am not an exception.
I want somebody to listen to my ideas, like them, and give me feedback. And deep down inside, I know where this feeling comes from. I seek approval — don’t have enough self-confidence.
For approval
When you are confident enough in what you are doing, you don’t need approval from others. You do what you must do.
I don’t feel that I have enough courage to do it. But I work on it. And I have made progress. Slowly, but I progress.
Loneliness
I meet many people, and they are all different. I have close friends and so close ones. And frankly, it is hard to find the person with whom all your ideas resonate. And probably one shouldn’t seek such a person.
Writing is a dialog between me and… me. When I write, I don’t feel lonely. I don’t feel anything. I write.
To inspire
How a human who seeks approval can inspire others? I don’t know. I don’t. I received many positive messages from people who were one or two steps behind me.
And it motivates me to keep writing and sharing. If what I share helps ten people, it might help one hundred people.
Must share
I just can’t. I want to write and share, and that’s it. There is no explanation for it. It is part of my DNA.
The little joy of writing
Reaction to what I write is not under my control. Likes are perishable, but the joy of writing is not.
A question for you
Why don’t you do it? And if you do, why?