I deleted my Instagram
Happy full moon! It's in Pisces and the Piscean full moon is all about water. If you can, surround yourself in it - drink it, bath in it, listen to a recording of it. And allow whatever emotions want to flow, flow, because they are water too. <3
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
I deleted my Instagram.
And though the decision was some-what rash, it wasn't entirely.
The idea came to me in the shower (the best ones always do!) and though I waited a bit, I ended up asking my Tarot deck and when I pulled the Tower card I knew it was time for my account to crumble.
Because truth be told, I hate it.
I was taught it was important to a successful online business, but every part of me hated logging on and posting.
I'm not someone who takes pictures of herself, her food, her daily wanderings and I'm not someone who likes limiting what I feel for another (and their work) to a tiny heart I click as I scroll by an image.
It felt inauthentic and like we've reduced people to things to validate who we are - or make us a profit.
And even though I've spent the last little bit searching for ways to make the diary's Instagram more enjoyable, more authentic, I couldn't find anything that resonated enough for me to keep the app.
...
I also feel our world can be quick to drown out important voices and important messages because those voices/messages don't have enough of a following or get enough likes.
Which is NUTS.
Because an account with a large following is nothing more than an intention to have one (where intention goes, energy flows) and the time and energy (and desire and money) to put into a social media strategy. A large following doesn't equal wisdom, or influence, or anything other than an intention (and work! So much work, and props to those who can do it!) the person behind it had in growing it.
And my heart just doesn't want to be part of it.
Because while that lifestyle suits many, I've come to realize it doesn't suit me.
It might be the old soul in me but for now I'd rather spend my time and energy loving and learning and having conversation, not being sucked into scrolling and making a moment-to-moment judgement of someone by what they put on a virtual feed.
...
It was draining my energy.
And I decided tonight as I shut my account down that I wanted to instead use my energy to better serve you. And me!
And I guess that's why I'm writing this blog post.
I was supposed to post another blog post (we'll get to that next week, or maybe I'll copy and paste it into this coming week's self-care reminder) but I decided this was more important because every single day we get to choose where to put our energy. We get to decide what's worth investing hours of our precious lives for. Every single moment we get to make a choice to engage or let things fall away.
And it's the decisions we make that determine where we go.
It's the decisions we make that determine whether or not we'll be happy.
It's the decisions we make that will determine whether or not we are at peace.
...
Life is meant to be magical.
But when we get caught up in doing what suits another but doesn't suit us, we let it slip us by.
And we certainly don't find ourselves happy.
Maybe superficially, but not in the way it matters.
And so I've decided to align more fully with who I am.
I don't want my worth attached to a follower number or the amount of likes under a photo I was stressed about posting. I want my worth to be in my words, in my message, in how I choose to treat those who come across my space.
How I decide to be unapologically me and choose to think about why I do the things I do and if perhaps there is a different way.
...
Do I worry about what deleting Instagram will do to my brand? I did. At first. But I know I have a team and I know I am protected. And I choose to believe that this world happens for me, that my gut is always right and that listening to my guidance will never leave me astray.
And so tonight, I want you to use the energy of the approaching Piscean full moon to take a long look at what's working in your life and an even longer look at what isn't. And I want you to ask yourself: Where am I trying to fit into a box that wasn't made for me? And how can I realign with something more truthful?
Because the truth will set you free.
Not an Instagram account. Not the likes of other people.
What YOU need, want and believe.
x
Robin
P.S., Though I'm not going to be on Instagram, I will most definitely be here at the blog and I'll stay in touch most Wednesdays when I send you a weekly love note to remind you to put yourself first. And maybe someday, when I change or the platform changes, I'll be back to the platform. But for now, this is the perfect decision for me.