In Social Media, a lot of people look for markers. We strive for x number of followers. We aim for x number of subscribers. We want to get x many comments on our posts. We want x many fans on our Facebook pages. But there is a secret that you don’t always get a hint of when you’re just starting out.
Social Media is a place that never stops. It never waits. It never pauses.
You wrote a post that soared like an eagle? You’re not done. Get off those laurels. On to the next one.
You wrote a post that sank like a rock? There’s no time for moping in this space. Pick yourself up. On to the next one.
You got mentioned by a super big name and traffic on your site hit record highs? Set a new record and get ready to beat it.
On to the next one. On to the next one.
Your triumphs in Social Media never mark the end, nor do your failures. If you had a bad day, move on to the next one. If you had a great day – still move on to the next one. It begins fresh with every post, with every status update, with every tweet.
Is that scary? Yep. Sure is.
Is it also invigorating and a fun challenge? I think so.
You’re never done proving yourself here. You’re never done perfecting your craft. You’re never done picking yourself up. You’re never done picking other people up.
On to the next one. On to the next one.
And nobody can stop you but you.
PS, thanks for the inspiration, Jay-Z.
Margie,
So much said in a small phrase “On to the next One”. This is where a lot of people go wrong. They stay focused on what they have done instead of focusing on the next thing.
In my culture like in many people are always asking so where did you go to school, where did you work, who are your parents, and a serious of questions of what you have done in the past. In most occasions you feel like your are being interrogated or to the least being interviewed for a job. The people that don’t care about you will take these attitudes trying to find you a place in your community or society.
This phrase is so powerful that no matter how many bad days, weeks, months or years you are ready to approach the next challenge and make it your best.
On my side I take this attitude and will complement it with Robbie Vorhaus phrase “One more One Less” I think does to work together.
Thanks for giving us such an inspiring post to start our day!
Those do work well together!
Thank you for your insightful comment, as always. It’s true – this statement works for all kinds of things, but I think it can be particularly useful in Social Media 🙂
Hear, hear, Raul! “The Interview” part of social interaction is a pain – and does little good. In reality it attempts to place people in little categories rather than seeing them for the entirety they are. When meeting new people – something I’ve done a lot of these days – I’ve stopped asking what they do for a living and asked asking what they do. Some people get it and share their passions in life rather than their occupation. Others spend their time fumbling about trying to find a spot for that question in their head. Good for you for seeing through all that and getting on with living.
Margie has touched on the quintessential reason SM is so powerful – the ability to live our human existence in another context. At the core is the need to be a human and as such the experience is fraught with huge successes and stunning defeats. Yet the human spirit is meant to soar: resting on one’s laurels does nothing to help expand our experience and “picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and starting all over again” is critical to overcoming the difficulties we all face from time to time.
As always, terrific food for thought, MC. Thank you.
And that’s the kind of comment that makes blogging worth it – taking it all to the next level. Thanks, Paul, for sharing those thoughts. Well said!
It’s not so much that no one can stop you, it’s also that you shouldn’t let anyone try.
In the past two months I have given up a couple of projects that were probably worth quite a few dollars to me, but the metal cost of waiting for the client to make a decision kept me from seeking out new opportunity.
So I said no thanks and moved on to the next one. Two of the best decisions I have made in the past few months.
Very interesting, smart, and courageous on your part 🙂 The lines keep marching, don’t they? 🙂
Thanks Margie via Jay-Z!
I just wrote a post during my lunchbreak…instead of, well, imbibing lunchtime blather.
BTW: I think The Violent Femmes (music/literary giants that they were) also tackle this one=)
Probably a lot of people do, but Jay-Zs particular take on the issue was resonating with me so that’s who made the cut 🙂
So very very true. In order to keep at the top of your game you must always be interesting. Must keep innovating, must keep changing people’s perspective. Otherwise, you become irrelevant.
My new goal isn’t necessarily to gain a ton of followers, but to provide a boatload of people to the people who do follow. I would love to have a small group of people who I can help be more awesome than a large group of people who let a celebrity status get in the way of having a real conversation.
You said it. If you sit on your laurels, they get real old real fast. Well said!
Isn’t it interesting that all the commenters were men? Other than that, this was very motivating!
That is weird…hmm. what do you make of it?
True… and hard to sustain!
It’s still very new to me, so I’m in that part of the learning curve that is very steep, and very exciting. Will it still feel fun, stimulating in 6 months… or will it turn into a daily treadmill?
I’d be curious to know the tips and mind tricks experienced bloggers use to go on to the next one, every day!
Tom
Well, I’m almost a year old, and I still find it totally wild and crazy and fun and sometimes really rewarding and other times mind-numbingly frustrating.
Does that help?
As far as philosophy, whether you phrase it as “on to the next one” or “every day is a new day,” I think for me that’s the best way to look at this world. It doesn’t really matter what or how you did yesterday. Heck, an hour ago is almost irrelevant. Keep starting over.
Fun! 🙂
Margie,
Damn fine post Margie!
Have you ever seen “Cool Hand Luke”? Every time I sit down and write a new blog post, I am reminded of this classic Newman film. Luke is the ultimate rebel. He is misunderstood, a bit of a wanderer, and he doesn’t want anyone telling him how to live his life. I don’t know about you, but this description reminds me of many of the great bloggers out there.
To make matters worse, Luke continually refuses to give up. This end up costing him dearly at the end of the film, but it is something we can all learn from. Blogging is tough. Social media is even tougher. If you want to succeed (on your own terms), you cannot give up.
As you put it, “onto the next one.”
Thanks for inspiration my friend,
@jwsokol
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