Social Media and Business…I welcome your thoughts!

I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I wrote my last blog entry, and I have nearly made it through my entire first pregnancy without recording a single memory! Currently, I’m about 33 weeks pregnant with little girl Lily, and I’m awkwardly sitting in my “slightly” reclined airline seat with a belly the size of a pumpkin, back pain, heartburn and all. I’m happy to overlook the current discomfort knowing I’m on my way to Honolulu, Hawaii to meet my husband for our very last trip to paradise before the chaos of parenting ensues. A few minutes ago, I was was looking out my little airplane window at the clouds below, contemplating the whirlwind of the past few months; the elation that came with the little pink plus sign on my pregnancy stick, telling family the news at Christmas, new friends and experiences in a new city, and our beautiful new home.  Along with those wonderful memories, I’ve also collected a few negative ones, like first trimester queasiness and fatigue like never before. Not to mention, nightly I hear my poor husband grunting as he’s woken up and shoved to the edge of the bed, as every few hours I have to readjust my pillow mound supporting my back and belly just to get up to pee. Along with the good and the bad, it’s also been a whirlwind busy season photographing families, some of whose pictures I’m including in my post :).

 I’ve missed blogging, and I wish I had a solid reason for not doing so, but being completely transparent, it may just be that consistency has never been my strong point. I constantly go back and fourth on weather or not I should allow myself to get caught in the web, the web of blogging, Instagram, Facebook…like a helpless insect getting caught in it’s sticky threads of self accolades. But then I realize, this is the age we are living in, and it’s especially important for today’s business owners. I’ve watched seminars upon seminars on the importance of blogging weekly, posting on Facebook daily, posting on Instagram one to two times daily, tweeting several times daily…and I know the success that comes with remaining front of mind by doing just that, but honestly sometimes I wish there was another way. I’m torn, as I feel like being a Christian and constantly talking about myself and posting my own praises is counter to the selfless attitude I seek and desire to obtain. I love to write, but sometimes I think I write better out in the sun with a pen and my journal knowing no one will read what I’m writing. Maybe being a natural introvert means that this will always be my struggle as a business owner.

I saw a news article recently about a mommy blogger that got to be extremely well known, but she decided to take her mommy blog down because she buckled under the pressure of always having to appear like she runs a perfect home. Many days she would struggle to find something perfect and relevant about her life to post about, and she felt like she was living a lie always appearing to others as if she had it all together. I do believe it’s possible to keep things genuine and real, but I also believe the  temptation is always there to paint life with a slightly brighter tint, like applying a filter on an otherwise bland photo in Instagram to make a dull moment come across as hip and trendy.

The struggle is real. Business owners, can I get an amen? Social media is a godsend for marketing, but can be a thorn in our mental and emotional well being. Plugging into the web that many times a day can be distracting, and can do a number on the self-esteem with the sheer volume of beautiful pictures and the seemingly perfect lives and perfect people. Now it’s your turn to chime in, have you found a good balance? Any thoughts are much appreciated :).