How a Social Media Presence Evolved My Life Outlook

Sarah Again
Mar 17
2 min read

I’m always ranting about gratitude and aiming for it, right? But seriously, it’s life-changing.

When I posted my viral reel that attracted 1.5 million views and about 17,000 followers from across the globe, I had no intention of actually ever having a reel that went viral. In fact, I was actually scared of the potential of going viral. In some sense, it felt safer to be vulnerable with the small crowd I already had. That reel wasn’t even supposed to go onto Instagram! It started as a “venting session” in an effort to be understood by my TikTok followers, who seemed more supportive and engaging at the time than my Instagram followers. At one point, I was begging my TikTok followers to follow me on Instagram so my presence there didn’t feel like a tumbleweed, wandering aimlessly on a deserted path. But lo and behold- I was seen!

Yet had I ever really seen myself?

I was in utter shock when I got picked up by instagram, and just as scared. I didn’t realize what a people-pleaser I was until I started thinking, “Does this look good? Does this sound how they want it to sound? What songs and what kind of content do they want? Am I making these songs fast enough?” Then I realized at some point, thinking so much about what people want, who aren’t even in my physical vicinity, actually kinda made me feel like a narcissist since I was putting so much thought into myself, even if it was myself for them.

I struggled for a bit to find the right balance of being available in a capacity that mirrored how I wanted to interact with the offline and online worlds, and I’m still making adjustments to this day and forever will, because life is basically an ongoing tuning session, lol. You have to be in tune with your own thoughts, wants, needs, aspirations, and desires, and blend those with those you love, infinitely.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel God one day came knocking in my brain and demanded I WAKE UP! to what’s important in my life, and this happened about four months after my platform really picked up and I was sitting around 18,000 followers. Like, I was blessed with three beautiful children, a husband who supported me in general and to start this online and offline music endeavor, and this opportunity to connect with an online world in addition to offline, and it was almost as if I couldn’t see it because of the effort I was putting in, trying to chameleon myself into a version of me I thought I should have been for both people on and offline.

I saw MYSELF for who I was, fully, when I became grateful for everything I had, and forgiving of everything I felt I had not. My podcast started after this defining moment, when I was just able to get in front of the camera and be like, “You know what? This is me. Take it or leave it.”

Because the irony is, people will love the version of you that you still think needs tuning.