Share until you care

Remember the old phrase "sharing is caring"?

In my 2 minutes of research, I couldn't find where it originated, but it is fun to see how many interpretations the phrase has.

Which makes sense, because it is an old phrase that has been used by people all over the world. Of course it will change and adapt.

BUT... the truth is, sharing is difficult sometimes. Especially when you feel like you just can't care.

I don't care, so why would I share?

Some mornings we wake up and think that the last thing we want to do is share online. To share our brand or products or mission.

Maybe we feel like nobody is listening. Or we got negative feedback. People unfollowed. Left a salty DM.

Why should I share when it seems like nobody cares?

Maybe we aren't getting the views we want or hoped. Or a post flopped. Or there were no new sales and we put so much time and effort into sharing.

It can feel exhausting to SHARE into an endless pit.

What's the point?

Whether we want to admit it or not, we glamorize QUICK success. Young success.

"30 under 30" and teenage self-made millionaires. Overnight winner, box office hit, sold out in minutes, viral content!

It's the LIGHTNING effect we idealize and chase.

But what sane person do you know chases lightning, hoping to be struck?

It's a flash and gone. It can do more harm than good. It's not meant to be caught and maintained.

We share like we are looking to be struck by lightning. Thinking this post will go viral or this video will make us millions of dollars or THIS offer will sell out in minutes.

Then what?

Then suddenly we are happy? Suddenly we care? Suddenly we are connected?

Your grandparents (or that old neighbor lady down the street) were right. Good things take time.

Caring doesn't come automatically, just like success doesn't. It's a process.

So you shared content for 5 days. Awesome. Keep going.

So you made a program and it didn't sell as well as you hoped. Fantastic. You made a program. Keep going.

So you started a community but only 10 people were interested. That's really cool that 10 people believe in your message. Keep going.

I started my career writing direct mail pieces. LITERAL MAIL. Because there wasn't email marketing. Not widely used 23 years ago, at least. The way we share and connect has changed over and over in the last few decades and I have had to pivot and change, too.

I've had awesome clients and some who we did not mesh well. I learned a lot from both types. 

I've had programs and courses and downloads that were HITS and some that were flops. I learned something from almost all of them.

But I am not here 23 years after my first post-college job because I got lightning success. It has taken A LOT of sharing. Like, so much.

And there were plenty of days and weeks and months when I did not care.

I didn't care if I succeeded.

I didn't care if anyone read.

There were LOADS of times when I felt like nobody else cared. Nobody bought or commented or signed up.

I've had people unfollow. So many unfollows.

So many salty DMs and comments.

So many interactions that would make me wonder why I cared.

But I keep sharing because I can't imagine doing anything else now.

I LOVE sharing. I LOVE helping businesses grow and learn to share. I LOVE giving lightbulbs to people who had the lamp and didn't know why it wasn't lighting up.

And even when I create content that gets no response, or a course that doesn't sell as well as we hoped, or a client who doesn't mesh... I know it's the LONG SHARING that makes the difference.

Keep sharing until you care so much it doesn't matter if nobody else cares.