Sometimes I feel tempted to write in confident terms. It seems to be the content that gets most likes and validation. I also feel like I should speak directly to YOU!
Truths like: “The divine feminine knows her worth, she radiates! She doesn’t stay where she is not wanted!”, and phrases like: “You, yes YOU! I know you’ve been feeling the chaos lately!” seems so popular.
I see influencers make these kinds of posts all the time, and I can see why they get thousands of likes. I think people feel validated. I also think it feels alluring when influencers paint a beautiful, gorgeous, breathtaking picture of who you get to be. Implicit in these posts are a message of what it requires to be that thing, and it’s ultimately the influencers vision you end up trying to align with. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your individual expression and truth. I’m not saying these visions can’t be helpful. There’s so much knowledge coming through some of these posts.
What I often see though, is people taking the message as truth. I read a comment I recently… The original post talked about how you should let go of people who didn’t serve you. The commented went something like this: “But how do I let go? 😦 😦 I love him! I know I should though, you’re so spot on as always!”.
It makes me think about how everything is so incredibly individual. Who you are, your backstory, where you are on your path, where you are headed, what you want and so on. No one can tell you what to do. Suggestions, yes, but decisions… No. It also makes me feel, deep in my bones, that I’m the one who decides what’s correct for ME. I think most people haven’t felt that power within themselves.
I have a sense of the value the truth-speaking-confident posts provides, validation is one of them. Feeling less alone is another. What comes to me, as maybe the most valuable part, is how they give you a chance to find your own power.
What strikes me, and it’s an interesting observation to reflect upon, is how I don’t feel good about make those kinds of posts. Never have, and I don’t think I ever will. There are so many different “yous” reading my posts and everyone are different. There’s no way I can tell what’s correct for the “you” who’s reading. I can truly only tell what’s correct for you if you were to allow me in, and that requires a reciprocatory exchange. Instagram is not that. (Honestly, Instagram and engagement… Still can’t wrap my head around it #ididntcrackthecodeyet #dontknowifieverwill)
Gunhild Archer, counselor 