Do you ever feel like you are on the wrong track? Like the time and effort you’re putting into your goals is not worth the reward? I came to the realization that striving for this influencer role on Instagram caused confusion, lack of passion, and a deep sense of overwhelm.
Niche Down
We’ve heard most Instagram gurus encourage us to niche down. Find a niche you are passionate about any stick to it. When I started Instagram, I had a this blog and my niche was home decor. I stayed on that track faithfully until 2020 when I quit teaching. After quitting, my love for teaching grew, I missed children’s literature and creating fun lessons. To feed that longing, I wrote an ebook to help teachers build classroom community through read alouds. I created lessons pairing standards with great literature and I decided to incorporate this into my Instagram posts. The thing is, I went back and forth about what to posts. Whether or not I was doing the “right” thing to help my account grow and reach the right audience. That’s where my confusion set in.
What’s My Audience?
I started posting children’s literature to my decor account thinking I could reach decor moms. I started posting productivity ideas and the lessons I created to my stories, too! Then I began to second guess myself. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Who is this helping? I went down the rabbit hole of feeds searching for answers and this what led to overwhelm.
This isn’t fun!
Instagram was no longer fun! I was torn between posting about decor and posting about teacher stuff. What is my blog going to be about? Should I incorporate both? This lead me to open a second teacher account which only made me feel worse because that account rarely got likes, views, or any engagement. It made me unsure of my knowledge and whether or not I wanted to share it.
Soon after that, I quit Instagram. My husband and I moved to a rural town and I felt a sense of calm and clarity, I wanted to share rural life and creating our homestead so I opened my account again. All the previous feelings I mentioned came rushing back so, I quit again!
I’m Done!
It is safe to say that Instagram stole my passion. Since quitting I have a clear sense and idea of what I want to accomplish. I am no longer confused about my niche, or direction as a blogger. God has been pulling me toward this direction of helping teachers flourish and I couldn’t hear him over the noise of Instagram. I can see things so clearly now, I know what I stand, I know who I serve, and I know that I am on the right track.
Now What?
Since quitting Instagram, I have no desire to return. My passion for helping teachers flourish has been reignited and there is no sign of stopping. Instead of scrolling, I spend my time reading new books, gardening, creating digital products, and most importantly enjoying life.
Thanks for stopping by!
