Lessons I learned from deleting my Facebook page

At the start of the year I made the admittedly terrifying decision to delete my Facebook page for my business.

And I did it.

I’d been toying with the idea for a while, as it simply wasn’t bringing me much joy.

I’ve been using Facebook less and less over the past year, and I never really found my groove with my Facebook page. I only had a handful of people in it, yet each time I went to push the delete button I had a mini freak out.

Because we’re “meant” to have a Facebook page right? It’s one of things you do to market yourself. I kept telling myself that I just needed to “try harder”.

I took the plunge eventually, and you know what?…

The world didn’t end

I was telling myself a story that to delete my Facebook page meant I wouldn’t be as visible to people, and it would result in me losing work.

In reality?

I had the busiest and most financially successful Q1 of my business to date. All my enquiries this year have come through word of mouth and I don’t think any of them has given two figs about whether I was on Facebook or not.

The stories we tell ourselves aren’t always true.

It’s liberating to live what I want to be

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” is one of my bedrock values (thank you Mr Gandhi), and every time I make a decision to live it, I feel more grounded and fulfilled in my self, my business and ultimately my life.

I have an icky relationship with Facebook (hello imposter syndrome) and I don’t overly like, use or interact with Facebook pages myself, so it seems bonkers to have asked others to interact with mine. I personally get far more out of Facebook Groups, and the community that can be fostered there, so in future if it serves a good purpose I may use Groups instead.

It’s another reminder to check in with how I interact with the world, and try to reflect that in how I ask the world to interact with me.

It’s opened up space

Having fewer things to focus on means I have more time to devote to the other things in my work which I actually LOVE to do… like writing these emails to you!

Even though I wasn’t very active on my Facebook page, I didn’t quite realise how much mental and emotional energy I was devoting to thinking I should be working on it more.

I am not at all saying you shouldn’t use Facebook, or change how you’re using it. If you love your Facebook page and it works for you then rock it!

But if it – or anything else in your business – feels like a drag, then ask yourself why, and maybe give yourself permission to let it go if that feels right.

Sometimes we need to drop the ballast to fly.