Behind the Lens | Too Much is Too Much

Have you ever been hurt because someone “famous” won’t talk with you? Have you felt excluded or pushed out by others who seem to have no problem talking amongst themselves?

I have. And it sucks. But sometimes, I have to say no now as I have been told no. I have to not read that blog or respond to this person on Twitter. I have to acknowledge that I am at capacity, and while I can always be kind, I have real life relationships and responsibilities that outweigh my need to be plugged in.

Social media is part of my job. I do most of my marketing this way, keep my name out there, engage with potential clients, and build relationships.

But sometimes, it is just too much. You can care about a lot people – but you can engage only a few. (Jesus had a point with His commission to “love your neighbor…”) It is part of the reality of being human. Our dust simply cannot sustain relationships with thousands of people.

I’ve pulled back from social media over the last few weeks. Even my blog posts have been a bit spare as I have been both working and resting as much as I can after two very stressful months.

Sometimes, as Jeff Goins put it at The High Calling this week, work simply has to be done. That has been my last two months.

But I’m climbing out now. I’m pulling back. I’m remembering what normal life feels like, what it is to wake up and want to take pictures, to spend time with my kids during the day, to let down at night because I choose it, not because I must.

I’m weighing my motives. Getting real. Asking myself how much I trust God to make this happen, how much I trust Him to be enough for me on the days I’m working like crazy and feeling invisible.

I wanted to prove that I could do life and stay involved on every level, but let’s face it. I have Lyme disease, two kids, a husband, a business, and a house to run. I have real life clients who want me to invest more in their hearts than in my marketing. I have real life friends who need to hear from me once in a while.

I follow a number of high profile photographers, people who provide a really good template for limited interaction. I had been approaching social media with the thought that “when I get to be big like them, I can scale back on my interactions” – but if I don’t scale back now, I’m going to quit altogether.

Even jobs that you love will kill you if you don’t maintain a life outside of it.

My job is to do what makes me come alive, even if it isn’t the prescribed method for success.

God gave me the photography, handed me the business, and said GO. If He means to do something with it, He will.

FILED UNDER: Behind the Lens, Jeff Goins, Personal, Pinnables, Social Media, The High Calling