Be Yourself

By:  Ada Z.     

        When we announced publicly that we had started a podcast we received a lot of support from family and friends.  There was excitement surrounding our first few episodes and everyone seemed genuinely happy for us and our new endeavor.  

        Every Wednesday we published a new episode.  Some of them were serious topics, some funny, some were complete nonsense but we were having fun.  Some of our followers would engage but as the weeks went on, we received fewer and fewer listeners.  I began wondering if it was us.  Maybe we weren't entertaining enough or maybe our opinions weren't as important as we thought.  I finally came to the realization that they weren't important at all. 

        In the grand scheme of life, we are so insignificant.  Why would anyone take the time to listen to us?  We haven't accomplished anything of importance.  We are not highly revered doctors or famous public speakers.  We are just moms who had had enough of the world that we are living in.  We wanted to feel heard and to be seen.  It was at this moment that I realized, it's not about the number of people who are listening, it's about the process itself.  When we decided that we were going to do this podcast for ourselves, instead of for others, that's when we were set free.  

        The best advice that I have been given from fellow podcasters is to "Be Yourself".  Once we applied that rule of thumb to our podcasts, we began to apply it to our everyday lives as well.  

        When I go out and about now, I make the conscious decision to be myself.  In all of my hot-mess, mom-life, glory.  When we record a podcast, I approach it with the same mentality.  I no longer feel as if I have to fake it to entertain people or fake it to appear normal.  I'm just me.  

        I am constantly striving to be a better me.  Looking for that magic pill to make me a well-balanced human.  We all have the ability to grow and change but you also have a side of you that's just...you.  A part that you may like about yourself.  A part that people will have to accept because, without that part, you are no longer you.  Such as my silly sense of humor or the joy that I get out of the little things in life.  Those things make me who I am and, while I am certainly not perfect, I like who I am.

           Whether it's your personal life, professional life, or (in my case) your podcast life, just be yourself.  There will always be someone who doesn't like you and the sooner you accept that, the happier you'll be.  Lisa and I had to come to the realization that not everyone will like us.  Our podcast may never have a million listeners but as long as we love what we are doing, that's what truly matters.