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Not another Blog you say...

I’ve put this off since launching THRIVE early April 2021, but the more time I spend on Instagram, the more I want to focus my energy here.

"Why?? Instagram is my life!"

And therein lies the problem:  Instagram is made to suck you into scrolling endlessly, until your children have eaten all the crumbs off the floor in sheer hunger (lucky thing there’s a good supply of those crumbs) and the cat’s now peeing in the corner because you would rather watch funny cat videos instead of cleaning your own cat’s litter box.

"Without instagram, you'll never get your services and products out."

Perhaps that is true, but I know there’s a movement of entrepreneurs moving BACK to blogging. Perhaps not surprising, old methods of disseminating information remain tried and true. 

Before I launched THRIVE, I wasn’t on social media. Shocking isn’t it? 

Here's a few reasons why I deleted all my social media accounts and don't miss them:

  • I am very passionate about truth and evidence, and shouting truth at people is not an effective way to teach or persuade. Let’s be honest here, the weakness side of the justice and truth coin is that I struggle with gentleness, tact and “finding the right time” to speak up, and social media was an outlet that just exacerbated my weaknesses and promoted conflict.
  • As a Registered Midwife, everything I post is scrutinized in terms of credibility, professionalism, and has to positively reflect on Ontario Midwifery lest I get a complaint filed against me by the College of Midwives of Ontario. Instead of worrying about whether my opinions or posts will get me in trouble, it was just easier not to dip my toe in that lake of fire altogether. 
  • Social media is an echo chamber where people follow pages that already jive with their lifestyle, goals and desires. I feel like very few people change their opinions or perspectives from reading social media posts.
  • Social media makes us ungrateful for our blessings and sows seeds of discontent. Social media, especially instagram,  promotes aesthetically-pleasing photos which, let’s be honest, aren’t real life. This is why people get a lot of money for being a content creator and taking photos for other people to use. I HATE feeling obligated to do my hair and makeup (which I rarely wear) and take pretty photos, so that people will feel more compelled to buy my product. Which has nothing to do with outward appearances. I can’t reconcile these two.
  • I have lots of issues with Big Tech. We use VPNs at home to reduce data mining and I don’t want to invite Zuckerburg to my dinner table, he can go sit on the floor amidst the clean not-yet-folded laundry and dollies. I recognize I need him a little bit, but I’m not ready to sell my soul to him and his empire.

So why am I starting a blog then?

  • Although Instagram provides IGTV and Live, which allows for more content and education, I really struggle with filming myself and I look and feel so artificial.
  • I find that I can better get my content and evidence out in writing, but posts don’t provide enough space to discuss the evidence and standards of care.
  • Instagram capitalizes on people having short attention spans, and the goals of THRIVE don’t harmonize with this habit.
  • I could probably write a blog post in about 10% of the time it takes me to create a post or story, because I’m not agonizing over length and having to take out words to fit the character limit. I want to say what I want to say, dammit. 
  • My goal with starting THRIVE was to leave the on-call life of mifwifery behind, at least for a season, so that I can enjoy my littles and be more present. Social media robs me of this and it’s VERY hard to create balance without delegating all social media creation to someone else, and I don’t have the resources for that at this point.

My goals for this blog:

  • Provide content steeped in evidence on related prenatal topics that interest YOU!
  • Build a community through the blog, emails and course community facebook groups, where we can be real and honest with each other.
  • Be more intentional with my time, work smarter and maintain work/life balance.

If these goals and ideals resonate with you, subscribe to my email list if you haven't already done so.

Yours truly,

 

Tiffany

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