Confession time. I have barely been on social media in the last year. Virtually every post you saw was done by someone on my team. I saw and edited some of the posts. But many I never looked at or was even aware of. I didn’t even know my passwords.
I want to apologize to so many of you for not liking and commenting on wonderful posts about your birthdays, anniversaries, promotions and various other celebrations, as well as setbacks and losses that deserved acknowledgement.
Rewind back to 2022. I was stressed out all the time about “what to post next” and at times I was posting several times a day, on several platforms. It was an exhausting constant content push promoting my podcast (which had been 3 times a week!), any speaking and media appearances, anything a friend was doing that they asked me to support, family photos and videos, and in some cases just what I ate for lunch, sights and sounds of NYC, and an occasional adorable picture of our Morkie, Waffles.
Friends suggested I start getting some help with it all. It seemed like a good idea. We created standardized formats and a somewhat regular schedule.
But then I checked out. The original idea was that those posts would be only part of a total strategy that would include some fun personal stuff and maybe some videos with money advice and comments on whatever is in the news that I think we should be talking about. Then I got self conscious. Is a family photo really interesting to anyone? Does anyone care about an event I went to with friends? I took the photos, and video clips and then never posted them. I just didn’t think anything I did was of interest.
As the year went on, friends would be hurt when I never asked about their travel, and didn’t even say a word about a big promotion. You see, it is one thing to NOT be on social media. But my accounts were active. So why was there no interaction? How could I not know they just ran a double marathon or went to the Galapagos Islands?
So I’m putting it out there that for 2024:
I will know my social media login and passwords.
I will post more personal (but not too personal) moments that I hope you will find entertaining, inspiring and relatable.
I will manage the accounts myself and they won’t be all clips of me on TV or being quoted in the press (although I will still post them to support the wonderful reporters and media outlets who share my POV and support my business).
I will at least try to let my guard down and not be overly concerned about making a fool of myself as a Gen X-er on social media, especially TikTok and Instagram.
I will also share more financial wellness advice and strategies on the LinkedIn company profile page for Financial Wellness Strategies.
Most of all, I will invest time looking at YOUR social media accounts so we can celebrate life’s ups, and support each other during life’s downs more in 2024.
January is Financial Wellness Month! We were so excited at Financial Wellness Strategies to be featured in this piece in the Harvard Business Review.
The article reveals some new facts for the new year including: 80% of employees report being financially stressed, yet only 28% of employers offer financial wellness programs.
Also: half of the hours employees spend just worrying about money- is time spent at work. So employers are paying for employees to worry about money on company time.
Author Manisha Thakor explains how hiring an external, unbiased firm like Financial Wellness Strategies can help educate your employees on achieving financial well-being -- thereby reducing distraction and improving productivity.
I founded Financial Wellness Strategies to solve this problem. Please message me directly to learn more, or book a complimentary 15-minute consultation.
Not in event planning or HR?
Please put us in touch with your company’s HR department, ERG leaders, or employee engagement team so we can get rid of those money fears and put you and your team on the path to financial wellness.
Get the New Year started right
I would love to come talk about my latest book “Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart.”
I do both in-person and virtual book chats and am actively scheduling for 2024. I speak to schools, parent groups, senior centers, book clubs, client gatherings, and more. Please invite me!
“Launching Financial Grownups” will teach GEN X-ERS AND BABY BOOMERS how to help younger generations including Millennials and Gen Z become financial grownups. We all have a stake in their success.
The book is full of ways to open the conversation about money and guide those next-generation emerging adults to live their best financial lives.
And yes, it makes a GREAT gift for parents, grandparents, and anyone in an older generation looking to learn how to help emerging adults.
Lets connect on TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn and please share any ideas in the comments (or just say hi!).
I hope this note provided value and some laughs!
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I truly appreciate your support and feedback.
Sounds like a good plan, Bobbi! I have always struggled whenever I've handed over the reins of social to other people. I don't always feel like I do a great job of it on my own, but it also felt weird to be disconnected. So now I mostly do it all myself again, for better or worse or perhaps both.
(Also: great to see you here!)