Little Fish Story: My Facebook Negativity Moment...

In reaching a milestone for my passion project of helping others through their weight-loss challenges and fitness, I hit a roadblock earlier this year.

While at the top of my own health...fit as I've ever been on Triathlon Training, eating (mostly) healthy and learning how to manage my own health better and better each day...I still couldn't shake the negativity in my head.

I had framed my Dude that Lost 50 Pounds page on Facebook around where my audience hangs out...The mostly 30-, 40-, 50- and even 60-somethings like me that are fighting back obesity every day.

I was definitively a small fish in a big bowl on Facebook and in Social Media. Still am.

While reading and posting on FB every day to see what is being said - but sticking on point with positive messages from my own weight loss and aspirations - I posted my personal challenges, my methods of getting past them, my wins & losses.

After spending the better part of 3 decades on the wrong side of health, I kept trying to be the encouraging word to solve the problem that was killing us before our time should be up...even prior to Covid ramping up the impact of what "obesity risk factors" truly mean to all of us.

I was trying to solve a health problem, because of what I had accomplished with Wondr Health and showing people how it can be done can possibly be a ray of hope to others.

I believed (and still believe) I am in a pretty unique place to impact people.

I even got into Facebook ads because I felt my message went beyond just being able to help friends & family that are the most encouraging part of my World. This fishbowl is huge...there are clearly more people that I can help.

None of my ads would get picked up. The ones that did had very short runs, which had nearly no impact on who actually came to the actual page.

I slogged through other "more successful" pages reading their hard-hitting approach and salesy tactics. That's not me...I use and support what I know works.

I slogged through the negativity I would see in my daily feed. I didn't need that garbage in my head

I started to feel the impact of this on me...and I walked away for a mental health break.

I fully own the decision to do so, the same way I fully own the decision to regroup my own thoughts and re-engage recently.

I guess based on what's been brought to light, maybe I should've instead been body shaming and guilting my audience into a funnel of negativity.

Anyone who is dealing with health challenges and a pandemic that is making them feel their obesity and mortality even more strongly certainly needs a little more salt in the wounds to take them back to my Page for "Engagement."

What's being alleged certainly isn't something that would "give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together," as FB states is there mission.

But I'm not posting this out of blame, to recapture lost time, or pick a David vs. Goliath fight with Facebook. I'll lose.

But just a story of how people who are closer to the top of health, with a message and a purpose, clearly can't fully outweigh the tactics of a system built for profit over engagement at any cost.

I can certainly see how others struggle to see positivity in this world when the platform itself seeks to to engage at the cost of people's better mental health.

Hopefully, though, Facebook can realize the impact of financial gain vs. societal gain now that we've reached a point where financial gain is being impacted.

I'm not giving up...I'm not going away from Facebook...In fact, I just commented last month that my feed has never been more positive since coming back.

Just hoping to be a better small fish on a better big bowl.

#Facebook #WondrHealth #PositiveVibes #DudethatLost50Pounds #MyStory