Quitting Social Media for the rest of 2019

So firstly don't worry, the title here isn't any of that clickbait nonsense.

It's true, I have decided to quit all personal social media for the rest of 2019, and I honestly cannot wait.

Why I felt the need to do one last post on this is for two reasons I would say –

1) Accountability - If I end up breaking this deal with myself then it's there for everyone to see I have gone against my word.

2) Authenticity - I really believe in sharing stories, and this post may resonate with others that could prove to have a positive impact.

So why have I decided to quit all Social Media?

Well to be honest straight out the bat, it isn't because I have anything against it.

Social Media is like many other things in the sense of, it ultimately comes down to why and how often you use it.

This year I have built up a good relationship with Linkedin, it's the one social platform I feel where I can share what I want to share, and it's the platform that speaks mostly to my values as a person.

I feel like I can be myself on Linkedin.

But that is the key phrase isn't it "myself".

I've decided to quit social media for the rest of 2019 to begin a path of rediscovering who I am as a person.

I recently turned 26 - that means it's been exactly 10 years since I finished school.

For me, those 10 years have been a massive journey and one that has been non-stop.

From leaving school to go and play high-level football every day for 3 years, to then taking an apprenticeship, which then led me to start the journey of Regal Gentleman, which has been one hell of a rollercoaster just by itself.

Then throw in many of life's experiences like my first heartbreak, leaving my parents and standing on my own two feet, dealing with the passing of loved ones and dealing with my own versions of anxiety and depression.

I'm not saying my life is unique, everyone has their own story.

But how often do we sit back and just reflect?

How often do we think "I want to take these last 10 years and use it to make the next 10 even better"

The person I was when I left school is very different from the individual I am now.

My values, beliefs, goals, and dreams are all very different.

I am now at a stage where I want to discover who, the Josh of the next 10 years is going to be.

At present, I'm not 100% sure what he will look like.

I haven't had many breaks since I finished up at school.

I'm an all or nothing kind of guy, so whether it was playing football or starting a business. I really did put my heart and soul into everything I did.

And although that has it's benefits, it can also be very mentally draining if you don't manage it correctly.

Because of this I now have a lot more respect for my mental and physical health, which has been ignored over this period.

I also now have a vision of making an impact in the world that will last long after I have gone.

Of course, continuing to grow Regal Gentleman so we can keep sharing our story, is still important while taking on some other challenges that may come my way.

Even throw in a little bit of traveling - looking for a way to open my mind to different cultures and ways of life.

I suppose I just don't feel like this process can be done properly with Social Media, and the pressure of always documenting my journey, whether that's a Post, Podcast or Youtube Video.

I feel this is a journey I want to do on my own, and share it only with my family and friends.

I read a great book once that said you first have to deal with your internal before you can produce your ideal external.

They used the example of an apple tree, and the owners didn't want apples, they wanted bananas. Well, that was never going to happen until they changed the foundation of the seed that creates the tree.

A lot of times we tend to try and force change in our external life when we really need to deal with what's going on internally first.

Social Media is great if you are working from your correct seed, kind of like self-awareness really.

I want to do stuff because I want to do them.

Not because that's what the current trend is, or will get the most shares and likes.

That game is just boring.

I just want to go off and replant my seed so I can continue to live a happy and fulfilled life.

In business, the following saying is a massive danger - "We do it like that because that's how we've always done it"

A business not adapting to the time will soon be dog food in 2019.

I feel like that relates to life also, sometimes we need to adapt and recreate who we are.

Long winded post, and one that I didn't expect to write but if I was going to share one last update on here, I wanted it to be this one.

I will be off here from tomorrow so I won't see any comments or messages going forward.

If you want to reach out I'm still available at [email protected]

Enjoy the rest of 2019 peeps and loads of blessings to you all

Josh xx