Inspired by Melanie Ann Layer, I decided to take on the Facebook Live 365 challenge. And I did it! I finished my year of lives on 9th October 2021 – my birthday!
This is what I learned…
1. IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH IT – FOR ME.
Rewind 12 months, and the woman you saw online back then is not the woman I am today.
Thanks to 365 LIVE conversations, I’ve cultivated a next-level relationship with myself. I’m at a place where I can be fearlessly visible with MY truth. I feel free in my verbal expression, and I’ve come to love the woman I see looking back at me when I share my insights.
This experience was incredible for strengthening my voice, tapping into my true vibe, and cultivating the courage to be seen and heard for who I really am.
2. I’M ALSO GLAD IT’S OVER!!
Honestly, some weekends, it got a tad tedious to do a live, especially when I was with my children. But by the time these feelings came up, I was too far in the challenge to stop it. I even went live when I was ill because I would not endure the pain of breaking the chain!
With the challenge complete, I’m excited to approach my live videos with a different energy. For example, now I get to be intentional instead of predictable with how I show up. This will be a new level of mastery for me, and I’m excited for the challenge.
3. KNOW YOUR INTENTIONS
Knowing your WHY is super important because it helps you focus and sparks motivation on those days when you don’t feel like it.
This is what I hoped to achieve for myself when I committed to this 365 live challenge.
✅ Get better at speaking – because writing is my comfort zone
✅ Stay consistent – In the past, I wasted a ton of time stopping & starting with my social presence. No more!
✅ Discover what I have to say [more on this coming up]
✅ Be more visible
4. BE OPEN TO UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES
My favourite moment of the year was when a woman I desired to interview for my podcast suddenly appeared on one of my livestreams! I’d been asking around for an introduction, but no one in my network knew her. Then suddenly, there she was watching my live!!
What are the chances of that!
Our encounter was the start of a beautiful collaboration.
Plus, I received proof that when you stay open to the realm of possibilities, opportunities that far exceed what you thought was possible can show up.
5. COMMIT TO YOURSELF – NO MATTER WHAT
I’ve always been good at getting stuff off the ground. However, when my enthusiasm is linked to results, my energy can drop if I don’t get the outcome I wanted.
When I chose to do this challenge, I knew I had to finish it – no matter what. I knew this was a long-term play, and I wanted to prove that I could do something big – all the way across the finish line.
My commitment created a context where I HAD to show up – if only for myself – and so I did [even when I was ill].
6. USE A HABIT TRACKER
Mini wins give you a dopamine hit, and that’s definitely how I felt each time I ticked off my live as done for the day!
I used my habit tracker as a visual reminder of how far I’ve come. This tool kept me going because eventually, the chain of wins got so long, it was more painful to break the chain than show up for another live.
7. TRUST THAT THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
There was a time when I worried that I’d run out of things to say.
I’m happy to confirm that doesn’t happen! When your life becomes your inspiration, there’s always something you can talk about.
The next point explains why…
8. KNOW THE LESSON YOU WANT TO SHARE
You can talk about anything and EVERYTHING.
💜 Your joy at spotting seals while on a coastal walk.
💜 How you had a picnic on the beach.
💜 What part of the UK coastline you’re visiting next.
💜 How your three kids fight because they all want to hold your left hand [go figure!]
💜 Why you love Bridgerton, Unforgotten, and Behind Her Eyes.
If you live intentionally and in alignment with your message, there’s ALWAYS something new to talk about – or a different spin to put on an existing idea.
The secret is to tie your live back to the lesson you want to share.
And ideally, that lesson would tie back to what you want to be known for – aka your Core Message.
If you do this, your lives will help people know who you are, how you can help, and why you can help them. They’ll know you as the messaging person, or the branding person etc.
As you can imagine, this is great for building your brand and business.
9. KNOW THAT YOUR VOICE MATTERS
We’re in an age of information overload.
People aren’t just looking to fill their knowledge gaps. They’re proactively choosing WHO they want to learn from.
This is why your unique voice, stories, and insights matter 💜
You are the perfect messenger for some people. When you speak, your voice has the power to change everything for them.
Then other people don’t get you at all! 🤭
So don’t worry about talking about the same topics that other people cover… because they’re not exploring them in the same way as you.
They don’t have the same energy, vibe, values, examples, perspective, or life experience.
Instead, give yourself permission to be more YOU.
The more YOU that you can be, the more powerful your lives become.
10. GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY.
The hardest part of this challenge is that it poked at my core wound of not being liked. In the beginning, there were days when my head got in the way, and I found myself wondering:
😬Are people interested in me?
😬 Am I kidding myself?
😬 What if I’m not good enough
😬I’m not as pretty as those other women etc. etc.
These fears created a time drain too.
In the beginning, I’d constantly check back to see if there were any likes or comments – and then I’d make the number mean something!
Then it all shifted…
I tapped back into my intentions. I remembered I was showing up for mastery of my voice. I remembered how I wanted to master consistency. The number of views or likes didn’t impact my ability to achieve these takeaways – so I kept going.
In the process, I was able to heal some of my visibility wounds. The more I worked through this fear, the more I noticed my energy shift. It was one of THE most powerful parts of this challenge.
Not only did I improve my speaking skills, but I got more and more comfortable with hearing my voice and sharing my truth. That alone has been worth it.
11. PLAY WITH THE PRESENT MOMENT.
One of my biggest learnings this year is that the present moment is where the magic lies.
I challenged myself to see the extent to which I could trust myself to dance with the energy of the moment and speak from that place – instead of being overly prepped and scripted.
^ this was a BIG shift for me.
Before this challenge, I had the mindset that to be professional meant being properly planned. I used to be a teacher and I’ve also worked in corporate where it felt essential to have your presentation and slides ready.
What I learned through this challenge is that there’s a different level of creative energy available – if you’re prepared to dance with it.
Through this challenge, I learned to trust the SAGE within. That part of me that KNOWS… that part of me that’s embodied so much wisdom and insight that it trusts the right words and stories will flow when they are needed.
I learned that if you can trust that you’ll KNOW what to say in the moment, you create an opening for unexpected magic and insight to flow.
As a result of this insight, my FB lives have been a catalyst for deepening my message over the past year.
I’ve said things I didn’t know I was going to say.
I’ve expressed wisdom I didn’t know I was going to speak.
All because I created moments of raw self-expression and visibility, which opened the gateway for divine wisdom and guidance to flow.
It’s been SOOOOO powerful.
12. IT GOES QUICKER THAN YOU THINK
Pretty soon, days turn into weeks, then months, then quarters, then six months, and now an entire year!
It’s the same with anything. When you start out, there’s a massive – sometimes overwhelming gap in front of you.
But take a baby step every day, and before you know it, there’s a growing trail of wins behind you.
Sometimes we forget that the gap behind us can be JUST as powerful as the gap ahead.
13. KEEP GOING!
This sounds obvious, but with everything, there are highs and lows.
Some days I felt AMAZING, and other days I really didn’t want to hit that live button.
But I was always happy that I showed up.
It was good for my confidence, my soul, and ultimately my message. This challenge has been such a powerful experience, and I’m so glad I got stuck and took it all the way over the finish line.
14. FINALLY, DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
Facebook Live 365 was a BIG challenge.
It’s important to know that what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. We’re all different and unique. We’re all wired and coded in different ways.
While we can be inspired by what others have done, we don’t have to do the same things that they did to achieve similar results.
We can find our own path.
It’s tempting to think that in order to get the success we desire, we have to follow the path that someone else mapped out.
That isn’t the case!
Facebook Live 365 may have been good for me, but it could be terrible for you!
You’ll know which path to take when you tune into the SAGE energy within. There’s a part of you that KNOWS… the question is, can you hear it.
If you have questions about Facebook Live 365, I have a thread going in my group where I answer them. You can also grab a copy of my 365 tracker if you choose to take on this challenge yourself.
The Find Your YOU group is a great place to hang out if you’re interested in self-discovery, self-expression, and embodying the ACTIVATOR, you came here to be.
It would be great to see you there too. Request access to the group when you click here >>> Find Your You Group
