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I met this beautiful girl a few years back, and I’m proud to count her, today, among my circle of closest friends.
She’s one of those people, who, despite being pretty much good at everything, and being successful at a young age, is still ridiculously down to earth and super real. We have a lot of fun together, working, yoga-ing, and having foodie adventures.
I remember giving her some coaching a few years back on Twitter, and how to use it. I remember the day she walked into the coffee shop where worked and said “I got 1,000 followers!”
Since then, her following has surpassed mine. She went from 2,000 Twitter followers to 100,000 in just a year, and she’s done it by inspiring people. She began tweeting out “Farzana-isms” as she calls them, little inspirational tidbits during the day.
I asked her to share her secrets with us, and of course she did. Because she’s like that.
Most people create a twitter account to promote their businesses. I was no different. I did it because everyone said that this was what I was, “…supposed to do in my line of work.” “You can’t be an entrepreneur without being on twitter…” You know, the usual hop-on-the-social-media-badwagon.
Admittedly, being on twitter hasn’t hurt business one bit, but things didn’t start out that way. Initially, growing a ‘following’ was very challenging. Everything was a struggle and nothing seemed to work. I had all these things I wanted to share, but I wasn’t connecting with people.
I believe that it was my mindset that held me back from growing a ‘following’. It’s the mindset of ‘having a following’ that holds many people back. It’s this idea of celebrity and a need to have more ‘followers’ than people you ‘follow’.
If you’re wondering why I keep putting the word ‘following’ in quotes, it’s because I really prefer to use the word community. Community has always been at the crux of what inspires and feeds me. My community is the reason I do what I do and they are often the source of my inspiration. It is has been said that the 5 people you spend the most time with are a direct reflection of your success and happiness. It is the people who accept me as I am, unfiltered, and see my greatest potential that encourage me to be my very best self.
Being able to share my personal insights and positive approach with others in a way that inspires growth in them is the only thing that matters to me. I approach every interaction as an opportunity leave every person better off than when I first met them. It is this desire to connect with a community and more importantly to be a contributing member of the community that has made all the difference.
Farzana’s rules for inspired community:
1. If a real, respectful and kind spirited person shakes your hand, shake theirs back. Translation: follow back real people.
2. Stop caring about having more followers then you follow. Community isn’t about stature or ego.
3. There is no such thing as competition. Those you perceive as your competition are usually your best connections. These are the people you share community with.
4. Be real and be yourself always.
5. Commit to adding value.
6. Stay consistently positive.
7. Support your community. Translation: retweet and favourite others.
Farzana Jaffer Jeraj is a hypnotherapist, keynote speaker, coach, and yoga instructor. She will be publishing her first book soon, entitled,
I Cheat at Meditation. You can learn more about her via her
website, or by following her on
Twitter.
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Oh my gosh! So cool that you two know each other 🙂 Love these tips, Farzana – I especially love how you talk about community. I think that’s what we’re all seeking, but we forget that when we’re trying to ‘sell’ something. Thanks for sharing Farzana’s words, Rebecca. Hope you both have a fabulous day!
Haha! It’s a small world, eh, Taslim?? Thanks for your comment!