Do you like? Do you comment? Do you have to?

3 chapters…

01.

How do you feel if you post something online and no one likes or comments? Does it bother you? Or don’t you care? Those likes and comments? They represent engagement, the almighty online metric now. It used to be the total number of followers or subscribers but now, engagement is much more important, apparently. Please let me say upfront that I’m not fishing for or asking for likes and comments here. I actually want to explore something much more significant. Because we are all both creators and the audience, aren’t we? Here we go…

02.

Have you ever read an article or listened to a podcast or watched a video online that you did like and you did have an opinion on - but you didn’t like or comment on it publicly? Uh-huh, I certainly have. But if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to see it, did it actually happen? That’s the question. If you liked it and reflected on it - that is you engaged with it - but you didn’t share that online, did it really happen? Well, I think it did. Of course, it did. But we seem to favour visible, obvious, explicit engagement. Not personal, private, implicit engagement. Why? Because if it’s not public, it’s not known? Because we crave the external validation? Because we need to prove ourselves to others?

03.

One thing I’ve learnt from this book creating caper is that the creating activities are mine, and mine alone. But once published, the book becomes about the readers and not me. It is none of my business how readers engage with my book. They might love it or loathe, race through it or never finish it, share it with everyone they know or ignore it completely. Yes, it’s lovely to get lovely feedback! But that’s not why I wrote the book. I wrote it because I had something deep within me that wanted to be shared. It’s also why I write here. I’ve got things deep within me that want to be shared but not in book form! Of course, most of us love some public engagement, whether it’s a little validation or a conversation. But I also want to acknowledge and respect our personal, private forms of engagement. The ones that are less obvious but just as worthy.

3 endnotes…

1. I had the absolute privilege of being invited to my first bookclub where they were discussing my book! It was delightful. A group of super interesting women, warm fire, delectable snacks, and fine wine. The best part? It wasn’t hearing about whether they liked the book or thought it was good. I was more interested in what they resonated with, what captured them, what they wanted to talk about. Loved it! If anyone has a bookclub and they’d like a cameo visit, either in person or online, please get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.

2. OMG I’ve been listening to the audio book recording of my book and it’s surreal! My daughter has narrated it, beautifully I might add, but it is so strange to hear her voice my story into another form. Next up is mastering and then it will be ready for listeners!

3. I binged Netflix’s Nobody Wants This and absolutey loved it! The Kristin Bell and Adam Brody fire-cracker chemistry, the super sharp supporting cast banter, the laugh out loud funniness, and yes, the hot Rabbi. Loved it all!

   One more thing! Last week, I emailed everyone the free download - Your Emotional Healing Map. If you didn’t receive it, then please hit reply to this email and I’ll send you the link.

   Thanks so much for being here! Until next time, love to you and yours.

BTW I have a book you may like to engage with - either publicly or privately. If so, you can grab it from my website or your favourite book retailer. ❤️