Stepping In Front Of The Curtain

byElaineSu

61 followers

Updated 1 month ago

In order to explain the title and the purpose of this blog post, I first need to give you some background information.

In the UK, there's an old expression sometimes used to describe a certain type of person. This expression I'm referring to is a "curtain-twitcher." If you aren't familiar with this term, the Cambridge Dictionary defines a 'curtain-twitcher' as "someone who is very interested in what their neighbours are doing and tries to find out by looking out of the window without being seen." (In other words - peeking from behind the curtain and observing what is going on outside.)

Now, I would like to clarify, I am not one of those people! I have a busy enough life as it is and I certainly don't have any time to stand at the window, watching my neighbours! But I have used the term 'curtain-twitcher' to describe myself in a joking way and I'll explain why.

Like most of you, I have had social media accounts on various platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc) for a good few years but I have always been a reluctant participant in terms of posting my activities etc. For example, I would pop onto FaceBook or Instagram, scroll through the feed, see what friends were up to, read the comments and occasionally comment on one or two posts myself (always friendly, positive comments) . But I rarely posted anything about myself on my own page. This, my friends, was my social media 'curtain-twitching!

So, why was I reluctant to post anything? Well, I think it comes from a lack of confidence in myself and a fear of being judged or criticised. I know this may seem strange to some of you, especially when I say my personal accounts are always set to private so only my friends can comment on anything I post. However, I have seen arguments develop between friends, people getting blocked from groups etc and we all know how vitriolic some comments can be on social media. So this had been my stumbling block.

Now, since becoming a member of WA a few months ago, I initially adopted a similar approach - staying in the background, reading blog posts, following the training but not contributing any of my own posts on WA. And I did this for exactly the same reasons I stated above - lack of confidence, fear of being judged etc. I believed (rightly or wrongly) that everyone here at WA had more experience and confidence - basically, had it all worked out! And I would just embarrass myself.

Well, since reading Kyle's article 'Become an Ambassador at Wealthy Affiliate' I realised that my approach had to change. I had to 'step in front of that curtain' and interact with other like-minded people. The 'pay it forward' approach at WA is a great way to boost our rankings but it's also a great way to build personal confidence too! I have realised that communicating with others on WA, supporting them, offering feedback and sharing experiences benefits us all.

I already enjoy offering positive, constructive feedback about member's blog pages and websites (my experience as a teacher comes in handy here!) but I was still hesitant about writing a blog post for WA. So, a couple of weeks ago, I took a deep breath and wrote a post for WA and it was so much easier than I thought it would be and a very positive experience!

I realise to be successful, I need to be more proactive on social media too. I need demonstrate confidence through sharing my experiences, business ideas and opinions to help others along the way. In doing so, I can communicate my passion for my niche and demonstrate how much I care about what I do.

So, how about you? Are there any other 'curtain-twitchers' out there? Or are you all standing proudly in front of the curtain? Wherever you are on your journey, I wish you every success and hope we will connect on the invaluable platform that is Wealthy Affiliate.

Elaine