In December of 2023, two days before Christmas, my Gen Z dreams came true.
I finally did it, and it felt so good.
As I sat on my couch, I watched in awe as my views on Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube climbed through the roof. After years and years of trying, failing, experimenting, more failing, and lots of expended energy, I finally got my moment. I was going viral.
By the end of week one, my viral video closed in on 8 million views. Not too long after, it reached nine…ten…and finally, as most viral videos do, it stalled out at 11.3 million views on Instagram alone. I also received the cherry on top of 45,000 new followers.
My whole family was ecstatic. For lack of a better phrase, I was losing my shit. Celebrities and other powerful people from around the globe were sharing my content. I immediately launched into prepping new videos, putting products together, and constantly wondering what would happen next. How could I not be excited? I was on the cusp of starting a successful personal brand that may set me up for life!
It’s too bad my world came crashing down at the exact same time. Or was it?
My Story
You see, while my career as a musician and influencer was skyrocketing, it was discovered that a member of my family was suffering from alcoholism and addiction. They had been suffering for quite some time - nearly half of my life. This person played an essential role in my upbringing, so when the truth was uncovered, it felt like a bomb had gone off.
I felt like I was being split in half. I was experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows at the exact same time. Somehow, I had to keep plodding forward and see where my viral video would take me. I had to stay above water when I was drowning in sorrow.
As my family situation unraveled over the subsequent months, it became clear that I could not maintain this duality of living. Relationships were being torn apart, fights broke out, and people stopped communicating with each other. Waking up every morning and recording entertaining videos no longer fit into the paradigm of my life. With the weight of addiction bearing down on my family, my success on social media didn’t seem to matter at all.
Wait a second…what did matter?
I had spent years trying to see the success that I saw at the end of 2023 - a success that, in an instant, wasn’t important when faced with a catastrophe. Had I been focusing on the wrong things this whole time? Was I caught up in pursuing goals that had no real significance for me?
It certainly seemed that way.
Put simply, my family tragedy sent me down a path of reflection on the things that mattered. I took a birds eye view on my life - everything I owned, all of my relationships, how I spent my time - and asked myself two simple questions…
Does this add value to my life?
Is it essential?
Unbeknownst to me, I had stumbled upon two philosophies that radically changed my life - minimalism and essentialism.
As you can probably imagine, none of my social media habits stood up to the weight of the aforementioned questions. Sticking to my guns, I got rid of all social media from my life. No more youtube, instagram, snapchat, tiktok…nothing.
Somehow, in the wake of a tragedy, this simple decision to rid my life of social media made me 50% happier. I was fulfilled in a way that I hadn’t experienced since I was a child. Combined with the minimization of my material possessions, focusing on important relationships, and restructuring how I spent my time, I feel like a new human.
I want to help you experience the same transformation. No matter your age, your occupation, or your goals in life, I believe that there’s something on this website that you can gain value from. I’m still at the beginning of my minimalist journey, but as I learn, I intend to share. I’m grateful that you stopped by to take part in this journey with me. I hope you gain value from it.
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