Eric Feng… you suck! 😡

Can I be honest with you?

Even after creating over 1000+ pieces of content over 8 social media platforms, I still feel anxious and sometimes even fearful about how you will respond to my content.

I wasn’t like that at the beginning.

Back then when I had less than 100 followers, creating content was stress-free.

Don’t like my content?

That’s ok.

I had nothing to lose.

I will tell myself all the time:

“Seek education not validation.”

And this learner’s mindset made me a content creation machine.

The more I create, the more I learn.

The more I learn, the better I got.

As a result, strangers started taking notice of me.

Corporations started engaging me to speak at their business conferences.

Unknowingly, people started recognising me as an “expert” on all things social media.

And as my followers grow from 50 to 500K, creating content becomes super stressful.

I felt like I can’t afford to fail anymore because I am supposed to live up to every one’s expectation of me:

“A social media expert”.

I also felt like I have a lot more to lose now then before.

If I fail now…

I will lose face.

I will lose credibility.

I will lose business.

I will also disappoint my mentees who look up to me and model after me.

So ironically as my influence grows, I started caring more about validation than education.

I needed to “look good” since I am suppose to be a “know it all”.

And this toxic thinking led me down a very dark path.

I started hesitating in putting out content because I don’t think it is good enough yet.

I stopped experimenting with new content because I don’t want to fail.

I lost joy in creation itself because there is just too much pressure to live up to other people’s expectations.

As I am writing this email, I have half my mind to delete it because I don’t want to appear weak or vulnerable.

But I thought to myself…

One day, YOU will face the same problem as me.

As your influence in the business world grows, you will face the same pressure of trying to be perfect.

And like me, the need to look good will kill your creativity, along with your potential for more growth.

And I don’t want that to happen for you.

Or me.

This is why I am taking the courage to write this email.

I want you to know that we are all work in progress, masterpieces in the making.

Every piece of content we put out is simply an honest representation of our current knowledge level and creativity skill.

It will never be perfect.

And that’s ok.

What matters more is we progress

(i.e. we learn and get better)

So regardless of your level of influence, don’t fall into the trap of looking good.

Instead of seeking validation,

seek education.

As your teacher, mentor and role model, I want you to know that I am not perfect.

I don’t know everything.

And I have come to realise that my biggest contribution to you isn’t through my successes.

My biggest contribution to you is through my experimentations, my mistakes and my learnings.

I will not forget that again.

This is the very reason why you followed me and supported me in the first place.

Not because I am a know it all.

But because I am a learn it all.

FYI, this email took me the entire day to write.

It is probably my most heartfelt one till date.

And I hope it will bring you peace.

Your #1 fan (always),

Eric Feng

P.S. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If this post has resonated with you, please let me know.

It would mean a lot to me.

DM me on Instagram (@ericgoesglobal) & help me forward this post to your friends and colleagues. Better yet, get them to subscribe to my weekly emails here: https://bit.ly/ericweekly

P.P.S. In the spirit of learning, I have also experimented with a new way of storytelling.

The video will be out later this week and I will let you know via email.

Look out for subject header:

“[NEW VIDEO] Who will you date: FB, IG or LI?”