Ever since we started building SoulUp.in, a lot of people have graciously spared their time to give us feedback on what we can improve and how we can do it.
Strikingly though - the one thing that they have all found commendable about the current version is common - and it is that they all really resonated with the public profiles of Peers on the platform.
(P.S. SoulUp.in allows people to connect 1-on-1 to any of its curated set of ‘Peers’ to talk about anything that is on their mind and have honest conversations about it.)
Rethinking public profiles
I have often found it difficult to approach new people and talk to them. Most people I see on social media (and erstwhile in person) seem to have near perfect lives and the perfect mood, energy and paraphernalia to match it. It’s like all their plans have been falling into place like an elegant domino effect of everything they are doing/have done.
We all know by now that lives that we ‘see’ are just the highlights of a deeper reality and not everyone’s life is perfect.
But we all fall for it.
And it’s because the highlights are all that people talk about. People rarely advertise their failures or struggles on public forums unless they have something to gain from it. And that too only if they are successful enough to not lose anything from these ‘disclosures’.
And while I have been intimidated by others, I have made the same mistake for most of my life. Parading only positive narratives and rarely speaking about my real struggles. And in the process, I have perhaps been less approachable and an unlikely candidate for honest conversations and true connection.
It is because true connection begins with relatability. It begins with finding common ground. And it’s only possible when we freely speak about our lives - bringing both our victories and our failures to the fore.
One step at a time
At SoulUp we are strongly encouraging Peers to do this - to be more transparent about their current and past struggles. This allows Listeners to be inspiring, yet more ‘real’ and relatable as people
This balanced representation of profiles is what advisers and friends of SoulUp.in like.
And I hope more and more of us realise the need of this balance and use it in our own public or online portrayals.
