It’s time to reintroduce myself. My name is Gabriel Lucatero. I’m a fiction writer, memoirist, and insurance agent, among other things. You should know that I’ve had a love-hate relationship with social media for the last ten years. I opened and closed Facebook, Instagram, and other accounts more than I can count. I’ve planned strategies for using my platforms and even dared to make YouTube videos for some time. I realized I was all over the place, and whatever plan I had wasn’t working because I lacked two essential components anyone trying to share their content with the world should have: Direction and Consistency.
I didn’t have direction because the videos I posted years ago did not represent the genre I like to write about. Rather than talking about scary stories, I was making videos highlighting the fact that I have difficulty pronouncing some words, making sketches about nothing in particular, and trying to please people whose taste differed significantly from mine; sure, I learned a ton of valuable skills, but I was not being true to myself. I ended up deleting everything and started all over again. By then, any sense of rhythm and coherence I tried to stick to started losing its grip in reality.
Consistency (or lack of it) comes into the picture. This penchant I had to come and go and talk about anything but the things I enjoyed was a habit I delved into numerous times; I’m even ashamed to admit it, but it’s the truth. Today, I can feel their bewilderment by putting myself in the shoes of anyone trying to engage in my content. “Where’s this guy going with all this?” I can hear them ask.
I began this open letter by telling you about my three main interests. I’m still a fiction writer. I started writing horror stories, but I’ve also been interested in mystery for a while; who knows? I may end up writing a whodunnit one day. I’m still working on my memoirs, which you can read for free on my website; I may share them with you in another way. And lastly, I recently got a job as an insurance agent. Still, because I’m just in the beginning stages of my career, I also have a part-time job at a Mexican restaurant; the tacos are so good I’d probably end up working there a while longer so I can eat them more often. Now, why am I telling you all this in an open letter? I’m telling you this because it feels right. In a prior post, I mentioned how visiting my loved ones is an activity I enjoy because “I like the person I am when I am with them.” But what about the person I am when I am not with them? I didn’t like that person very much. I didn’t like that person because he didn’t have a job -or jobs- he enjoyed. I didn’t like that person because his personal goals didn’t seem necessary to him. Sure, he was making strides, but he wasn’t really engaged.
He lacked direction. He lacked consistency.
So, the takeaway from this letter is this: I finally found balance. I have a couple of jobs I am happy to do every day. I have a story to write, or, as we writers call it: a work in progress. I have friends who like me more than I like myself, and I have a family I can’t wait to spend time with regularly. If you got this far on this letter, I hope you can join me in this crazy new world of self-promotion. I didn’t get to this new chapter in my life alone. Many people have been helping me achieve my goals, and I am eternally grateful for them. The one thing we have to remember is that it doesn’t matter how long the path is. What’s important is the progress we make.
Until next time.