Why I Left All Social Media at 1,000,000 Subscribers

The moment we surpassed 1 Million subscribers I walked away from all social media.
Today on my 26th birthday, one year later, I share my story with you.

Though I’ve been away from this platform, I’ve been sharing on Instagram recently:
https://www.instagram.com/thedanielfernandez/

I’ve received your emails and thank you immensely for your attentions, the next couple of days I will be answering Dm’s, comments, and calling some of you.

Thank you.

Video Transcript:

We all have dreams, big dreams.
Yet somewhere along the line we fail to do something about them so they remain just that, dreams, not goals.
We get comfortable, clock in clock out and we settle for less than what we can be…
We settle for less than the person we’re meant to be.
And we go through life with a little question that always seems to creep up in the back our mind… What if?
What if I would’ve tried?
What if I would’ve slept less?
What if I would have worked harder?
What if I would have forgiven?
What if I wasn’t scared to fail?
A wise man once said I would rather fail at something I love than a success at something I hate. (George Burns)
Personally, I’ve never been driven by money, but by happiness.
So I live my life doing the the things that bring me happiness.

So why at this pinnacle moment where we surpassed one million subscribers… did I decide to walk away from it all?
The answer is simple: I. Was. Not. Happy.
The reason for this unhappiness though is complicated because for the first time in my life I was f**ing miserable, and I did not know WHY.
I’ve always been this driven guy on a mission so who the f**k was this guy? What did he want with me?
It wasn’t some tragic event that happened, it wasn’t a big failure, it was me. I was simply and completely blank.
I shaved my head because I couldn’t stand the man I saw in the mirror,
I isolated because I was so scared to speak to anyone because they might “see me differently”…
All I did was sleep, and I when I wasn’t sleeping I was wishing I was.
It turns this man unwelcomely visited me to teach me a few important lessons.

I remembered ChangeInTheMaking, the original name of this channel created on the sole idea that change breeds growth, and growth births happiness.
So I decided to make some massive changes.

1. I hit 1 Million subscribers and decided to walk away from all social media and took the leap.
2. After 7 years living in LA, I packed up my apartment with plans of moving to Australia to write a movie. Then I met a girl and for the first time in many years I fell in love and ended up in Colombia instead.
3. After 7 years I went back to working away from a screen, doing live shows and found my love for magic again.
4. I spent time with family, enjoyed my new nice and nephew, and realized I’ve been without them for the past 7 years. I learned I do not want to be alone again.
5. I began seeing friends again, simply hanging out and not spending every second, of every minute, of everyday focused on work.
6. I began training, pushing my body so that I could unlock my mind.
7. I went back to Paris, where my first videos began gaining international attention.
8. I went back to London and stood at the exact sport where I saw a magician for the first at 10 years old… That place changed the direction of my life and as I stood at that exact spot I stood 16 years ago, on a storefront window were the words “something magical is happening”. I thanked God, because I knew at that moment I was exactly where I was meant to be.
And little by little, as my hair began to grow, I began finding my happiness again, my why.

Prestige:
My lifetime brought me to the moment where I met that man in the mirror and walked in his shoes, opened my ears and heart and learned valuable lessons, thanked him immensely but then wished him farewell… because I never want to meet or be that man again. Now I’m here, on my 26th birthday feeling as if I haven’t even begun this marathon of life. Humbled, hungry, excited to grow in my craft and create purposeful entertainment. See I believe this world is like a body and we are the cells, the organs, the limbs; we must each do our part to make the body of the world function.
So I ask you, warrior, What is your part?
What do you love to do?
What do you want?
Not what do your parents want, not what do your teachers want.
What do you want? What. Do. You. Want?
Define it, write it down, and work every single day to get it because dreams remain dreams if you don’t make them goals.
Do. Your. Part.
Dream big and then get to doing, make them real.
Do not wait, do not blink, tomorrow is not promised.
Dream big… but do much, much bigger.

Thank you for your relentless support through the years.
Thank you, thank you… thank you.

Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU

Scrolling through our social media feeds feels like a harmless part of our daily lives. But is it actually as harmless at seems? According to social media expert Bailey Parnell, our growing and unchecked obsession with social media has unintended long term consequences on our mental health. As social media continues to become part of the fabric of modern life – the “digital layer” – abstinence is becoming less of an option. Bailey think it’s high time we learned to practice safe social before it’s too late. What are the common triggers? How are they affecting you over time? How can you create a more positive experience online? Bailey covers this and more in “Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?”

Bailey Parnell was recently named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. She is an award-winning digital marketer, public speaker and businesswoman with a talent for helping people tell better stories. Her work and expertise have been featured on CBC, CTV & in other local Toronto media. Bailey recently founded SkillsCamp, a soft skills training company where they help people develop the essential skills needed for professional success. She also currently works in digital marketing at Ryerson University.

Bailey is a frequent public speaker having spoken to more than 10 thousand people. She primarily speaks about social media, personal branding, and media and mental health. She guest lectured her first MBA class at 21-years-old and has been the youngest speaker as multiple academic conferences. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Communication and Culture with a research focus on social media and mental health, and holds an honours BA from the RTA School of Media at Ryerson.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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