The social media community can be overwhelming, negative, suffocating, and even toxic, but it doesn’t always have to be this way. If we remember we are all children of God with the light of Christ in our souls, social media can become a connecting, encouraging, and uplifting place.
Almost every person I know is somehow involved in this online world. Some people thrive on posting about their lives while others are bystanders who just like to consume content. When I decided I wanted to build my own space on YouTube, I had two goals in mind:
- Inspire people to start living life to the fullest.
- Share my testimony with the world.
That is how Never Ends Now, my YouTube channel, was created.
My husband and I were driving from Utah County to our home in St. George. This drive was very familiar to us, and we often used the time to talk about how we wanted our channel to go. I told him how I wanted to take the fear out of living and persuade people to find the good in their current situations. I wanted us to be unique and adventurous and take full advantage of our time on earth. That’s when my husband suggested that we do things we have never done and call the channel Never Ends Now. I fell in love with the concept, and now, that is what we do weekly!
YouTube started out as a fun way to document our growing family, but when our channel took off, we decided to make a career out of creating and publishing videos of our experiences. Our platform consists of us starting a family, traveling the world, and everything in between. Our biggest hope is that others will go out and try things they’ve never done and appreciate the joy in life.
Staying Grounded
The more engagement you receive, the more profit you make, and so it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers when you’re relying on your social media income. I often find myself consumed by questions like, “How many views did I get?”, “Why didn’t people like this post as much as the other one?”, or “What’s trending, and how can I follow along?” Remembering my two goals keeps me grounded when I find myself wandering down those paths. As long as I’ve inspired people and shared my testimony in every video, I’ve learned to be satisfied with whatever the resulting numbers may be.
Shining Authentic Light
I’m an all-or-nothing kind of person, so I tend to get carried away sometimes. In the beginning, I would try extremely hard to bring up God or a principle of the gospel in any way that I could. I wanted to make sure I shared my testimony with the world. My pure intention was there, but honestly, it didn’t feel authentic. I felt like a child being told what to say in a fast and testimony meeting. I came to realize that I don’t necessarily have to speak my testimony for others to hear, but I can show my testimony where others will see. I stopped trying to force it and just shared my beliefs through the way I lived. This understanding brought me joy and creativity instead of pressure.
Showing Your Testimony
When my daughter was born, I remember editing the video and feeling so anxious about posting it to the world. Her birth was one of my most sacred experiences, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to share something so personal. I didn’t want to pollute it by letting the world have access. After praying about my decision, I decided to move forward and upload it. It became one of our highest-viewed videos. I received comments and messages from complete strangers about how much the video impacted them. I realized that the Spirit was able to testify to everyone watching without me even opening my mouth. I believe in eternal families. I believe that bringing life into this world is a sacred thing. I believe that the veil is open, and heaven is so close when a child is born. None of my beliefs were spoken aloud, yet the Spirit was able to touch people’s hearts about these truths.
You don’t need a formal testimony to be a light on social media. God magnifies efforts and the Spirit always testifies of truth in any form. Living a life patterned after the Savior’s example is testament enough for the world to notice.
Aspen Bailey
Aspen Bailey and her husband, Drake, are popular YouTube creators documenting their lives as Latter-Day Saints, parents of their daughter, Rainee, and having new adventures. You can see their channel here.
I love this quote from Aspen: “As long as I’ve inspired people and shared my testimony in every video, I’ve learned to be satisfied with whatever the resulting numbers may be.” It’s so easy to get caught up in the numbers, and not even as an ego thing, but as this urge we have to feel like our efforts are paying off. But numbers of views and reactions don’t tell us the true impact we’re having. There’s lots of channels out there will millions and millions of followers that all they do is entertain. They don’t edify.
Aspen, thank you for writing this article! How you got started posting content on YouTube and what you learned that helped you stay grounded on your core purpose instead of likes, shares, views, etc. has helped me today. I’ve been thinking about what I can do to “champion the cause of religious freedom,” as Elder Rasband challenged us to do. I realized while reading your article that it can be something as simple as consistently posting religious freedom-related quotes and pictures on my social media accounts. I love your point that sharing your testimony can happen in a variety of ways that are authentic to your experiences. Thank you for your help! :0)