Things Fall Apart
Things will fall apart! They just do. I want to share what just happened to me because I got all out of sorts and felt at a total loss! Have you ever felt that way? Then keep reading.
When Things Fell Apart for Me
About a week ago, one of my social media accounts was stolen. Someone pretended to be an Instagram employee and asked me to verify my email and phone number. I am not very savvy when it comes to social media. In fact, I have a team that helps me with my accounts. Well, I fell for it, and the next day I was locked out of my page! When I say my page, I mean my personal page—you know, the one with the name Deborah Driggs, which I use as my professional name and brand.
This attack was a huge violation, and this person, hacker, company, or whatever you want to call it sent me a message on WhatsApp saying, “I have your account. Want it back?” I felt violated! I sent all this to my team, and they felt as bad as me. We have worked so hard as a team to build my brand and my page, and it fell apart just like that.
I sent Instagram several emails and got no response. I am writing this because I never thought this would happen to me. Be careful on social media. People can steal your account and then want money to give it back to you. How sad it is that this can happen so easily—and that social media companies don’t offer any sort of protection.
How I First Reacted
I was so stunned by this, it took me three days to bounce back. I wasn’t worried as much about the page itself but instead all the private messages that I exchanged with people. I may have put my home address in one or something else very private in another. I am pretty good about deleting messages after I read them, but this felt like a huge loss.
Things fall apart out of nowhere! One minute I was working, going about my daily routine, and having back-to-back meetings with my team to update my website. We were all feeling good about what we are creating, and then boom, this happened. My mind went right to “Just give up.” I often have this reaction after something literally falls apart. We all go through our own stages! Mine were shock, disbelief, anger, frustration, and then beyond pissed. And then it hit me.
A Perfect Time for Things to Fall Apart
I solve problems, I help people, and I am of service. I will not let this hacker destroy something that took me two years to build, so my team and I went to the drawing board. That’s when we realized that this hack happened at the perfect time. My brand is in the process of changing, and we are creating a program and offering other services for people who are suffering. We will not be stopped.
I have to believe my own words that everything will work out just as it should. As Gabby Bernstein says, “The Universe has your back!”
My Instagram handle is now @deborahdriggs, which I feel great about! I get to have a fresh start and a new beginning. All will be okay. And I learned a huge and valuable lesson that you do not trust any messages or emails from social media organizations.
One reason I struggled is because I like looking at the good in everything. I even thought I would call Mark Zuckerberg myself and let him have it. How entitled would that have been! Those thoughts serve no one. Instead, I went into deep prayer and meditation and considered that this was happening for a reason, and if I can see the beauty in everything even when things fall apart, then I will feel better.
Every day is a new beginning. I was upset for three to five days, feeling lost and helpless. I wanted to get that account back so bad. And then I felt as if a weight had been lifted. I said, “Let it go. For some reason, it is not meant to be. Your work is just going to improve now. I am being shown something, I am being put through this lesson for a reason.”
Find the Other Silver Linings
After this happened, my daughter went completely off social media. I asked her if she put her page on hold, and she said, “I just deleted everything, I want to be on my phone less.” I can learn a lot from that. Here I am, the mom freaking out about a stupid social media page, and my daughter has this beautiful wisdom. For the most part, all three of my kids are not that active on social media, but our phones have become quite addictive.
If we are going to be on these devices, let’s try to use them for good, learning, growth, inspiration, and love. As far as the hacker, I send love and compassion to him or her and the other people who are so desperate to make money that they will steal strangers’ accounts. I do not think stealing someone’s social media account is any different than stealing someone’s identity, and we should ramp up security. Hacking has become a full-time job for some. Why? Because they get away with it!
For the parents out there, just make sure you have all the security on your kids’ devices. And most importantly, use a unique password for each account! Thank God my password was used for only that account. Can you imagine? This could have been a lot worse. Take the time to change all your passwords and have separate ones for every app. Do not use the same password for anything. Like I said, this could have ended a lot worse.
When things fall apart, just step back and take a few days, as I did, to go through those stages. The answers will become clear. I am grateful for my team at BrandedMedia. I am grateful for my tools and my morning prayers and meditation. It is that simple. Have your routine and your consistent activities you do to comfort yourself. And things will fall back together!
