Want To Become An Influencer? 12 Little Known Benefits

Do you aspire to become an influencer?

In today's hyper-connected digital world, it is possible to build a successful career as an influencer.

When you think of an influencer, images that may come to mind are A-list celebrities who have massive social media followers.

The great news is that you don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to succeed as an Instagram influencer and create an impact.

Inside this blog, I share with you 12 little known benefits that I've received from being an influencer and a YouTuber. If you want to be someone of influence, read on!

Watch the video below:

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What is an influencer?

An influencer is someone who has established credibility in a specific area or industry. Today, there are so many opportunities available for people to have their own podcast, blog, Instagram Tik Tok, or YouTube channel. A lot of people are starting their careers as an influencer at a very young age and doing incredibly well.

There are kids in high school that are making 6-7 figures by leveraging different social media platforms. There are so many great companies that are willing to pay influencers to promote their products and get in front of your audience.

As an influencer, I've been able to impact millions of peoples' lives, build a successful online business, and turn my passion into profit. The financial gains that come from being an influencer are obvious, but that isn't what I want to talk to you about today. I want to share with you the 12 little known benefits that I've received along my influencer journey thus far.

I've been a YouTuber for 9 years now. When I started, I didn't know that I could make money doing it. My primary goal was always to share my story and add value to others. I've received so many benefits from being a YouTuber. It's my responsibility to share how this journey has impacted me.

Today, I have over 1.1 million subscribers on my YouTube channel and over 58 million views, not to mention the success I've had with my podcast, blog, and social media. The benefits I've received have far outweighed the money that I've made. Here are the 12 little known benefits of being an influencer. Let's dive in!

1. Helped me overcome my fear of judgment, rejection, and criticism

If you decide to put yourself out there online, you will be susceptible to others' judgments and criticisms. The reality is that people judge people, whether they express it out loud or not. On the Internet, people have the option to be anonymous and can make comments at will. In the beginning, this negative energy may affect you.

However, as you keep going, you will desensitize yourself to the white noise of others' judgments. I've made incredible strides in my life, as it pertains to my fear of judgment from others. Today, comments from haters bounce off of me. This has been a huge benefit that has translated to other areas of my life.

Think about how many people are afraid of what other people think of them, so much so that they live their lives based on what they think they should do instead of what they want to do. Confronting your fears head-on is the only thing that helps you to overcome them.

2. Forced me to continuously learn and evolve.

Because of the nature of my industry, which is self-development, I have to be creative and resourceful consistently. The more that I learn, the more content that I can create, the more I can share with my audience.

Being a YouTuber has forced me to level up and have high standards in every aspect of my life. If I don't grow and evolve, I have nothing to share or give. This is why I'm always learning. It's a core part of my job. I never run out of things to teach or share.

3. Helped me become a leader, a role model, and a positive example to others.

Leadership has taken on an important role in my life. I don't take for granted the reach and the impact that I have. There is a level of responsibility that comes with that. When I publish a piece of content I am influencing people's thoughts, values, beliefs, and behaviors through my words.

I don't take that lightly. There are a lot of people who consume my content and look up to me as a role model. This forces me to level up my game and be a better human being. I want to make sure that the world is better off for me being here.

4. I've become a more confident speaker and a better communicator.

When I was young, I struggled with communication. In high school, I was incredibly shy and quiet. It became such a pain point in my life. Eventually, I decided to devote time and attention to developing my communication skills out of necessity. I decided to sign up for public speaking classes and practice as much as I could. I wanted a career in public speaking.

I'm not smooth and polished in my speaking with every single video that I publish. I still have slip-ups. However, when I speak, I never have a script. Rather, I just speak from my heart. When you put in your 10,000 hours you get better and better over time. That's exactly what happened to me.

5. I've better internalized a lot of self-improvement concepts and principles.

When you teach and communicate something to others in a clear and concise way, you learn on a much deeper level. My career as an influencer provides me with the opportunity to master new concepts and principles and pass on this knowledge to others. In many ways, I'm speaking to myself when I'm speaking to others.

6. I have more empathy, compassion, and love for strangers.

I don't judge anyone. When you're an influencer, you attract so many people from all over the world who have different values, interests, and personalities. I've met amazing people throughout my career. However, in the online world, I've also come across people who are radically different from myself.

You have to be careful that you aren't quick to judge these types of people. Everyone has a story. Being an influencer has helped me better understand the psychology of people. In essence, why people do what they do.

By having empathy and understanding others' belief systems, I have developed a greater appreciation for diverse viewpoints. Coming from a place of appreciation first, I am then able to determine which viewpoints best serve my life.

7. I get valuable feedback from people.

Sometimes you will get feedback from people online, both constructive and malicious in nature. Be careful when it comes to receiving feedback. It's up to you to decide what you will do with it. I like to try out peoples' viewpoints and then decide whether or not I can apply them to my life. If you can receive constructive feedback and turn it into an opportunity for growth, you win.

8. I'm able to meet and get access to incredible human beings.

As an influencer, I've been able to meet incredible people, some of whom include Robert Kiyosaki, Dave Asprey, and Tony Robbins. A lot of my friends are successful entrepreneurs and influencers who are doing amazing things in this world.

Over the years I have intentionally placed myself in environments with people who are more successful than myself. I've absorbed their wisdom and knowledge like a sponge. As a result, I have become a better person and a more successful entrepreneur.

9. I get to make a huge impact on peoples' lives.

I've always wanted to make a contribution to the world, but I never knew what that would look like. Early on in my life I was impacted by role models, like Tony Robbins. In particular, his work transformed every aspect of my life. It was then that I knew that I too wanted to provide the gift of transformation to others.

The impact that I've been able to make has been huge. I get messages and emails all the time from people who tell me how much my work has changed their lives. That is something that I don't take for granted. These words of gratitude fuel me to keep giving and serving. When you give to others, you get back in so many incredible ways.

10. I get cool perks and free stuff.

As an influencer, there are a lot of companies who will give you their products for free, in exchange for you sharing them on your social media. I've been blessed to receive a lot of incredible gifts, for free. This includes everything from courses, to books, to trips, to flights.

I don't ask for these things, but I am open to receiving them. That being said, I do like to pay for things because I want to support people who have created something of value. They deserve my money.

11. I've become more aware of my ego and my attachments.

As an influencer, you need to be careful that you don't get too attached to the identity and the feeling of significance. You will get a lot of attention and praise from people, in the form of likes and comments. You need to make sure that all of this attention doesn't get to your head.

Humble yourself and be mindful when your ego starts to show up. At the end of the day, you're just a person. You're not better than anyone else. We all have weaknesses and strengths. My spiritual practice has helped me become more aware of my ego. There is a real danger in getting too attached to the need for significance.

If you make significance one of your top needs you will never be happy. You will always be looking for more significance which creates a toxic cycle of chasing self-gratification. On top of that, you will feel insignificant when you surround yourself with people whom you perceive as more significant to yourself. Self-comparison is a losing battle.

12. I've gotten better at sales and marketing.

The lifeblood of a business is sales and marketing. You have to believe in your product or service, so much so that you are willing to actively promote yourself and your brand. In effect, you have to become a master salesperson.

Your ability to effectively influence others to take action will determine your success as an entrepreneur. When you add massive value and over-deliver on a consistent basis, people start to trust you more and you will have to work less to sell yourself.

These are 12 little known benefits of being an influencer.

Being an influencer has blessed my life in so many ways. I love what I do because of the person I have become. If you aspire to become a person of influence, work hard to build your audience, add value, and make the world a better place, simply by sharing your message and by being your authentic self.