The good stuff!
For something that a lot of people define as a 'hobby', we sure put a lot of blood sweat and tears into it. There are a few who have been able to make a solid living out of being in the paranormal field, and I assure you that is not an easy feat and still requires a passion with a lot of blood sweat and tears so we are really all in the same category. With that blood sweat and tears comes a lot of criticism, a lot of bitchiness, a lot of jealousy and some downright childish behaviour. I am not sure what it is about the paranormal field that attracts this kind of behaviour, but I dare say social media plays a very big part in this. Oh and Ego. We can't forget about ego. I guess ego and social media are sort of hand in hand. We have been trained now to post to get a like. A like means someone likes you. Then you get another like and it can become addictive. Soon you want to get more followers and lots of likes on your posts. It is a gauge of how well you are going. I have been guilty of going over my figures wondering why are my stats down this week? Is it because no one likes my stuff anymore? This is the beast that social media has created. It is becoming so bad that organisations like Instagram are removing a like count because of the negative effect it has on a person's mental health. This FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real thing that can make people feel less than superior to their peers. You might see a post of people doing a lot of investigations and think to yourself I should be doing more or I wish I could be doing that. It is for that reason that I write a lot of honest posts here on this blog and essentially let you all into aspects of my private life. I'm actually a fairly private person in a lot of ways, but I also feel it is important to be honest about the image I am representing. Very honestly, I cop my fair share of crap on social media that I don't respond to or talk about publicly. I just don't want to give it attention because it doesn't deserve it. We all experience it and hear about all the drama that often goes on. What we don't always hear about is the good stuff. So I wanted to write a post about the good stuff in the paranormal field that is often forgotten!
A labour of LOVE
A lot of what we do in the paranormal field is a labour of love. While you may see a lot of people hosting events and investigations, quite a lot of them don't get paid to do so. They are volunteers. Volunteers so that the venue can keep running. Volunteers so that the paranormal business can stay afloat. Volunteers that are offering you their time (and often spending their own money) to make sure that you are having a great night. They may not be rewarded financially, but they are often rewarded by getting to investigate (bonus) and making some amazing friends. I can assure you that even the people that are running tours as a business are not millionaires. A lot of work goes into it and for some people, it is their only means of income so don't judge before walking in someone's shoes. Even people who are not working events or running investigations are running amazing pages, creating great content like videos, articles or even just posting relevant information on social media for others to read. This is time-consuming in itself and also a labour of love. Here you have thousands of people all over the world creating for their peers. I think that is pretty amazing! Even if you don't agree with the way a person investigates in a video or the things they say on a podcast, think about the effort that has gone into creating that! It truely is a labour of love. I have yet to see someone (besides maybe Zak Bagans) that is a millionaire from being in the paranormal field. Those who do make money from what they do make just enough to stay afloat like many small businesses. It is still a labour of love that takes a lot of work. Every single person out there in the paranormal field no matter what they are doing LOVES the paranormal!
Friendships & Fun
I often tell people that a lot of the investigations that I run don't feel like 'work'. They literally feel like I am out investigating with friends. That is because I am! I have made so many friends in the paranormal field by meeting people at investigations, people that I have met through social media or those that have just reached out to say HI. When you get to investigate with these lovely people, it makes it fun. If we aren't friends at the beginning of the night, usually by the end of the night we are! I myself have made some amazing friendships with people all over the world that I wouldn't otherwise have known if it weren't for being involved with the paranormal field. It is exciting going on road trips or getting to investigate a building for the first time. It is fun dressing up for theme nights or coming up with experiments. You bond when you have an experience together. The number of laughs and fun had on an investigation is underestimated. Yes, we take what we do seriously, but when you are surrounded by the right people, the energy just feels happy and fun. I also personally find when the energy in a group is like this more things tend to happen. I have connected with so many people and even been able to collaborate with people in a different country. We connected all because we have that one thing in common. The paranormal. I think this is pretty amazing.
Support
People in the paranormal field are not immune to drama and it is pretty rare to find someone who hasn't somehow had drama. It means that when a person throws their support behind you, it means they really believe in you. I was stunned when I released my book 2 months ago. I honestly didn't think anyone would read it, I just wanted to write a book so I wasn't really fussed about promotion or sales etc. The amount of support people threw behind me and encouragement given to me was amazing. It didn't matter if a person bought a copy or not, it was just the offering of their support which was amazing. You underestimate how much of an influence you can have on another person. Just taking the time to say some kind words to someone or to acknowledge the work they have put in will mean the world to them. I see so much of this happening at the moment where people are sharing one another's work and even just saying things like 'good job' or 'I enjoyed this' and even a 'thankyou'. Those words mean the world to your fellow investigator. It can make them feel like at that moment all the work they put in was worth it. Often when you post something on social media, people tend to point out everything they didn't like or agree with. Again this is how social media has conditioned us. So when a person has something positive to say, it is an amazing feeling that the content creator really appreciates. Even after an investigation, the number of people that come and say thankyou that was great is an amazing feeling! With all the drama, instead of becoming bitter and just throwing your hands up in the air, you all continue to support those that you believe in and thank them and encourage them. I think that is just beautiful!
I can't speak for everyone, but for myself, I find so much joy participating in the paranormal field. I have a lot of fun with my investigations because I am with friends. I have a lot of fun online because I am talking to my friends all over the world. I have a lot of fun creating because I am surrounded by people who support me and encourage me to be the best I can be! These are some of the great things about the field. I myself am very much a glass is half full person. I have to be. I have been through so much in the last few years with my health that I had to have that mindset for myself and my family. It is something I adapt to every day and especially with my work in the paranormal field. If I wasn't positive, I'm not even sure I would still be in the field. If you focus on the drama, you can very quickly go down this sort of hole and it goes from being something enjoyable to something that you despise. You then become that person that criticises everyone and puts others down. No one wants to be that person (and we all know at least one of these people). Surround yourself with those you like being around and that build you up. Equally remember you need to do that to your peers as well. We need to support one another. Paraunity will never exist fully because of human nature, but we can still be civil and respect one another. Let's not focus on the negative stuff because it doesn't deserve the air time. Ignore posts you see putting others down. If you don't like something just keep scrolling until you find something you do like. There is so much negativity out there I could probably write a book highlighting it but what would that achieve? Focus on the good stuff! It will make you a much happier person!
What do you think is some of the good stuff you have encountered in the paranormal field?
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Comments
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Joseph T Kapusta 5 years ago
Simply stated, the knowledge acquired in learning why something might NOT be paranormal is to me, as much fun as the possibility the paranormal IS real.
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Joseph T Kapusta 5 years ago
Simply stated, the knowledge acquired in learning why something might NOT be paranormal is to me, as much fun as the possibility the paranormal IS real.