Chances are you have lost followers at some point. Anyone on social media has been dumped at some point. But, have you ever lost a follower that surprised you? Or have you been disappointed to find out that you lost a follower that you valued? If you have, it's ok. It happens to all of us.

But sometimes it can really suck. See, I'm one of those people who is a people-pleaser. It's a blessing and a curse. I know I work harder for my clients or bosses because I want them to be happy. And that isn't always a bad thing. But I also tend to take things a little more personally when something goes wrong. I'm trying to get better about seeing the big picture though.

Sure, we all lose followers. When it comes to platforms like Twitter and Instagram, followers come and go almost daily. It's the nature of the platforms - some accounts are spammers or fakes and they get deactivated; some accounts are just looking to increase their follower numbers and will unfollow you if you don't follow them back. Even Facebook has those users who only like your page for a promotion or contest and then unfollow you when the event is over. These are expected and I don't think many of us take these too personally.

And, yes, I've even unfollowed people myself. I'm obviously not exempt from this act.

But every now and then, you lose followers that surprise you. People that you talk to online regularly, or at least share "likes" with regularly decide to dump you. Sometimes you may not even know they did. But thanks to analytics and stats tools, sometimes you can't help but find out.

So this past weekend, I was celebrating some good things going on for me and my blog. But then I found out that two people who I really valued had unfollowed me on Instagram. I have to admit that my initial reaction was shock and disappointment. These were people that I had talked to in person and online. People that I thought I had at least a decent connection with. I started asking all the questions centered around "why?"

But I had to stop myself. This kind of self-deprecating behavior is neither healthy nor helpful.

The reality is, I can't please everyone. And that's ok. Everyone uses social media for their own reasons and purposes. And sometimes, what we have to offer isn't what they're looking for. That doesn't mean that our message and material is any less important or valuable.

You work hard at what you do and you do it well. You have plenty of followers who value what you bring to the table. You can't possibly please everyone, so don't try. If a couple people decide to unfollow you, that's ok. It doesn't discredit who you are or what your brand offers.

On a side note, if after posting a certain post, you lose a large amount of followers, this may actually be of concern. In this situation you should really take a step back and determine what caused those reactions. Apologies or damage-control tactics may be in order.

We all deal with life events in our own way. What disappoints me, may not phase you. What makes you happy, may not register with me. That's what makes us human. Just remember that on the other side of that profile picture is a real human being and if they chose to unfollow you, that was their choice, not yours.

The irony was that as I was questioning this situation of losing these followers, a new connection commented on a post thanking me for my contributions. This reminded me that I love what I do and I can't let a couple little things distract me. So, instead, I wrote a blog post about it!

The important thing to remember, is not to take these things too personally. It happens, in real life and online. Focus on the fans and followers you do have and how you can best serve them! This is what will bring you success.