I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I love being able to stay connected with my family that is scattered all over the world. I love being able to meet new people and read about the joys and struggles they experience. I love having knowledge at my fingertips. I don't like that people a write me a FB message over calling me. I don't like being sucked in, two hours go by and I haven't even started my day. I don't like how ADD and scatterbrained it makes me. How much time it 'demands' to do it well.
But let's get real here. I haven't utilized blogging/social media to its fullest. I'm still taking baby steps... figuring it all out for me. I went to college for public relations, so you'd think I'd be an expert. But no. When I was working, I sat at a computer 9-11 hours a day and the last thing I wanted to do was come home or start my day on social media/blogging. Needless to say, I never checked my email, let alone updated a FB status (although Instagram did own me). But now I'm finding joy in starting my day writing and getting to learn more from other bloggers. It's my creative outlet. Although I still find myself strapped for time and rarely make it a priority. I'm hoping this challenge will help me realize that it's good to sit and be still. A little idle time is OK. I don't always have to be running a hundred miles a minute.
How it's changed me? I think it's teaching me to slow down, oddly enough. To take time for myself. To share more. Be open. And that imperfection is OK. Every blog post, FB status or picture I post isn't going to be published in next month's Nat Geo or get one million likes and solve all the world's problems. That's OK. I'm learning to let go and take steps forward, even if they are mediocre. I'm not going to be an expert on day one nor do I need to be. I can just be me... faults and all. And that's OK. You're not judging, right? Well, you might be.. but go fold some socks or something more important. It's all about the journey. I'm learning to enjoy it.
I feel the same way and have had quite checkered past with social media. Scatterbrained really hits the nail on the head, along with just a lot of unnecessary head space it took up. Finally I just had it. I deleted my Facebook account two year back, and my Twitter and Google+ a couple months back. Doing so has given me the white space in my mind that I needed. I really urge all to find the ones that work for them, and maybe for them it's Twitter or Facebook, and keep it simple. Now I just stick to Pinterest and Goodreads. Who knows, maybe one day I'll drop those but I find it best to only partake in those which are benefiting us and not consuming us. You really just hit the nail on the head regarding my relationship with social media. Thanks for sharing Celeste!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I feel the same way you do about getting sucked into social media. And you're right, imperfection is okay! Thank you for reminding me. Have a great weekend!
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