Awareness is key
When you scroll about social media, what draws your attention the most?
What topics and people do you gravitate to?
Why do you go down the rabbit hole?
What is it that makes you feel good about engaging with others on social media?
All questions I rarely asked myself to be perfectly honest. Now I am seeing the error in my ways. Now I am beginning to understand and take control of how I spend my time using social media. I am fulfilling my time, and my heart by stepping back and not consuming, wishing and wanting by looking at how others are showing up in their posts. Albeit, it has been, and still is a process AND a big one at that. WHY is it so hard?
After all, it is just a little down time, isn't it? What is wrong with a little scrolling, watching and listening? NOPE.... in actual fact it really isn't a little down time. It is actually a LOT of ON time. When I scroll I find that I step deeper and deeper into a social media coma as it were. When I realize that I am not "doing well" it is because I go into the wish and want phase of my thinking and come from a place of lack.
Now, don't get me wrong there have been incredible people I have met through social media and I am grateful for those strong, uplifting and life changing relationships; however, it is within my power and control to decide how I will use social media to NOT allow it to take over my thinking and add stress to my life. Of course it isn't social media's "fault" at all, or at least mostly. It is my lack of clarity, my lack of confidence, my lack of fulfillment that is at fault for sure.
When I spend time developing and understanding myself in new and important ways, the need, desire and propensity to compare and judge myself against others lifts. I know it is my ego mind that is at play here and the stories I tell myself. Going down rabbit holes and getting lost in social media for no purpose or goal of serving others can be a thing for me sometimes. How about you? Have you found yourself spending time disappearing on your screen and "wasting" good quality valuable time looking down instead of up and/or inward? Yes, me too! And it can be embarrassing and upsetting to say the least.
Of course, this in combination with technology serving its purpose to get more engagement, followers, and addictions to the various platforms has done very well for itself too, hasn't it? Just watch your grandchildren and how quickly they can become addicted to all aspects of technology. YIKES.
Being in the know and doing something about it are too different things aren't they really. So how do you use social media? Is it something that serves you? Are you using it to help you understand yourself and your assets better? Do you use it as a tool for you to reach your life goals, and reach your greatest highest good, or do you find yourself feeling less than when you scroll, do you scrutinize from a self deprecating lens, and negatively internalize inferiority feelings from those that you follow? If this is you, then you are now becoming aware and that is the first step to help you change.
Why do we spend so much time scrolling to be entertained by others?
Why not figure out how we can step up and step into being all that we can be, independent of social media or is that the only way for us to access forward thinking?
I used to believe in having a large number of followers would make me "successful". Have I learned a lot in the last few years.
Here is what I know for sure......
I can get caught in the trap but have a greater awareness when it is happening and can pull myself out by asking
* "Is this serving me right now?"
* Am what I am doing on social media making me happy? (why or why not)
* Am I showing up as my true authentic self?
* Am I serving my clients and showing up for women who need support and encouragement everyday?
What questions can you begin to ask yourself to ensure you are being true and authentic to your inner being, yourself and who you are showing up to be in your social media platforms?
Are the people that you have in your close circle of frequent posters giving you uplifting content and ways in which to help you in your life? Are you spending quality time with those "real live people" in your life everyday and putting away the social media to be present everyday? What are some steps you are wanting to take to take more responsibility for your personal growth, inner peace, joy and happiness through some very powerful social media platforms that you follow? What are some changes you are ready to make to step into your YOUness and live life to the fullest using social media to your greatest highest good?
Which question resonated with you the most?