Social Media Makeover

Self-promotion. We all do it. I think we have to at some level. But when does self-promotion need to involve anger? And why do people think that being angry and ranting about people/places/organizations is ok?

Maybe I drink too much of the kool-aid but I don’t really see the point in being a rough and tough social media bully. It’s not funny. It’s not respectful. And it’s not professional.

So why does it happen?

I really don’t know. I think most social media bullies aren’t aware that they’re acting like that. They see themselves as powerhouses and maybe thrive on the fact that some people are a little scared to approach them. You know, because they’re a “guru” or something. Fear does not instill respect. They may have the best intention of helping others but many people probably do not approach them for help. I can assure you, it’s not because we’re all intimidated with their massive amount of knowledge. It’s because, at least for me, wooing them to notice me and my desire to learn is not worth the effort.

I really hope that I personally don’t come across like this at all but a few months ago, someone told me that all of my tweets and posts about being sick with mono made me more human and more approachable. And I’m so glad that this person connected with me. I’m learning so much more from her than I could have ever imagined. And, as I’m dealing with a lot of exhaustion again this weekend, this friendship comes to mind.

For me, I like to think that a certain degree of humbleness is needed in everyone. Here’s where I get sappy. Every time life gets stressful, whether it’s from a breakup or too much work, I head to Pinterest and pin inspiring quotes. If it’s really bad, I’ll just look at the pins on my Inspiration board as I typically don’t have the energy to find new pins.

Now that 2012 is halfway over and I’m still dealing with exhaustion from mono, I challenge you to a makeover. Not because you might need one but because embarking on this journey with others means so much to me. Let’s start off with 3 goals for now:

1. Ask for help. If you have a question for me, please ask. If I start asking you too many questions, please know that it’s not to “pick your brain” but rather to feed off of your enthusiasm. Dealing with long-term exhaustion is hard and talking with enthusiastic people about amazing ideas is my way to suppress some of the tiredness.
2. Be available to help. Whether it is social media-related or not, know that I am available at any time and that I may reach out to you for the same support. I may not be able to answer right away but I do have the best intentions of replying within a timely manner.
3. Be kind. Anytime you or I feel like ranting, let’s do so privately. Ranting publicly only hurts people and makes us look like unprofessional asses. We’re better than that.

Don’t count the things you think you have done for someone. Instead, count the number of times you felt better just because you made them happy.