“You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing things with logic. True power is restraint. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.” - Warren BuffettI'm back from my social media vacation. Here is what I have learned:
I don't need social media to survive. Taking a break allowed me to realize that checking Facebook and Twitter was almost a chore. I'm a type A guy and dislike having any notifications on my phone. If you have over 100 email notifications and little red dots by all your apps, we may have to talk about the future of our friendship. I have re-downloaded both social media apps but feel refreshed and have a better understanding of how to find an appropriate balance. On to the blog for this week.... Take a min. and just reread Warren Buffett's quote above. Warren is a guy who just feels like you're getting advice from your wise grandfather. I went to a wedding a few years ago and an older gentleman from Nebraska gave this advice to the bride and groom, "Take some time to watch the corn grow." I both loved and laughed at the advice but the most important thing was it caused an emotional reaction. Human emotions are what makes us the most complex creatures on Earth. Emotions can literally start a movement of change but they can also cause us to think and act illogically and irrationally. In today's polarizing world it seems that the entire media and news sectors are out to stir emotional reactions. We also all know that one person who loves to stir the pot. This week let's ask a driving question. "Did I do my best to NOT have an emotional reaction to everything that was said to me?" I love the driving questions because they all start with, "Did I do my best to.....". There is ownership to these statements. I shared this quote with my wife and it was awesome. We joked back and forth each time the other person talked or tried to get the last word by saying, "true power is restraint and to stop having emotional reactions to everything said." I wouldn't recommend saying this in the heat of an argument with your spouse but hopefully the concept adds value. Don't continue to suffer and have your emotions controlled by others. Press pause, breathe, and remove the initial emotional response to observe things with logic.
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"In the last week according to my iPhone, I've spent 3.5 hours on these social media apps consuming the infinite scrolling effect of puppy, baby, and sports videos."This week I was asked to write a blog post for a company called Flipd. Here is an excerpt straight from their website, "Flipd nudges you to spend less time on your phone — helping you to be present, productive, and happy. Enjoy life offline with Flipd." The topic I was asked to blog about was, "benefits of staying off of social media". The whole idea was caked in irony. A technology teacher who uses social media daily even to share a weekly blog, telling people the benefits of staying off social media. With that being said, I value this idea and I'm going to practice what I preach...I hope you join me. I'm going on a social media vacation. I'm going to delete the Facebook and Twitter Apps on my phone for a week and see what happens. In the last week according to my iPhone, I've spent 3.5 hours on these social media apps consuming the infinite scrolling effect of puppy, baby, and sports videos. Infinite scrolling is what has made social media like Twitter and Facebook so addictive and consuming. Infinite scrolling is a web-design technique that loads content continuously as the user scrolls down the page, eliminating the need for pagination. I realized after seeing how much time was spent consuming seemingly meaningless content, I was out of balance and needed a vacation.
Here were the three benefits I shared on my blog post about staying off of social media that I'm hoping to experience during my vacation: Gain Perspective - When you aren’t using social media you are present. You are also able to gain perspective from many differing opinions rather than the “echo chamber” that is created by your social media. Build Meaningful Relationships - Social Researcher, Brene Brown states, “Social media has given us the idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.” Invest in the one or two! Be Happier - Staying off social media allows you to focus your time and energy on what really matters to you. This allows for a sense of purpose. A compliment, hug, or laugh with a friend in person is better than a “like” on social media. Balance is the secret sauce in life. If you have an iPhone and you go into settings>battery>usage in the last 7 days and realize you are out of balance, join me on a social media vacation. Don't fear, your accounts aren't going away after you delete the apps! I'm guessing this week long vacation could help us all refocus on whats truly important in our lives, allow us to build more meaningful relationships, and just be happier. What good could you do with an extra 3.5 hours in your week? Take a vacation to find out! |