A CHANGE IN MY SOCIAL MEDIA THINKING

I've gotten my feet wet and like many people just started with social media am wondering if I am making any progress or just wasting my time. Time to do a little assessment and perhaps refine my strategy.

Since this past Christmas I have become more involved with Facebook after a few months of Twitter and a little blogging.  I recently read a book about introverts after reading some books that advocated generating ideas through groups.  "Quiet" by Susan Cain suggested that many people feel more comfortable and are more successful thinking solitarily.  But she more than conceded that the inter-net really opens the synergy of ideas.

I have been told (and read) that social media is about a conversation not a sermon. Many of us start out as "stalkers" meaning we like to read interesting things other people present without revealing anything of ourselves.  Some of us move onto being missionaries spouting off our outlook on life. Almost by accident I have discovered that when you make an attempt to actually help someone or even just to understand them better they are more apt to respond.

Everyone is unique.  A good strategy is to find your niche.  Makes sense.  Like everyone who reads this (and the far greater crowd that is totally unaware of it) I am unique. There are things in life that I have learned I want more of. There are a few things I have learned that seem to put me on a path to getting more of what I want. The two thoughts are very closely connected and can be very compatible.

Being unique means not every body will be interested in what interests me nor that I will be interested in everything that interests them. More basically if we really want to understand and appreciate other people you have to understand and appreciate what interests them.   The more intimate you want to get with another person the more you need to understand their interests.

To get more of what I want, I need to help more people get more of what they want (paraphrasing Zig Ziglar).  Realistically there are only some things or combinations of things that are worth any reader's time. they can get much of what I say elsewhere.  Grabbing the interest of any reader is a challenge.

My plan is to appeal to as wide an audience as I can. No one will be interested in the whole package, but many will be interested in different aspects of my message.

My message is basically here are some things I enjoy that you might also and here are some thoughts that might help you get what you want. A few things you might be tempted to buy or find out more about (and help me pay some bills and have more time to indulge in what I enjoy). Just knowing what you want is a big part of the battle.  Some thoughts might seem like new ideas (or at least re-packaged), but many thoughts are just reinforcements of what you already know.

Can we help each other to enjoy more of life?  Maybe appreciate some beauty that escaped us before or use our resources more optimally to get what we really want.  One thing for sure, nobody made it entirely on their own although many act and pontificate as though they had.

Every thought you ever had might be of interest to or even benefit someone. At the same time most of them will bore the vast majority who either have already thought something very similar or really are focused in a very different direction.  Write to the masses, cater to individuals.  Represent yourself--everyone has something to offer.

Sometimes venturing a thought exposes you to other people.  Don't be afraid of other people's opinions.  they can be helpful or destructive or ignored.

Writing your ideas down forces you to think and reinforces them.  Although I am as vain as anyone, I also benefit from being forced to organize my thoughts.

Or is this all about vanity?  Is that a totally bad thing?

The photo is of Veradero Beach taken through some trees.  

THE FOLLOW-THROUGH FACTOR

We all have ideas, ambitions and maybe start on the road, but for most of us, most of our efforts go only a short distance before we get diverted or stopped by some obstacle. Some would say that reality stepped in. Does that sound familiar?

Gene C Hayden like a lot of us wondered why some people are successful at what they set out to do and that most of us are not. Obviously talent and luck play a role, but she determined that the key factor was following through. There are always obstacles and alternatives to any goal, but if a goal is important to you, a way can be found.

Motivating yourself to get around obstacles is common advice these days. Gene uses a less common perspective--your uniqueness. Others might be more talented, or in a more fortunate position, but you are unique and give any effort something no one else can. Your goal might be achieved by someone else, but it won't be quite the same.

The book consists mostly of chapters that advise how to overcome various specific obstacles. Different readers will identify with different difficulties. Boredom, lack of passion, lack of energy, no support, no money, not enough time. Do these excuses sound familiar? They can all be overcome if the goal is meaningful enough.

Things that interest you are better for you. Circumstances might favor choices that don't excite you. You may trade things like money for a slice of what you really want or squeeze time from one activity to another more satisfying. Few of us get to do what we really want most of the time, the ones who do really are successful.

Sometimes we are overwhelmed with the immensity of the goal, but really every goal is at the end of a series of micro-steps. One quote used by the author that I like comes from sculptor August Rodin who said "Patience is also a form of action." Too many of us give up because things are taking longer than we want.

The regrets of most people are not what they did, but what they didn't do. They didn't follow through with something they wanted to do. Looking back, the obstacles seem in many cases to be petty or at least surmountable. I agree with Gene, following through with your ideas is key to success and happiness.

If you would like to follow through and learn more of Gene C Hayden's thoughts try her website http://www.gchayden.com/