“Just because someone has more followers than you doesn’t mean they are better than you.  Hitler had millions.  Jesus had 12.”

You can learn a lot about yourself through social media.  I remember when Facebook first came out and everyone was getting on the bandwagon.  I did not.  I was very reserved, very private, and did not trust a bunch of druggie college kids with my personal information.

After a few years I reluctantly joined the bandwagon.  I, like everyone else, got swept up in posting pictures, status updates, and joining in multi-player games like Farmville, Cafe World, and Happy Aquarium.

I had rules though.  I never added my maiden name and did not allow people to search for me.  I was doing Facebook on my terms.

I noticed that some of my contacts who were on the multi-player games had hundreds if not upwards of a thousand friends.  I immediately judged myself based on how many friends other people had.  How could they possible know that many people?  Why don’t I know that many people?  They must be popular. I must be doing something wrong.

As I learned more about Facebook and how you can add settings for groups of people to limit what you share, I began to understand why they had so many ‘friends’.  When you play these multi-player games the more friends you have the more points you score.  The more advertising you are shown, the more Facebook profits off of you.

I also learned more about myself, my fears, my hangups, and my social issues.  For example, I noticed some people would post a lot of ‘victim mentality’ posts.  You know…the ones who are always complaining about this awful thing that happened to them, whining about what they lack, and posting frustrations about other people.

When I noticed this happening with other people, I took a good, honest look at my posts and thankfully, for the most part, they were all positive.  Maybe one or two whines.  It was then that I decided I would make certain that all my posts were positive.

It really helped me to re-frame my thoughts before I took action by speaking them, writing them, or sharing them. Now, if I find myself needing help or support, instead of whining about it I ask for the help I need.  And my Facebook family comes through. And it is because I have carefully chosen who I associate with on Facebook.

That single action all those years ago has led me on a more positive thinking path that may have taken me longer to get to without those daily status updates. Day after day, week after week, year after year, of focusing on the positive has made me grateful for social media.

I’ve learned many other lessons through social media, however, I will save those for another day.  I am still very private and know the ins and outs of maintaining my privacy despite those drunken college kids constantly changing the rules.

So…are you on social media?  Do you compare yourself to others? Wishing you had their lives? Their friends?  Their home?  Have you looked at your posts?  Are they positive? Inspirational? Meaningful?  Dare to take a hard look at your posts and at yourself.  You may just learn something that can change your life!

Love and Hugs,
Heather

Heather Lorsong
www.archerstreehouse.com
443-820-3412