“Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining – it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems.”—Zig Ziglar
Are you as tired of social media—and the media, in general—as I am? It is certainly becoming easier to avoid spending too much time on social media because there is just so much negativity. This has to stop! There is too much to enjoy in life to spend our time complaining.
I have been enjoying Andy Lausier’s Facebook page, “From Have to Get” (https://www.facebook.com/fromhavetoget/?pnref=story). In addition, I have found quite a few of my friends to be extremely positive and uplifting. I gravitate to these because I need their messages. After all, we “are the average of the five people (we) spend the most time with” (Jim Rohn), so, if social media counts, what is the content of the friends with whom we interact most? What is the mood of the content we post, personally? Are we finding ourselves embroiled in never-ending, no-win, political debates?? If we find ourselves constantly complaining rather than encouraging, we are part of the problem. Nevertheless, we can part of the solution.
Begin small. Begin by being intentional with just one motivational post per day. In general, the days that I am posting the most encouraging material are the days that I need the most encouragement. I challenge you to post what you most need. I promise, your will receive in return.
Baby steps. Avoid commenting on the most controversial of issues. Eventually, you can work to avoid getting sucked into futile debates all together.
Temper your offensiveness. I am not a believer that we need to walk on egg shells. People seriously need to lighten up and not be so easily offended. We can, however, avoid poking the hornet’s nest. (We know we all do it.) We can just practice being a bit gentler in presenting our opinions.
Express gratitude more often. Gratitude shapes our attitude. The more we express it the more positive we are going to be.
Let people know you are thinking about and/or praying for them. Just knowing that someone cares can do much to uplift the spirits of someone who is down. Let people know that you are aware.
If you must comment on global circumstances, propose solutions. Make discussions productive. Stop arguing, please!
We can do better with our social media. We can also do better in our face-to-face conversations. Respect one another. Every interaction is an opportunity.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!