One of the quotes from Tony Robbins that has stuck with me
for a long time is “a life worth living is a life worth recording”. When I first read these words a number of
years ago, Facebook didn’t exist (although I’m sure Mark was starting to think
about it) and the concept of being able to share your life with others in the
way that we do today was probably not on Tony’s mind.... or maybe it was ... he's a pretty smart guy.
That said, the power of that simple sentence
is even more pertinent in our “hyper-connected” world today where it seems with
each passing day there’s another opportunity to join a platform that lets you
share more of your life with those around you.
I joined Twitter over 2 years ago, but the “original” social media site that I was a part of was LinkedIn. As a result, most of the “sharing” that I’ve done over time has been with an eye towards my business life. Over the course of the last several years though, I made an interesting discovery (which was supported by a terrific piece written by the eloquent @AnnTran_ which I’ve included below) in that people who are successfully connecting with others around them aren’t just talking about themselves… and in fact the most powerful of these “connected networkers” are nearly selfless.
The Power of Give & Take in Social Media:
I’ve discovered this myself in recent months. I started blogging a year ago and only
began writing on a consistent basis about the middle of 2011. When I started, I talked a lot about
solutions that I had for clients or content that I thought focused on putting
me and my company in a perfect light. The result was very little traffic and
writing for what I like to call the “audience of one” (or two in my case since
my wonderful wife not only tolerates all my habits, but supports me like I’ve
never been supported before). All that
changed in November when I focused on giving people content that they could
immediately apply and use in their business… all with no strings attached. The fascinating part of this was that it also
altered the manner in which I shared across all of the platforms I’m on. It also had the impact of getting me to think
about just what a great life I’ve got… and you can see the proof right in front
of you.
A great example of that is photos taken from my
phone (in fact I’m flying over the Rockies right now as I write this) and the
picture here that I took with the sole intention of putting it in this blog as a
reminder….. you only get once chance to live a life well led…. You might as
well make the most of it!
Here’s a question for you.
How has social media and “public sharing” impacted your life? Do you know “too much” about those around you
or do you find – as I do – that these platforms have brought me closer not
only to the friends and family around me that I care for the most…. But they’ve
also helped me forge stronger bonds with friends both new and old.
I look forward to your thoughts
