"Like"ing Your Life Away?

     Do you ever feel like a social media zombie?  When does browsing our social media feeds to keep up with friends and family turn to measuring our level of happiness to the next person's social media page? Each moment we spend clicking away at someone else's social life is a moment ticking away in our own. How do you spend your time browsing?

This is a "normal" morning for so many people around the world:

1)Wake up & turn the alarm off
2) Check your text messages/emails
3) Get a cup of coffee & sit with your phone in your hand drinking said cup of coffee to check your instagram and facebook messages
4) Make breakfast then take a PICTURE of breakfast and post it on instagram/facebook #DELISH
5) Get showered, dressed, take a picture of your outfit for the day, post it of instagram and facebook telling the world how #FAB you feel and and head out to work/school.

   If I had to guess, I'd imagine that this is familiar to you in some way. Either it's you or your friends, your significant other or even your kids. It is just "the way things are these days". As I glance around and look at people driving their cars, sitting at busstops, waiting in line staring down at their phones, doing the glassy-eyed, zombie-like IG Scroll---- You KNOW the one I am talking about----  I wonder why are we all so interested in what everyone else is doing? Is it because we are so unhappy with our own situations? Could it be that we need a little boost from a motivational page to get going? The answer to that is wholly your own. I find myself recently 30 years old, my perspective just a bit changed. I find it intriguing to simply ASK WHY?

     Don't get me wrong! This is not a soapbox session, here. I am just as guilty of this as the next person. I have just been wondering what makes scrolling through other people's lives so interesting? I like to see my friends doing things that make them happy, I like to get a good dose of motivation and I like to put something motivational out there into the world before I start my day. I enjoy capturing exciting moments for memories sake. Then, there are those people that just go to see what So and So is wearing, what they are doing while they secretly envy every smile and happy moment in their feed.

     Whatever the reasoning, when have we crossed the line of too much time devoted to looking at other people's lives? When does it turn from just browsing to measuring our level of happiness by the next person's social media page? When have we begun to neglect the people sitting right next to us? It could be completely subconscious and innocent. Can you think of a time that you saw a friends page and it made you feel like you were missing something or do you feel motivated to push harder towards your goals and dreams?

www.dsdominoeffect.blogspot.com

wwwI believe that we can all do positive things with social media. We can contribute to what I call The Domino Effect. This is a series of Q&A motivational writings I will be doing to keep my readers honest with themselves and each of us in touch with our own realities. A little motivation goes a long way, a compliment could change a person's whole day, a smile and an xoxo from a friend could make you feel special which makes you smile and in turn spread The Domino Effect.
 
  I love social media and all the wonderful people I have encountered whom I otherwise wouldn't have gotten to know. I am simply asking that we take more moments to look at OUR happiness and not miss our special moments because we are too busy looking at someone's else's green grass. Images can be filtered, edited and made to make a moment just like ours look happier and brighter than they are. Don't be fooled by hand picked moments that other's put on display. Your own beautiful moment could be passing you by.

Never judge an image by it's color.

In conclusion, I would like us all to pay more attention to the people in our everyday lives than the ones in our social network. Just because someone posts amazing photographs or incredible experiences, consistantly wears a smile and always has nice words for others... that every single one of us all has our "STUFF". Everybody needs somebody to actually look them in the eyes and connect with them on a human level. Remember, it is actually caring enough to connect and share not only our pictures but our "STUFF" with friends and family that makes life real and beautiful. Subscribe and ASK QUESTIONS in the comments that you wonder about. Feel free to contribute to this blog in comments. I am intrigued to hear your perspective on the matter. Keep reading, keep writing and keep thinking.

Sincerely,
DS