Turning the Table on a Social Media Voyeur

I awoke this morning at 6:15AM. I’m a late sleeper generally – getting out of bed even when I am excited about the day ahead is one of the hardest things for me to do. Getting up early is becoming more common for me as I have become more mindful of when I do my best work. Anyway, I didn’t want to get up…I laid there for a second waiting for the second alarm on my iPhone to go off and then the weirdest notion came to me. If I had to tell people what I was doing, what would I do differently? Let me explain.

In the era of social media – of incessant tweets about one’s #musings, of videos and throwback Thursday photos, of “look what I just saw” pics on Instagram – we can constantly update others about whatever is on our minds. It is the “way of the world” say many. And then on the other side there are those, like my husband who loves media, but shuns social media – LinkedIn is as far as he will go. I was a relative latecomer to social media, but I am a user. I’m what I would call a “Social Media Voyeur”. I love to watch! It helps me feel connected and balance out the ups and downs of a given day. Rough day…then I’m looking for funny, smart FB posts from my girl, Syreeta. I’ve told her, but I’m not sure that she really believes how much I love her musings (it’s like she’s in my head, but finds wittier ways to express my thoughts).

Social Media Exhibitionists on the other hand, share their lives and thoughts with the world…constantly. From the cursory to the profound, the mundane to the sensational. While I don’t have the exhibitionist instinct, I really appreciate these folks – they curate content and emotion in my life.

So back to my early morning notion…I was wondering what might occur if I lived the life of a Social Media Exhibitionist. How would it impact my life or possibly my work? Would I spring out of bed getting my day started with more purpose if I had told the world the night before that I would get on my grind at 6:15AM? Would I plan my day to ensure that I had meaningful updates – through important meetings and events, connecting with cool people, completing projects, seeking out new ideas and new perspectives? Would I reflect on my work, my impact and my life differently if I was persistently posting tweets or FB updates out to the world (or to my small circle of friends)?

Of course, it could go the other way though. Voyeur turned Exhibitionist. After I awake at 6:15AM and head to the bathroom, I could snap a picture of my Jurlique Herbal Recovery Mist that arrived in the mail yesterday and muse about my comfort with getting older, but significant discomfort with looking older. Moisturize! Or I could share my morning drive playlist – John Legend’s Save Room, Low Rawls’ Groovy People, Michael Jackson’s You Rock My World, Ne-Yo’s Miss Independent and Hezekiah Walker’s Every Praise. Yes, I walked into my office feeling cool, sexy and fully prayed up! I then made some Kusmi Green Assam tea…complicated by the fact that someone turned off the hot water on the cooler… nothing worse than starting to drink cold water infused with a hint of tea!

So my thought this morning is that possibly turning the table on a Social Media Voyeur, who is inconsistently self-motivated, might be just the thing she needs to maximize every day and every interaction. To stay focused. To seek accountability partners from her world of online followers and friends. Maybe that’s a stretch, huh?  At the end of the day though, as we strive to be and do our best, we have to consider what tools help us get it done, zealously pursuing that which drives us, keeps us going and motivates us to do more–to do what’s necessary. We may just have to step out to step up.