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Friday, October 18, 2013

Social Sass: Remember When?



For all its amazing advantages, connecting with friends old and new, learning from influencers, participating in the great debates of our time, I have to go on record saying that I miss some of the offline magic I used to take for granted. Case in point? The picture above. I stepped away from my desk at work today to grab coffee and to pop in on a conference call and came back to a plain old post it note from one of my besties. Just a simple sentiment inquiring after…well it’s evident from the post-it. And it occurred to me that with all this technology including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, I can’t remember the last time I just wrote someone a note. Life is so busy I often choose text or instant messaging to meeting for coffee or lunch.  I hit the like button in favor of stopping by someone’s desk to congratulate them. I comment on a blog rather than commenting at the real life water cooler. I am sure we all do this without even thinking these days. 

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade the fun of social media for anything. I just have to wonder what real-time connections we’re missing out on because we don’t take a break now and then to write one of our buddies a cute little note (This one made my day in case you couldn’t tell). For example, how much people watching do we miss in a restaurant because we’re so busy taking photos of our food and checking in with a status update?  Are we so busy tweeting from a concert that we forget to watch the band? Granted I am sprinkling a little dramatic fairy dust here to make a point, but this little note did something for me today besides make me smile. It reminded me that I need to walk over to a friend and give them real, live thumbs up once in a while and revel in the real-time-offline conversation that we all took for granted once upon a time.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Loving lakeside....



While there are many things I miss about my former hometowns of DC and SF, it's quiet moments by the water here on Lake Wylie that are truly good for the soul. 

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Social Sass - Knowledge is Power


Continuing my series on Social Sass, I wanted to talk a little bit about the bevvy of research one can conduct via social media. Personally, I have scoured a wide variety of blogs, Facebook pages and influencers to glean advice and know how on a variety of topics. From food to fun to fashion, this research has had a HUGE impact on the success of my weight loss and lifestyle reboot. 

When I first started PR, I had enough bad eating bad eating habits to fill a bus. However, when I began to poke around for information on how others have overcome their challenges, I found a number of helpful hints, inspirational stories and recipe ideas to lift me out of the rut I was in. I also had NO idea how I was going to look halfway decent while I was dropping weight. As trivial as that sounds, feeling good and looking good are closely tied. I am not talking about looking good in a shallow way; I am talking about presenting oneself in a manner that lets others know you respect yourself and that you care. Needless to say there are a plethora of blogs out there from style fanatics in every size and shape. I was so inspired by the brave women who were strutting their stuff and sharing their passion for fashion. I also leveraged social media for ideas on travel, fun activities and vision boarding. I love a good goal as much as the next gal, but I am also very visual; I needed to SEE what my options were. Through the many travel blogs, DIY blogs and more, I was able to paint a very clear picture for myself of where I wanted my life to take me. 

I’ll be honest, when I started this gig I thought social media was more about random Facebook posts and videos of cats playing with string. I could not be more pleasantly surprised by the power of the medium and just how much it has helped me along my journey. Here’s a sampling of some of my favorite knowledge sources discovered on this road less traveled...







Friday, October 11, 2013

Hello Pumpkin



I always know its fall when my beloved orange beauties begin to dominate the farm stands and grocery store produce aisles. I've loved them since I was a kid and that has never faded. Something about them takes me back to those precious childhood days of excitement and magic leading up to Halloween. Now I get to see Halloween through the eyes of my 8 year old nephew and experience the joy all over again. So here's to you pumpkin. The most sincere member of the squash family. 


Monday, October 7, 2013

Social Sass - Accountability Anyone?



One of my favorite things about blogging, and reading other blogs that inspire me, is the sense of accountability putting something in writing installs in a situation. Sure you can delete or edit or whatever other form of digital cover-up you might wish to perform, but truth be told once you’re out there with something? You’re out there. That thought used to really scare me, and if I am being even more honest, held me back from blogging for a long time. Don’t believe me? Here’s a sampling of neurotic thoughts that ran through my head when I tried to convince myself not to start this journey…

What if I fail along the road to my goal?
What if I don’t have time to blog for a week? Two weeks?
What if nobody reads the damn thing?
What if someone DOES read it and I say something that pisses them off?

The truth is all of the above HAS happened along my road to revival and I have survived. Social media has given me support and held me accountable in a way doing this in the dark never could. The beauty of it is we’re all in the same boat when it comes to social fear! My favorite bloggers go a few days without checking in, some of them even share ideas I don’t agree with and they are still going strong. They’re out there with it for better or for worse and I learn something each day from them. I have a handful of favorites like What I Wore that keep me inspired, and I always try and support friends who share their hopes and dreams like Rock-A-Bye Bradbury. Bottom line, I am so proud I took the leap and started this little blog despite my fears. Accountability is a true social force for good. Here’s hoping more of us take the leap.