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.

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. 

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...

Conde Nast Daily Traveler 

Whole 9 Life 

GabiFresh 

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. 

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.