It’s easy to be swayed in the storm when you’ve not placed your anchor.
In a world that tells us to be different, or chase the next thing..
..it’s so easy to get lost and overwhelmed.
Instead, here’s specific examples I’ve noticed feeling lost in & what I try to help me navigate:
- A lot of the content I see tells me I need to use clever hooks to catch attention and ‘stop the scroll’ on social media.
“Here’s the top 1,000 Chat GPT prompts for the best hooks”…. 🥱
Instead what I try to do is teach myself to write clearer by writing everyday.
I also just try to focus on communicating what’s going on for me.
I share my lessons or the questions I’m asking & hope to help whoever reads.
If one reads or 1000, I’ll be ok?!
I’ll not ever use Chat GPT to write these posts – you can probably tell by now 😂
- If you’re not XYZ or don’t have ABC then you’re not enough..
If you’re not getting reach or attention, you’re bad.
If you don’t have the latest watch, phone, experiences… then you’re bad.
We’re told and sold that you are not enough UNTIL… [INSERT PRODUCT / SERVICE here]
More stuff = more “valuable” as a person.
This seems to be a western story of not being enough until you bring something from the outside in.
The eastern perspective is the opposite.
Their perspective is not attaining stuff outside but attaining control over your mind because that is what you use to experience the outside world.
This western perspective away-from-pain is used all of the time in posts so you’re more likely to take action.
I try to not use any of these tactics or strategies – this has taken me a long time to make peace with.
- Better to have a billion followers than real connections.
This is a trap I struggle with & judged myself against for a long time.
The connection between approval and self-esteem is a close one.
This makes it difficult to play in this popularity contest especially when our sense of approval comes from these measures.
Followers, income, status etc. all of the signals that help us answer the question: Where do I rank? so I can feel better about myself.
No thank you.
We’re all the same underneath. Just be nice.
These games are getting tiring.
So I’ve stopped playing as much as I can – it’s hard but I’m trying.
Instead, what I try to do instead:
- Build real connections with the people I’m connected with – meeting in-person, virtual coffees etc.
- Go to therapy to help me make sense of the impact of these things and the stories / judgements that I can soften so there’s less impact on me
- Give without expectation – it’s working so far.
- Observe the stories & memes and get curious about my reaction rather than judge those reactions.
- Talk to people already asking these deeper questions and figuring out how they navigate – most just say they don’t play or care…
- Reading and learning about the eastern view of self/world and what I can learn from this.
What would you add? Which is your favourite?