I feel rather fortunate to have some good friends and connections on Facebook who have a gift for providing interesting status updates or thought-provoking links. It’s one of those areas where I find Facebook can really shine as more than just a nice tool to give updates to friends on how you’re doing and really become an amazing means of sharing wisdom.
I can almost hear the groans from here at positing Facebook as a portal through which intelligence can be shared… especially since so much of Facebook can degrade into really mindless (but potentially fun) nonsense.
An excellent example is this link my buddy Chris posted a little while ago:
The post is interesting in its own right as it peers into those closing moments of life where people finally let down their guards and get honest with themselves and those around them.
However, this post was especially interesting to me since I’ve spent the last few days thinking about the same concept in point #1: the importance of living a life true to yourself and your own principles as opposed to constantly striving to only serve the expectations of others. In a way, this is a bit of a link to my previous post because being nice does not mean kowtowing to the interests of others in hopes of winning their approval, especially if you compromise yourself in the process.
It’s why I am striving to care just a little bit less every day what others think of me, how they judge me or how my actions can be improperly shaped by opinions or views not my own. This is a tricky process… umm, but I am guessing you knew that. No matter how noble our intentions, it can be hard not to be affected by friend, family and colleagues. Heck, Madison Avenue is none of those things and yet has made a borderline science to influencing consumers into purchasing all manner of goods (whether we need them or not).
I’ve found a few interesting benefits to this practice. One that jumps most readily to mind is how it affects me giving presentations at work. I’ve actually enjoyed public speaking to a certain degree anyway… I’m a bit of a ham, when you get right down to my core. But what’s made it even better is an attitude of “Let it rip…” In doing so, I find myself less concerned about “Oh my God… but… but… what if I MESS IT ALL UP?!?!?!? THEN WHAT?!?!?!? I will be shunned forever! Looked down upon as a blighted soul not fit for human contact!” You know… or something like that. But that has not been the case – instead, it has given me a renewed kick in the pants. Not bad, right?
But in reality, the most important part is each little step will hopefully bring me that much closer to an aligned sense of living with my own values… and as a person profoundly affected by my own personal values, that is hugely important. If I feel out of whack on this, absolutely nothing feels right.
And it’s a process. No one just wakes up one day after a particularly good night’s sleep and is just in perfect alignment. It’s not something you acquire, set back and think, “Ahh… to live out my days as a consistent human being in all ways possible. Thank goodness for that extra bit of shut-eye. That hit the spot!”
So here’s to peering down the slope and taking on the ultimate and most worthwhile challenge: being yourself. Ride hard. Fall a few times. Ride again. It won’t be easy, but you will never regret it.
