Social media can be a harsh place from time to time. All you have to do is share an opinion on any topic, and it’s as if the social media gods send an emergency alert to every person that disagrees with you. You can post something and go to lunch, go out for the evening, or turn in for bed, and then come back to your phone or computer and BAM! A firestorm has erupted.
Social media does not have to be defined by the broadcasting of opinions and defending them. Whether they are yours or belong to someone else. Social media can actually be a great way to reach out and deepen relationships.
Imagine for a minute, that social media is a tool. One that allows you to speak privately or publicly into other people’s lives. And for most people, the power is right in the palm of your hand. With the power of my smart phone and a couple social media accounts, I am connected online, with nearly every person I know. I still have a few people in my life, most of them older, that refuse to take the leap and join the revolution of online connectivity, but those persons are the exception and not the rule.
Here are a few suggestion for how to use social media to express gratitude:
-
Participate each November in the 30 Days of Thanksgiving Trend. Commit to share one post of thanksgiving each day on one of your social media accounts. We are a few days into November now, but you could finish the month out if you have not already committed to this already.
-
When something good happens to you, take a minute and be thankful on social media. Instead of complaining about all the things that go wrong, start being thankful for the things that go right. You will be amazed at how quickly this can change your life.
-
Reach out to others and thank them for the way that they have impacted your life. Commit each week to thanking at least one person for how they contribute to your circumstances. After a while, this will become a habit, and you will not have to sit and think of who you might reach out to from one week to the next. Wouldn’t this be a great thing to be known for at the end of your life.
Your phone gives you the power to connect to social media any time of the day or night. Pick it up and use it to express thoughts of thankfulness and fulfillment instead of complaints and despair.
