We are what we eat. What we consume, stays with us. Such is true for our engagement with others across the board. Email communications. Zoom calls. Social, especially our “post like share” and follow activities.
In business, school and professions, our actions and interactions remain in memories of others. Actions of others remain in your memories too.
In the long run, goodness and kindness outpace negativity.
What’s in your/our control? You’ll see below that our awareness and intention rule. Intention in actions, posts, comments, likes, shares and interactions with others.
Consider questions and interactions over the course of time from others that make you stop. Stop to pause. And think.
I remember sharing many times over that our questions and listening speak volumes as to who we are. When you ask real questions, you show interest. You pull others into your world and you move into theirs.
Today’s environment continues to shift. Less time face to face, more time in our own spaces. As a result too, more of our engagement time takes place in social media, public forums, Zoom calls and emails. Add in micro videos with YouTube and TikTok in the equation.
‘Post Like Share’ and Follow: A Way of Life
We post, like and share like nobodies business. It’s a daily way of life. As a photographer, much of my networking occurs across social. More businesses rely on social. Politicians rely on social. Humans rely on social. Advertisers rely on social.
The good news? Many fab and wonderful connections exist from these platforms. Our good likes, shares, posts and videos leave footprints that don’t disappear in the sand.
The bad news? Our bad ones don’t disappear in the sand either.
Staying above the Fray is Easy
To stay above the fray, it’s quite easy. Stay positive. Be encouraging. Avoid engaging and commenting in the nasty. When someone tries to take your posting, your ideas the wrong direction? Stay positive without engaging in their opinion.
True story: I posted an image our local, social community site of the sunset above taken in my backyard. It was a feel-good posting with a supportive following of positive, appreciative feedback.
Then one poster chimed in with an assumption that I was trespassing. The tone? Snarky. Was that their intention? Maybe, maybe not. Hmmmmm.
There were many ways to respond. My initial reaction, which wasn’t good. No one wins in that case. Not even the person who starts out as positive. Instead, I shared a thank you and a comment of gratitude this was one of the many special moments my backyard view offers. He replied, positively.
What if I took the defensive route? How would that feel to the others who took the time to engage positively? Consider #1 and #2 below.
Cautionary Tale #1 – TikTok
Today, an opinion of a famous actor shifts. Big time. Why? His actions on a TikTok video. Sure he’s entitled to his opinion and sharing it. In fact, it wasn’t his opinion that resonates.
Within a few seconds of their diatribe, he addresses a young female student who bravely approaches the mic to ask a question in front of a large audience.
Instead of showing respect to the young student he degradingly calls her “sorority girl” before unleashing angry opinions. The topic? I don’t care. His opinion? Gone by the way of the dodo. What he shows is a lack of respect for people, and in this day and age, young women.
It’s all on video. And so are the follow-up comments in the social community.
Is that a stretch? Is that really my opinion? It doesn’t matter. You/we as viewers make quick decisions on people through these social postings. Postings and blogs last. They’ll pop up in searches about you. They’re visible to friends, family, customers, employers and your employees.
#2 Post Like Share – What’s Current
Consider a friend who posted their support for a political candidate and why. Their right to do and not a bad thing at all. Then, look at the responses. The original poster receives voices of support, respectful voices of a differing opinion. All good.
But then, the angry ‘mob’ of posters potentially ensue. You know them. You see them. They post negative responses. They like, share and celebrate the angry comments of others.
Risks vs. Rewards
People lose jobs, friends, precious relationships and reputations over negative postings, videos and social actions.
‘Post Like Share’: The Positive Path
With our post, like, and share actions, our opinions and differences exist. The big one? Bad, angry, ugly, controversial posts remain. Just because they’re there, show up in our feed doesn’t infer that we need to participate.
Going back to food, how long does it take to work off the weight when we consume too much. Or, how do we feel when we’ve had too much sugar, carbs, or foods that don’t jive with our systems.
When take a few minutes to plan our meals, we think it through, we eat better. Same is true with engaging with others. If we’re thinking of engaging in the negative online, simply stop. Wait 12 – 24 hours, then see if the urge to purge the sentiment online still exists. Or if there’s a better way to connect and communicate?
Think.
It’s easy to be casual in our actions, it’s just us and our computer. We’re perusing. Looking. Engaging with others.
My early employer, IBM, shared a paperweight with these letters that I have to this day.
“THINK“
from Thomas J. Watson, Chairman and CEO of IBM
This one little word applies to all that we do.
Think before deciding. Before acting. Liking. Posting. Sharing. You are what you eat, you are what your actions show in person and on social.
For more quotes and Monday Motivations (that happen on other days of the week too): See last week’s Rise above the Rocks the Right Way or our Quotes Section.
