“Go Ahead & Post It!”

How long does it take you to decide if you like a photo of yourself?

I bet you didn’t know that today is recognized as #SocialMediaDay. I didn’t either. Until yesterday. And it’s very interesting to know that we have a day every year set aside to recognize a day like social media day. I mean, social media has already taken over many of our lives. I mean, that’s how I get a lot of my blog posts recognition. I write something. Send an email out to those who have subscribed. And I post something on my Instagram or Facebook about the new post. I mean, we make sure people on social media see and taste what we’re eating before we even take a bite. I mean, we include every life update on our public platforms for the world to see. I mean, we grant so many people access to our highs and lows, ins and outs, successes and setbacks. I mean … do we really need a day set aside each year to recognize as social media day?!

To each its own, I guess.

And I can’t be a hypocrite, I use social media every day. I’m either posting a cute photo or boomerang, or I’m scrolling threw my timeline and feed to see what others have posted. Very time-consuming. So time-consuming that I have a daily time limit on my phone to make sure I’m only spending 1 hour of my day on either Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, or Twitter (but of course, I can bypass that time limit with just 1 click and keep on scrolling).

And I can’t be a hypocrite, social media isn’t all bad. There are a lot of positive things shared on social media — world and local news updates; reminders to take care of our mental health; new baby pics; funny and cute dog and cat videos; Bible scriptures and powerful sermons; fitness routines and health hacks; new business information and announcements; the list can go on and on!

All I’m saying is that social media is probably one of the widely used things today that has the widest range of views. I mean, today you can make a living off of just posting your life on social media! That’s called being an influencer. Doesn’t that job sound lovely?! Making dollars from behind a laptop or cellphone camera?! But today you can also make a living off of just posting your life on social media but while suffering from depression, anxiety, or imposter syndrome.

I can’t remember if I have ever written a blog post on imposter syndrome (just searched my website and I’ve mentioned it before but never really wrote about it), but imposter syndrome is basically the feeling or thought that you are not as competent as others think you are, or you feel undeserving of your accomplishments. Some even define it as feeling like a fraud or doubting your capabilities. I mean, there are tons of frauds on social media lol, but YOU are not a fraud! I am not a fraud! And imposter syndrome is usually mentioned in the realm of social media because (typical example) we see these photos of *beautiful* men/women looking good doing basically nothing, and we start judging ourselves, how we look, why are we sitting on the couch and not outside being amazing, etc. It can lead us to be a fraud, meaning it can lead us to want to post content that isn’t a true representation of who we are or how we feel just so we can appear to be like someone else who is applauded and accepted by all society. It’s sort of a weird cycle that is usually a mental one. Weird, but sad, but true…

Here are some tips to avoid experiencing imposter syndrome on social media:

1. BE YOUR MOST AUTHENTIC AND TRUE SELF AT ALL TIMES.

That’s it. That’s the tip!

Trust me, it has taken me a LONG time to get to where I am today. And it’s still a constant journey. I used to find validation in my social media posts. The more likes I received, the more important I felt that day. And then some days I would delete photos or videos because I didn’t like how I looked in them. Or I would delete a post because my mind would race with how many possible controversial opinions or comments from other people it will generate. Weird, but sad, but true…

So as we recognize Social Media Day 2022, I want you to recognize yourself, your capabilities, your attributes, your contributions no matter the size, your accomplishments and be your most authentic and true self. Share something on social media today if you want to. Or don’t. Just do what you want and what you feel. You’re the rockstar!

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” — Matthew 7:15, NKJV.

Moni Jay, Off the Record