What's the Rush? Social Media's Role in Speeding Up Our Lives and How We Can Slow Down

It seems that Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, GChat, and other online social media sites have become ingrained, even necessary, in our daily lives. Most of us think that these applications are beneficial to society, allowing us to connect with others in ways that were never previously possible. With globalization continuing and not looking like it will slow down anytime soon, social media links the villages and cities of the world together in no time at all.

While all those above reasons are certainly wonderful and limitless, they do come at a price.

What ever happened to privacy? Personal down time? The right to take a breather and relax? The ability to disconnect from all things technology? What ever happened to slowing down????

I am guilty probably just as much as the next person, me and my addiction to my devices and websites and social media applications, etc. But at the same time, I am very aware and careful not to use them too much so as to lose that important real genuine connection to the 'real world'. Living in social media isn't exactly living at all, is it? Your conversations and interactions online don't hold enough of a physical presence as much as real live face-to-face conversations. There is much to be said for the reactions you see, the emotions you can detect, the gestures shown. The internet and social media just do not offer those very unique and sincere benefits of conversation. You need to slow down and take your time to have a meaningful conversation.

So please, again, put down those devices, those iPads and iPhones, those tablets and computers, those PDAs and Palm Pilots (do people still have those??), and take a moment to chill out! Stop moving at the speed of sound and look into the eyes of the person you're talking to - it will provide so much more and reconnect you with those basic principles of interaction and meaning.

Slow down, take a second, talk to people, not at your technologies!

That is all. :)

Rejection: The Positive Side

Today I was talking to a friend, and we came to a pretty mind-blowing conclusion:

We were rejected for a reason.

Now I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. Rejection led us to having more free time to do what we want, grow and learn more about ourselves, reach our goals, try new things, and work toward a better future for ourselves. One that we shaped.

Rejection often (okay, about 99% of the time) gets a bad rap. It's meant to be negative, and most people consider rejection as the worst thing that could happen to them at any given moment. Truth is, I think rejection has been overlooked. I think it should be viewed as more of a positive thing - one where we can analyze, consider, grow, learn, and reflect. Rejection is a time where we can ask ourselves questions like Why? How come? and may or may not come up with answers. If you can't answer those questions, sometimes the answer is just 'Because it just happened that way.' No other reason.

And you know what? That's okay! Yeah, it's okay to be rejected every once in a while and face the 'hallway of No' as I like to call it - Bypassing door after door, opening them and finding a big fat 'No!' staring at you on the other side. But you have to close that door, and continue moving on. Otherwise, you're just standing in a doorway with nowhere to go and no one to talk to.

So I'm posing this challenge: Try something new or take a chance to do something you've really had your heart set on for a while - like a new hobby or activity or hairdo - and try it out. If you succeed, great! If you don't though, I hope you'll take rejection like the champ I know you can be and learn from it. It's okay that the job you wanted and applied for didn't work out - it's not the end of the world and it may actually prove that you're stronger than you think you are, that something else is in the works for you, that you deserve a better one, something more suited for you and the employer alike.

So go, challenge yourselves today, and try to find the rejection as a positive thing and a chance for personal development and growth. Otherwise, you're just living in a world of denial and fear. No bueno!