n. bi-directional social media hygiene: taking care of your energy by being intentional about
(1) whose content you choose to consume
(2) whom you allow to consume your content
If you make ONE resolution for 2023, let it be this practice. Let’s talk about each one.
(1) whose content you choose to consume
Decide to take 100% responsibility for whose voice and influence you let into your energy field.
Yes, I know that we get ads and random shit in our feed that we can’t 100% control. And yes, that’s annoying. But decide you’ll exercise 100% responsibility over what you CAN control.
If you don’t like the way a certain account makes you feel, unfollow, mute, or block them.
The most misunderstood thing about this is that THIS IS NOT PERSONAL. There are a bunch of people I have nothing but warm-and-fuzzies and huge admiration for, whom I unfollow or mute on my feeds because they influence the way I think in an area where I want to keep “clean” to develop my own thought leadership.
Another tricky area I see for people is when they follow people who makes them feel subtle self-doubt or anxiety because they find SOME useful things to learn from them and don’t want to miss out, or they want to “keep up.”
Dude… your feed, your call. But know exactly what you are allowing into your brain and energy space when you choose to follow someone. And take 100% responsibility for your choices.
(2) whom you allow to consume your content
I recently saw an Persian content creator I admire creator go off about how this idea that, just because you post on social media, you have to be “open to critique” or “open to debate” for whatever you say… is such a “white” idea. I laughed so hard because I couldn’t agree more.
Maybe it’s that I’m Asian, and I don’t believe everyone is entitled to everything.
Any thoughts or teaching I offer on social media FOR ENTIRELY FREE…
… is a GIFT. Anyone who doesn’t treat me accordingly, and doesn’t regard my words with due respect and appreciation is not entitled to be in my audience or have my attention.
(Please feel free to adopt these thoughts, whatever your ethnicity.)
I’m human and sometimes make mistakes. I grow, learn, and change my mind about things. Sometimes I do harm unwittingly.
And I do not owe interaction or conversation with anyone who isn’t willing to extend to me the kind of grace they would extend a friend that is precious to them, and give me the benefit of the doubt. PERIOD. End of story. (Feel free to borrow these stances.)
I have an extremely quick and trigger-happy delete-and-block finger.
Using it liberally to make sure that, every time I log onto social media, I am extremely likely to have a pleasant experience amongst people who adore me and make me happy to do my best work and share it generously?
100% worth it.
This is me. You don’t have to do what I do. But please know that, while you can’t control 100% of who shows up in your space and what effect they have on you, you have WAY MORE control over it than you might assume.
So much more peace, energy, and creative genius is on the other side of making a few powerful decisions to set boundaries and steward your energy.
And you know what? You’re worth it.