Why I Post the Way I Do
I used to live every millennial's dream.
I got paid to travel the world, coach football, and meet people from all walks of life. I was invited to speak at conferences, workshops, and even a TEDx talk. And, of course, along the way I took some cool photos and posted them on social media.
Why wouldn't I? Doesn't the beast of social media encourage us to infuse envy and jealousy on all who follow us?
This prompted me to interrogate myself with an even tougher question:
Why do we buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like?
This is something I’ve pondered for a long time now. Why do we so badly want to make people jealous of us? When did social media become a platform to prop ourselves up as if to ask “don’t you wish you had my life?”
I know I used to view social media with that subconscious idea in my mind. If evoking jealousy was a crime, then I was guilty in the first degree.
Almost two years ago, just before the pandemic began, I realized that I had recently travelled to a few different countries speaking and I didn't even post about it. I began to ask myself "why?" as if it was wrong for me not to brag on my life.
What a sad realization.
From that moment on, I made a commitment to myself. I was going to start to share more openly on social media, share more often, and share more value. People often ask me about my social media approach, so for the past two years, here's how I've been posting:
What I'm learning that week. I try to learn something new every week. I want to be a learner, not a knower. Nobody likes a knower. So whenever I learn something during the week, I share it with hopes that other people can benefit from it as well.
What I'm reading that week. I read a lot. I used to be embarrassed by it, thinking it was nerdy or just uncool. But I've become a better person as a result of reading, so I like to share insightful things from books I'm going through.
Miscellaneous moments from my life. Here's where I might share a picture of my wife and I, interesting doodles, a random coffee shop, or a quick video that's hopefully inspiring.
The greatest part about this shift in my social media mindset is that―now―I could care less about how many likes I get. I don't care about comments or "engagement." I don't use formulas or algorithms to increase my following.
I just try to create and share value. That's honestly it.
I was recently reminded of a nostalgic perspective when I was flipping through an old journal of mine from college. Tucked away in the corner of a page, I penned the following sentence: “I want to climb the mountain so I can see the world, not so the world can see me.”
And I hope that no matter wherever I climb to, that remains true.