I have been busier than expected
this summer and haven’t made much time for my blog or Twitter. For the most part, this has disappointed me.
I have always enjoyed the moments reflecting on my blog, and have loved the
resources I’ve gained through Twitter. However, about a month ago I started
feeling bitter about Twitter. It began when I sent a string of tweets on consecutive
days to which no one responded. I started wondering if my voice was impacting
anyone, or at the least, if anyone noticed my thoughts. I started playing the self-pity game: “on
Twitter, some people are only looking for self-promotion”; “my name isn’t
popular enough to make my tweets valuable”. I became slightly cynical, which is
a personality trait that I despise. But then I thought of one of my favorite
quotes, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” by Mahatma Gandhi. The
change I want to see on Twitter is for each member to feel they have something
worthwhile to contribute. At this point,
I started shifting my thoughts towards my own personal practices. This is when
I realized that I wasn't putting forth a conscience effort to interact with other
people. I had become a hypocrite. The
person I was truly upset with was myself. Then I started to realize that I
haven’t been the best in my own life at taking interest in other people’s words.
I knew I could improve so I made a few propositions
for myself.
In my own life:
·
I need to listen more intently to people when
they are speaking so they feel their words are worth sharing.
·
I need to ask more questions to show my interest
to whomever is speaking.
·
I need to become more open about my own
experiences so I don’t appear closed off and disinterested (sometimes I have
something to add to a conversation but stay quiet instead).
On Twitter:
·
I need to comment on other people’s posts. I will
strive to comment on at least three other posts for every post that I send.
This will ensure that I am making an effort to be engaged with the community.
·
I need to retweet posts that I find interesting,
educational, or funny to show people their thoughts were enjoyed by me.
·
I need to become more interactive with people to
develop better relationships.
Before I can
consider being bitter about other people, I need to look at myself. I know I
can change for the better and want to do my part to make anyone I interact with
feel important.
