The Second 50

Makes me laugh. And cry. These memes, gifs, images, motivational posts, inspirational quotes. My social media accounts are full of them. Every single day. Pics, quotes, goals, challenges. It’s constant. And it’s filling up my life, but it’s not filling up my bucket.

If we are friends on the socials, you might suggest I am a hypocrite because I am guilty of it, too. I share them. Heck. I’ve even created them. But really, to what end. I mean, who cares. Usually someone I (we) don’t even know, whipped something up on Canva, and because I (we) liked the image, the colours, the font, the sentiment, I (we) decided it was worthy of a retweet, a boost, a like, a share.

But did my (your) action change a life that day? Did I (you) really engage meaningfully with somebody in my (your) circle? Did I (you) think that sharing it was going to touch someone deeply, lift their spirit, or touch their soul? Or was it all about me (you)? Did the share just make me (you) feel good for that mili-second? Or is it the views, the likes, the retweets that I (you) really wanted?

Now that in my ‘second 50’, I reflect on how we do things, just as much as what we do. For me, that means considering what I share online, where I share it, how I share it, and who I share it with.

Committed to living a more fulfilled, meaningful life in ‘The Second 50’, today I have decided that I am choosing a new path. A way forward that reaches people more profoundly. Sounds a bit zany, right? Some might just call it communication. You know, old school style. Engaging in actual conversations about actual things that matter to people.

Well, consider this an accountability post. Know that from this point forward, if I choose to speak, write, or share on social media, it will be something worthwhile. Something that cuts deep. A teaching. A learning. A reflection. An undertaking. Perhaps for me. Perhaps for you.

Aiming for authentic communication in a world that is now built on clicks. Surely, that’s not too much to ask for.