We’ve all seen it happen. The “latest greatest” new social media platform creates a buzz and people hop on it in droves. But I know myself well enough to know I am only willing to spend a limited amount of time on social media, which means I figured I could only manage one platform, and I had chosen Facebook for this. But then everyone kept telling me about how cool Instagram was, so (even though I set up an account when it first hit the social scene, but then had only ever posted 2 pix) I finally gave it the old college try this weekend.
And guess what…I love it!
It’s so quick and easy to post, and I like that I can dual-post pix to Facebook, so it doesn’t seem like double-work (you know I’m a big fan of efficiency!). Can’t say I like the filters much, but I do like that it’s just about the cool pix, with little room for commentary and political agenda (which is a downside to FB, IMHO).
But there’s a deeper reason WHY I resisted Instagram for so long. And that’s about the story.
For years and years, I never told my story. People would have to drag it out of me – how did you get started in clearing? Were you always intuitive? How did you know this was your calling? What’s your story, how did this all come about?
I’m so focused on present and future that I have little patience for the past. The past is very useful – it tells us so much about why we are the way we are today, but I personally don’t like to dwell there, so in my healing work, I tend to pop back into the past, get what I need, then look at how it relates to the present day, and then shift it so we can focus back on the present again, without hindrance from the past.
I never told my story because a) I didn’t want to dwell in the past and b) I didn’t think it was all that interesting. I didn’t want to turn into one of those people who’s always telling their story to anyone who would listen. What a drag!
But when I was selected to appear in the book Change Agents with Brian Tracy, the publicity team who was promoting the book taught me something important:
People WANT to know your story.
In fact, the promotional crew insisted that I tell my story as part of my chapter. Really? I thought. Why waste page space when I could be providing people with something USEFUL, instead of self-indulgent “where I came from” storytelling?
But that’s not really how it works. Yes, some people are self-indulgent, and they take too much time focusing on their story. As in, an autobiography’s length of time. But when you can tell your story in just a paragraph –or better yet– in images, well, then that’s actually contributing to the lives of others.
I didn’t think my early adolescent suicide attempts were worth talking about, but I have since learned that many (far TOO many) people can relate to that, because they themselves felt lost and confused in the world, to the point where they considered ending it all.
What good could come from my telling the world that I was an oddball kid, and that my intuitive “knowings” were not well-received by traditional Catholic parents? Little did I know that tens of thousands of individuals could identify with those same feelings, and that there is comfort for them in knowing that they weren’t alone in experiencing that.
The story matters. A lot.
It’s not everything, but it does provide context, relatability, and affinity. It bonds us. It helps us find those with whom we can foster a strong connection and understanding.
And isn’t that what social media is really good for? Relating to others all over the world, by sharing bits and pieces of our lives. Sharing our stories.
I’m so results-driven and task-focused that sometimes I forget the importance of the process, and what it means to get (and stay) related. This is where all connections begin.
And that’s why I’m now embracing Instagram. I take pictures — so many pictures every day — of things that I find curious, or ironic, or funny, or touching, or weird, and Instagram seems like a quick and easy way to share those, to tell a story of this particular life.
So look for me on Instagram – my username is amyscottgrant. See you there!