You have all heard the saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." I would like to believe that what I know from my education and experiences does make an impression and does matter; however, I do believe that making the right connections is a key to fulfilling dreams and reaching goals.
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have been writing for a very long time. I've often daydreamed about my first book - from the title to the cover to who I would thank in the Acknowledgements. But each time I would begin researching "write a book," I would quickly become overwhelmed, lose confidence and hope, and pack up my dream of becoming a writer in some capacity.
Incoming: Social media and social media networks! Suddenly, "who I know" has traversed borders of all shapes and sizes and expanded to the entire world. The number of individual resources (key word: individual) available and willing to help me make my dream of becoming a writer a reality is now what is overwhelming, not the task of getting started. While I think all experiences and stories have merit, with my newly expanded network of fellow writers, I'm able to connect with people with whom I share a very similar experience and I no longer feel like I'm alone on this journey. I have adventure buddies both walking with me on the same path as well as waiting for me up ahead to meet me at the next turn. Can't you just picture us holding hands and skipping together down the path toward our dreams?
One of my new adventure buddies connected me to the most fabulous and gorgeous website. Meet SARK here: www.planetsark.comhttp://www.planetsark.com/studio_meet_sark.htm (I'm sorry I couldn't find a way to embed the video in my blog). Isn't she amazingly fantastic? Again, I find myself overwhelmed - with her art, beauty, creativity and spirit, but I am thrilled to have stumbled upon her story (She wrote her first book when she was 10, but didn't publish her first book until she was 35. I can relate to this extended timeline!) and the many "radiant resources" she has made available to other creative souls. SARK has provided me with a starting point with her Micromovements concept:
MICROMOVEMENTS
Tiny Little Baby Steps By SARK
Micromovements are tiny, tiny little steps you can take towards completions of
your life. I'm a recovering procrastinator and perfectionist and I have a short attention span, so I invented Micromovements as a method of completing projects in time spans of 5 minutes or less. I always feel like I can handle almost anything for 5 minutes!
Recovering procrastinator? Perfectionist? That's me too! I've printed out the Micromovement support sheet provided on SARK's website and am beginning to work toward my dream and pursuing my passion, 5 minutes at a time. For me, this is an innovative way to accomplish tasks and ultimately, much bigger goals.
Since I started following SARK on Twitter, I've further expanded my network of supporters and am inspired and motivated daily by tweets as well. To this point, I've used social media mostly only for the social aspect, but now I am really beginning to see the power of connectivity far beyond socializing that it provides. Hello revelation! I'm off to the bookstore to purchase a few of SARK's books, including SARK's New Creative Companion-Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit.
www.planetsark.com
How have social media and social networks impacted your life? Are they opening doors for you? Connecting you with people and resources to rally for your cause? Helping to make your dreams come true? Providing inspiration and motivation to persevere?
Wow Leasa! Once again I must say that I do love how your writing voice connects with your readers. For me, social media definately has impacted my life, both socially and professionally. The social impact can be seen simply by viewing my facebook profile and noticing all of the people who are "friends" yet I haven't seen many of them in 20 years.
ReplyDeleteThe professional impact is interesting in that the lines between social connections and professional connections are a bit fuzzy. For example, it's routine these days for organizations to view a job applicant's facebook profile (social) in order to ascertain whether or not she/he is a good fit for the organization. Additionally, approximately once a month the media highlights an individual who has expressed frustration about his/her organization and was subsequently dismissed.
For me, social media is opening doors. For example, my Linked in network is comprised of a diverse group of professionals ranging from CEO's, top county administrators to job seekers like myself. The difference between Linked in and Facebook is that I share a recent (within 3-5 years) relationship with my Linked in contacts. Whereas I may not even see many my facebook friends ever again.
I don't know if social media is providing me with motivation and inspiration to persevere. I can say that social media is an awesome tool that helps keep me motivated. I believe that my dreams will come true whether or not I use social media........however, by using social media, perhaps I will fufill my dreams sooner. I am all about instant gratification.
Micromovements is such a great concept! Thanks for sharing. Now I know what to do when I am having a hard time completing that daunting project.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of social media, it is the way that I have been able to set myself apart in my career. Not many people in marketing and communications have truly embraced the paradigm shift that is occurring. All though I don't know everything, my experience and ability to test different ideas using the medium has truly set me apart. Thanks for the great post!
An undergrad professor once told our class, "It isn't who you know, but who knows you." I think that rings true too!
ReplyDeleteFor the social media question - I am just impressed that our very own social network (our cluster) can help us as soon as we post a question or problem. I love that instant connection.