Tag: #amateur

Posted in Uncategorized

My social media detox

Posted on by Snippetsofmylife

Detoxes are hot right now…especially when it comes to health.  People realize the importance of rebooting or resetting their bodies–probably one or more times throughout the year.  I think “detoxes” can apply to any area of your life where you need to refocus and readjust.

How about a mental and emotional detox…starting with unplugging from social media?  I don’t think it is fully realized how social media can affect your mental and emotional health. Though it allows people to instantly connect. It does not offer anything close to the benefits that real-life/face-to-face connections and interactions do.  It’s easy to get caught up in comparisons and self-judgments as one scrolls through the news feeds.  Usage snaps up hours of our time each and every day and week…time we can actually be engaging in authentic relationships with others or spending on a task or activity.

The numerous benefits of unplugging seem worth some attention.  Participants in these so-called social media detoxes have called the experience “life-changing”.  Really?

  • A quieter mind
  • Being more in the moment
  • Increased social interactions
  • More authentic in relationships
  • Increased creativity and focus
  • Feeling more positive

Hmmmm…..

Between work and personal use, I spend a good bit of time on social media. There are times I certainly seem weighed down by it or feel drained after being on it.  So, is all the buzz about unplugging true?

Here goes… no posting, reading news feeds, or commenting/liking posts….totally disengaging … for one month.

Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in #life, Uncategorized

I am not an expert, but try to play one in real life

Posted on by Snippetsofmylife

One look around and you will find experts everywhere.  They seem to pop up over night.  Within 2 minutes on the internet, I could find people claiming to be experts in: nutrition, exercise, fashion, house cleaning, interior design, child care, elder care, pets, marriage, childhood, and addiction.   The question is: what really makes someone an expert?  Is it experience?  Education?  Success?  How do you weed out true experts from the people pretending to be one..especially on-line?

Looking at an “expert” purely in terms of a definition, it would be a person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject  or field.  Here are some great guidelines from Daniel Newman via Forbes magazine:

  • Consider the source
  • Check the facts
  • Search or Nimble the author

To take it even further, the Harvard Business Review writes that a real expertise must pass three tests. First,  performance must be consistently superior to that of the expert’s peers. Second, real expertise produces concrete results. Finally, true expertise can be replicated and measured in the lab.

My additional tips:

  • Use common sense.  Just content writing doesn’t make someone an expert.
  • Just because something is on the internet does NOT make the information true.
  • It’s OK to admit you are an amateur…one that is eager to learn and grow.

In today’s world it is really hard to weed through the garbage.  We are all searching for authentic information that will provide the best outcome for us.  Keep the above mentioned things in mind as you scan through social media and the internet in search for the latest information on a topic.  Hopefully, it will save you from wasting your time.

“Owning a drone does not a pilot make.” ― Alex Morritt

“All great achievements require time.” – Maya Angelou