Keeping up with the Joneses has appeared to have gone out of fashion. First, the book The Millionaire Next Door made us aware that conspicuous spending was not going to be wise in the long run. Now, it is far too easy to look out your window and see the foreclosures lining your neighborhood. Friends are having pot luck get-togethers instead of hosting lavish events. So, we are looking for experiences instead of status symbols.
Yet, there is one area where it seems we haven’t fully let go of the need to be the biggest, best, latest or greatest. Enter Social Media. We know better than to compare ourselves with others, there will always be someone who can claim more. If you read the posts and tweets that people put out there for all to see, you might think you aren’t going to enough events, eating enough trendy foods or having enough inspirational moments.
If one business owner puts it out there how busy they are, three of their competitors now share how much busier they are. If I am to believe all I see online, concerts and theater are no longer special events, but rather part of the normal weekly list of things to do and be crossed off. I am amazed how many donut makers want to post quotes of inspiration and motivation on their wall, instead of reminding me just how delicious their baked goods are. We have created a whole new level of competition/Joneses. Now, in order to feel good about ourselves, we need to have the most connections, responses, retweets, likes and comments.
Perhaps it is time to put down the phone, tablet, or any other device long enough to take a walk outside. Oh, I know you enjoy walking to your favorite tunes or audio book; however, listening to the birds or even your footsteps can be so very grounding and calming. What if you took a step back from social media for a few minutes of each day to be present, really present? What if you stopped comparing your social calendar with your 5000 “friends” and instead enjoyed just being you? I wonder who we might become then?
