A friend posted this absolute gem on facey the other day "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle". On the first read, I felt complacent. But for some reason I read it again, and it literally sat me on my ass.
I immediately began thinking about EVERYONE and started figuring out their battles. Most were easy - financial, ill health, weight, employment, loneliness, time management, addiction and relationship battles. But there were a few people that I just couldn't pigeon-hole. What could their battles be? These people seemed to have it all* - success in their chosen field, good health and happiness.
The solution? Stalking. I started to stalk. I went back and read their online profiles with an eagle eye. I tried to delve into their online thoughts that had manifested out of their fingertips. I literally puzzled over these few people, even in the dead of night when sleep evaded me. Battles, where for art thou battles?
Even though I couldn't quite figure it out, I asked myself one question "would I want to be that person?". In every case, the answer was a resounding no.
Some battles can never be won, but with age comes wisdom and I'm beginning to accept that I need to adapt to certain situations and learn to cope.
And, just by simply typing that admission, I then had this...ding!...a lightbulb moment. Maybe these unpigeonholeable (yes, I take full responsibility for that extraordinary addition to the English language) people had adapted?
Perhaps their coping mechanisms were so well honed that in fact their battles were now just par for the course? Perhaps they did have massive financial worries, but had been to the bank, sorted out their finances and were living on a strict budget? Maybe their loneliness was being fulfilled online?
That was the answer :-) Those few people whose battles I couldn't quite suss out had learned to cope. So although their problems weren't as obvious to the rest of us, they were indeed fighting battles too, but just fighting them on the d-lo.
Hallelujah, no longer will these people keep me awake! God bless blogspot.
So, in closing, I'd like to maturally finish with: Nyah, nyah unpigeonholeable people that have it all*, I have got you sussed. You too, are battling "something". I know it. I don't know what. But I know you've got it under control. I can rest easy now.
*My own interpretation of "all".
PS. For those who are interested, the quote is attributed to both TH Thompson & John Watson. However, that absolute legend Plato said the following waaaaay before those dudes "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle".
Occasionally I like to do experiments on myself to see how I cope with fear, stress and stepping outside my comfort zone.
My most recent experiment was to overcome a childhood fear today at 2am (of course). The experiment failed and I tweeted this:
"But I don't get twitter" <-- fingers (toes, arms, legs and eyes) crossed that I will never hear that excuse again.
Ok you lot, by reading on, you are automatically enrolled in my new course "Twitter 101". Pay attention, there will be a quiz at the end of the course.
Twitter is marketed as a "micro-blogging" site, but crikey, that even sounds scary to me.
Essentially it means that you're limited to 140 characters per tweet (actually, you're not, there are ways to get around that but for the sake of this explanation, I'll keep it simple).
Like facey, there is a wall, but it is known as a "timeline" or TL for short. There is also a private message service whereby you can chat up hotties behind the scenes (if they're following you). That is called DM "direct message". FYI...there are some HOT tweeps. H O T. As in smokin' hot to infinity and beyond. I'll cover dealing with the hotties in my next course, Twitter 201.
You follow people, and if they're interested in you or what you have to say (tweet) or your business, they'll follow you back.
On facey, you can "like" a comment to show your appreciation. The twitter version of facey liking is to retweet "RT" the tweet to your followers.
You can also use a #hashtag which will allow you to find and follow certain topics on twitter.
Lets recap:
TL = timeline = like the facebook homepage wall
DM = direct message = gives you the ability to tweet someone privately without the world perving on your conversation
RT = retweet. You can retweet something that someone else has tweeted that appeals to your sense of humour, views, or relates to your business, etc.
#hashtag = allows you to ensure your tweet won't get lost in the twitterverse if you're talking about a particular subject, ie #lunchtime #eqnz #jealous
Some tips:
1. Put up a profile pic immediately, otherwise you'll appear as an "egg". Totally ironic.
2. Write an interesting bio...you'd be surprised at the info you can squeeze in. Also add a blog or website address if possible.
My rules:
(whether tweeting as an individual or as a representative of your business):
1. Be polite. Be gracious. Be interesting. Be witty!!!
2. Get involved. Twitter doesn't "work" for you. You have to put in the hard yards in order to reap the benefits (friendships and business growth). Its helpful if you already know a few prolific tweeters, or have a few mates already using twitter. But ultimately, this is social media. You need to become actively involved in order to fully enjoy what it has to offer.
3. Follow hashtags of things that interest you. One of my coolest friends on twitter and I hooked up because we both used #rw2011 (royal wedding). If it wasn't for that hashtag, we may never have met, but now catch up on a daily basis. Plus she reads this blog. Hi gf!
And finally, my diligent students, I present you with a pop-quiz. Good luck.
Multi-choice Quiz:
1. RT stands for:
(a) Regular Tweet
(b) Retweet
(c) Ridiculous Tweet
(d) Really Topical
2. A hashtag allows you to:
(a) find and follow certain topics of interest
(b) end a tweet
(c) start a tweet
(d) its an abbreviation
3. TL stand for:
(a) Total loser
(b) Twitterline
(c) Timeline
(d) Tweep Love
Tweet your answers to @WriteOnNZ. Extra points will be awarded if you use an appropriate hashtag :-P
