I stopped posting on Instagram for a while because I felt like most things on there don't really matter. Most pages can fall into one or more of several categories, thus making the content predictable and monotonous. Even the most well meaning pages, such as the fitness and spiritual ones, were becoming dull.
I was very intentional about carefully curating my account, so that only those with seemingly positive content would show up on my feed. I found myself scrolling for hours, searching for inspiration and motivation. But every now and then, I would end up on the explore page, or a friend's page, and wound up consuming mental, emotional, and spiritual garbage. "News" stories that lacked substance or facts.
I never felt like I was able to fully connect with anyone on there. Your connections are limited to temporary posts, which don't provide any context.
We've grown so accustomed to these random spurts of socializing that we don't even know how to truly connect anymore. Take a look at any meme, and you'll see everyone glorifying antisocial an introverted behaviors, like ignoring phone calls and barricading themselves at home in lieu of socializing.
People, it's time to do better. Instead of making an attempt to fulfill the physical, emotional and social goals we claim to so desperately want, we'd rather watch other people do it online, the whine relentlessly about why we can't do the same. And I'm not referring to the people who are oppressed and lack the general resources to do so. I'm talking about well-to-do, able bodied folks who, instead of working on their interpersonal skills, would rather place blame on everything and everyone else for their mediocrity. Procrastination has engulfed us. Laziness has confined us. Small kindness has paralyzed us, and complacency has distracted us.
We are entering a new decade. Aren't you tired of the same broken promises? A new diet that promises to deliver quick results? A new job that promises to give you the work life balance you've been looking for? A new man who promises to love you? The same tired promises that you've been offering up to God? Your family? Yourself?
2020 will be the same as every year for you because you fail at keeping yourself accountable. You want the crystals to protect your energy, God to forgive you for your reckless behavior, the bill collectors to wipe the collection accounts from your credit...but you never acknowledge how your actions have attributed to your current circumstances.
Accountability, not judgement. Accountability, not denial. Accountability, not shame.
You cannot move forward in anything--your finances, your dating life, your job, your spirituality--until you hold yourself accountable for the thoughts, words, and actions that you've initiated over your life and the lives of others.
It's time to get intentional about how we're actually living. Yes, you made it this far, but what habits and behaviors do you need to change to go further? To shine brighter? To get smarter? To be BETTER?