Look up from your phone - a lesson in Social Media

Last week I did something that is unheard of in today’s world. I went a whole week without taking my phone out of my bag. I went a whole week without access to Twitter, Facebook, the Internet, my email.

And you know something - IT WAS AMAZING

I learned to dance, I learned to hula hoop. I can even cartwheel now. I wrote poetry, I performed at a Poetry Slam! I hiked, I meditated, I read, I wrote. Every meal I had was savored, in every conversation I made new friends. I truly listened, and spoke from my soul. I wasn’t distracted by my phone, I was engaged by this crazy thing we call real life.

This morning, I was going through some videos on TinyBuddha.com and came across this Spoken Word titled “Look Up”. I would really recommend taking four minutes of your day to watch it. It is awesome, almost like it is written to those of us who blog, or are heavy on social media. It starts out with a powerful statement:

I have 422 friends, yet I am lonely…

Myself, right now I am going to head to the local coffee shop and sit at the counter (this is turning into a morning tradition for me). I am going to write a little, and chat. My phone is in my pocket, not in my mind.

I am going out tonight to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I am going to dance, and have a great time. I am going to live in that moment, be present in today, and savor life for the beautiful thing that it is.

So be brave, step away from the phone. Look up, connect with the people around you, not just the people on twitter. Be present, be here, connect. Be comfortable with yourself. It is a powerful thing. Put away that phone for a bit and live.