Just before going to bed the other night, I logged into Facebook with the thought-process of having one last quick scroll through my news feed, but it unexpectedly turned into so much more.
My best friend Lindsay had tagged me in one of those picture challenges where you post one picture a day for ten days with no text explanation; this particular challenge focused on “being a Mom.” My initial reaction was to ignore the challenge because I'm not really one for posting anything on social media, let alone ten days worth of personal family pictures. Instead of ignoring the challenge completely, I first decided to reach out to Lindsay and ask her directly why she had chosen me? Her response was so simple yet so impactful. Lindsay said to me, “Because you're saying, 'yes' right?” And she was 100% correct!
I had just recently told Lindsay about my "self-care" journey and my new appreciation for living life to the fullest. So, with this in mind, my thoughts started to shift from negative to positive. What did I have to lose? Why couldn’t I participate in the picture challenge?
With a simple shift in mindset, I made the conscious decision to participate in my first ever social media challenge and share pictures of my life with the virtual world. I started scrolling through my photo reel in order to find the perfect shot to be my inaugural picture. The picture I settled on was from the day my eldest son was born eleven years ago; the day I first earned the title of "Mom."
I couldn't have imagined how amazing participating in a silly Facebook challenge could have been. Each night for the next ten nights, I sat and looked through hundreds of pictures going back over 10 years in order to find the perfect ones to upload. Although I was limited to choosing one picture each night, I was still able to enjoy every picture as I reacquainted myself with the memories hidden within them. Then, each morning, before initiating my normal routine, I would upload the picture I had selected the previous evening, constructing piece by piece my own personal journey through motherhood.
Truth be told, I can't be exactly sure which part of the exercise I enjoyed the most: Was it the time sorting through pictures? Was it the trips down memory lane? Was it the excitement of releasing a new image into the virtual world? Was it the powerful connections I made with everyone who decided to accept my nomination to share their pictures? Or finally, was it the appreciation for those that simply took the time to like or comment on the pictures I had posted? The fact is, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that I said, "Yes," and it was absolutely amazing. If you ever find yourself in similar shoes, I challenge you to shift your mindset and see if you can start to support a new normal the results may surprise you.
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