My Social Media "Me Time"

I wanted to share this with you this morning. A lot of times before the kids wake up (I'm not trying to say my kids are sleeping in by any means, I'm just a naturally early riser), I'll spend the quiet time just looking around on social media. It's my ME time. I sip my coffee and follow my clicking fingers down rabbit holes that often take me to some pretty interesting places.

Today I did my morning story watch on Snapchat. Lately, this is how I begin my "me time" routine. (At least, ever since I've started getting the hang of this crazy Snapchat thing I swore I'd always avoid. Totally eating my words.) I've been particularly loving watching Hillary Rushford's snaps from the Italian Riviera as it is giving me the perfect opportunity to practice my Zen as I try not to feel complete and utter jealousy and focus on the beauty that she is sharing while living vicariously through her Sabbatical.

One of her snaps this morning mentioned hopping over to Instagram to leave a comment on a post (great social media engagement tip, BTW). Dutifully, I went right over and starting scrolling through her IG feed. I went from posts showcasing beautiful scenes of the Italian Riviera down to a photo of an open page of a book that caught my eye. Clicked to learn more about said book. Clicked the book's hashtag. Found some more photos of this book, then my eye landed on a photo of three books (the original book in question plus two more) laid out on a furry rug. I clicked this photo to learn more about the new books. One was written by Elizabeth Gilbert of "Eat, Pray, Love" fame (hello, crazy Sabbatical coincidence!) and the poster had tagged her. So I clicked through to her account. That's where I found this:

Do you ever go down a social media rabbit hole? I actually make it a habit, and it's surprising how much I learn. Today's rabbit hole led me from @hilaryrushford to @elizabeth_gilbert_writer and inspired a blog post. And yes, I tied it all back to #clothdiapers. 😂 Check out the blog to see how! 💕 #linkinprofile #makeclothmainstream #influence #staypositive

A photo posted by Spray Pal (@spraypal) on May 28, 2016 at 6:00am PDT

And this was the fruit of today's random clicking because it inspired me. This little graphic inspired this entire blog post. And here's the craziest thing you should know about me: I can tie PRACTICALLY ANYTHING back to cloth diapers, including an inspirational Elizabeth Gilbert quote. #talent

In the case of this quote, it struck me as the perfect mantra for anyone using cloth. You know how you'll get friends asking about your diapers on play dates? Or you'll post a photo of your baby in fluff on social media and a random Internet person will see it and ask what the diapers are all about? Well, this is your opportunity to be an influencer. Whether you're Instafamous, a blogger, or just a mom sharing a cute photo of her baby in cloth, how you respond matters. Whatever you say WILL be contagious. You may not realize it, but your response will be heard or read by many more people above and beyond the person who originally asked the question, so keep that in mind as you reply. Your play date friend may strike up a convo with another mom about it down the road. And on social media, if your account is public, many more people will read the conversation on your post than you realize. If you stay POSITIVE, it WILL be contagious!

Let's play pretend for a minute. Imagine you just posted a picture of your darling in the latest print you've obtained and someone comments with, "Wow, that diaper is adorable! I wish I could do cloth but it just seems like so much work. My friend tried it and she said she was CONSTANTLY doing laundry." :::Insert fed up non-smiling emoji here::: It looks like someone who didn't read this blog post has already been spreading their influence. But fear not! Positivity is much more powerful!

Now let me give you two sample replies, and you choose which you'd rather see be contagious. Because they both will be, no question.

Response option #1: Yeah, the diapers are super cute, but the laundry can be tiring if you let it get out of hand. It's worth it, though!

Response option #2: Yeah, aren't they cute?! I was actually nervous about the time commitment when we started with cloth, but it's been a lot easier than I expected! Just a few extra loads of laundry a week. If you ever want to give it a shot, just let me know! I'm happy to help.

Both responses are honest, right? But just that slight lean to the negative side can be very off-putting. Response #2 is only worded a little bit differently than #1, but it makes all the difference in motivating and encouraging someone who may be on the fence.

And while I am applying this quote and this concept of influence to cloth diapers, it's honestly something that applies to all areas of life. "We all have more influence than we realize" so let's choose our words accordingly.