A few weeks ago Faith and I attended a two day workshop in Chapel Hill called Making Things Happen. We were going because we wanted to find focus and direction for building Faithfully Made. I really didn't have any specific expectations for the workshop. I was just excited to be on an adventure with my best friend and have a mini vacation. What I walked away with was a life changing experience. For me, I realized how much my focus had shifted from what matters most in my life to comparing my life and situations to those on social media. I was unintentionally neglecting relationships with my husband, God, my family and friends. Social media has made it so easy to become invested in others lives that sometimes we forget about our own. We start to compare and maybe even think that what we have isn't good enough. I fall into this trap sometimes and have to remember to STOP chasing perfect and START chasing purpose. I am not saying social media is all bad, because I do enjoy checking in with people and seeing their families grow and the trips they take. But I realized I needed to make a change for myself when I would look at social media for hours out of shear boredom and not accomplish anything during the day. I didn't want to be like the couple in the picture that was circulating around Facebook that said, "cuddling 2014" and had both the boy and girl cuddling but each on their smart phones.
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| For those who haven't seen it. This was an eye opener for me. I am a pretty big fan of human contact and interaction and this is not how I want that interaction to be spent. |
I want to start INTENTIONALLY living on PURPOSE and NOT living by accident. At the workshop we determined what our biggest distractions were that kept us from making the things we wanted to happen, happen. Once they were written down we were encouraged to make action steps. My top two essentials steps are:
1. No internet/social media after 8 pm during the week
2. Social media FREE WEEKENDS
(Because I didn't want to completely rid myself of social media I moved the Facebook and Instagram icons to the very last page on my iPhone. At least that way it is still accessible but out of sight, out of mind.)
This past weekend was my second social media free weekend and I loved ever minute of it. It allowed me to take advantage of time spent with friends and family. I have discovered how much I LOVE prepping and making meals, healthy meals. My husband is probably sick of avocados! And I love that he loves that I am cooking. :)
Here is a look into how I spent my first social media free weekend. We joined a group of friends at Eno River State Park in Durham and all the fur babies came along. It was so much fun. The weather was amazing, the scenery was beautiful and the company was great.
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| In all, we had 9 humans and 8 K-9s. |
We hiked the Cox Mountain Trail which was a 3.75 mile loop roundtrip. The trail has a challenging uphill climb starting at Few’s Ford access area. The trail begins at the Eno River, passing over a swaying suspension bridge.
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| Gracie & Abby |
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| Our little family: Chess, Jacob, Gracie, me and Abby |
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| This makes my heart smile. |
The water was too inviting to keep them away. Luckily toys were brought and all the dogs got to swim and play. For half of them, it was their first time. The rocks were a bit tricky.
These three girls were so worn out and tired. They slept so good that night. On the ride home, Chess and Gracie were asleep before they even put their heads down. . . . .
Life is too short not to live it. MAKE IT HAPPEN!
-E
Excellent advice!
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