💎 Friday Gems #4 (Dangers of Social Media, Just Do The Work, Be In The Moment)
💎 Friday Gems #4 (Dangers of Social Media, Just Do The Work, Be In The Moment)
Three ideas to help you unleash your potential 🚀
Happy Friday the 13th!
Ok, it’s the second week of 2023, and it’s still taking me time to get my gears turning, which is…takes a deep breath…ok.
Today’s first gem is a reminder of the damage social media does to our kids’ mental health and ours. Tech companies deny the damage their platforms are inflicting on all of us and refuse to implement meaningful changes on their platforms. The second gem is a good reminder for us to focus on our goals when we are overcome with doubt or anxiety. We can move forward despite the inner struggles to achieve our goals and what we want to achieve. I love everything about Japan and learned an interesting fact about the seasons in Japan and how it encourages people to be in the moment.
It's time to break free from all the noise and boost the signal with insights to help you unleash your creative potential.
Let's do it!
Today's Gems
💎 Profits over safety
Seattle's schools are suing tech giants behind TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram for harming young people's mental health.
The district claims a 30% increase in students who reported being "so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row" that they stopped doing regular activities.
From the article:
"Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use and abuse of Defendants' social media platforms," the complaint said. "Worse, the content Defendants curate and direct to youth is too often harmful and exploitive ...."
The damage social media can do, such as the increased risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and even suicidal thoughts, is well-researched and documented. As a parent of young kids starting to use social media, it is a daily challenge to stay vigilant and remind them of the hidden dangers that social media presents.
To counteract the adverse effects of social media, I believe it's important to lean more towards real-world human interactions to help our kids and ourselves feel more connected, less stressed, and happier.
How do you manage social media in your life? Let me know in the comments.
💎 Artists Don't Have to Believe in Themselves To Have Success
“There was a time in my career early on in the '90s where I was so frustrated and so down and didn't believe in myself... and I just had this revelation: you know what? I have set a goal. I don't have to believe in myself. I just have to do the steps I committed to doing to get me through the Valley of Shadow of Death.” – Brad Rushing
I like the perspective Brad Rushing shares in his interview for when we are down and struggling to believe in ourselves or our abilities. His suggestion is to shift our focus to working towards our goals one step at a time; that's what we can focus on instead of getting blocked by our thoughts and not making any progress at all. It is in action that we find stability and hope. Things may be in flux around us, but our actions help us find the way forward to help us believe in ourselves as we progress toward our goals.
So the next time doubt creeps up in work or life, and you wonder if you can achieve your goal, shift your focus to take the steps forward despite the doubts that may be swirling in your head.
Keep the focus on your goals to reach your potential.
💎 Throw Yourself into each moment
The most important time in life is always the present. - Mitsuo Aida, Poet and Calligrapher
Did you know that Japan has 72 micro-seasons? Each season is less than a week with its own mood and attitude. This helps to remind people about the passing of each moment and to throw ourselves in each moment to live and experience life with all its intensity.
Lucian James reminds us that Japanese mindfulness is not gentle as it is in the West; it is active and alive. It is a state of doing, not being. The idea to "Be in the moment" is not a subtle phrase to be taken lightly. In Japanese origin, it is more like a kick in the butt, a wake-up call to BE! IN! THIS! MOMENT! NOW!
How can we apply this idea of throwing ourselves in the moment? We can be in the present moment by leaning in and showing up each moment instead of passing through or fading into the background to let others decide for us. Instead of going wherever the wind takes us, we can place our feet firmly on the ground and move forward with intention and purpose.
This is a call to take back our lives and charge forward to where we want to go. It's a call to push forward and enjoy the energy of each moment. It's a call to throw ourselves into this very moment.
Are you ready to BE! IN! THIS! MOMENT! NOW
That's it for this week. Let me know in the comments which gem resonated with you the most.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful weekend.
Your Gem Collector,
Rizwan 💎⚒️💜