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Biography: a written account of another person’s life.
Have you ever considered writing an autobiography? I would argue that my life isn’t interesting enough or that trying to pen all the thoughts in my head might cause a paper shortage. I don’t even read autobiographies. In the back of my mind, I’ve wrongly thought the people writing about themselves must be pretentious or bored. Taking a step back, I’ve noticed we’re all writing our autobiographies through social media. The words we post, update, tweet, and share are spontaneous, personal accounts.
So, how does your autobiography read?
Not sure about the answer to that question? The following questions will help bring perspective…
- Are you living a life you’d want to write about?
Living in the moment has become almost impossible. Complications and diversions consume us leaving us no time for in-the-moment living. Maybe it’s a life-sucking relationship, a chaotic family calendar, or a time-sucking afternoon of Netflix (I’m busted)! We are so caught up in our schedules and staying busy that we miss the twinkles, glimmers, and even flashes of life that make life worth living.
So, are you living a life worth writing about, or are you writing in your calendars and on social media about the life you think satisfies this world?
- As you write, blog, tweet, etc. your life, is that life inspiring others? Or are you living off the inspiration of others?
Social media is it’s own form of autobiography. We can peruse Pinterest (for hours), and soak up a ton of inspiration and motivation to start that new home improvement project. That’s good and well–find that inspiration, but… I encourage you to consider whether you are using social media to inspire others with the life you’re living.
I want to throw something out there. When we continually refresh, repost, and reminisce (more on my obsession, Timehop, in a sec), living in the moment is going to be a challenge. Case in point, how can you inspire or bring your words to life when you’re distracted by capturing that image with a #selfie, or setting the camera to slo-mo…constantly? Believe me, I’m not bashing the art of a perfectly angled picture. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? In our day, it’s more like a picture is worth a thousand #hashtags!
I frequently scroll through an app called Timehop, and feel ashamed. Some of the pictures I took two, four, and even seven years ago are foreign to me. I can’t remember taking them, let alone the place we were at. Thank heaven for a husband who remembers everything! I love the nostalgia of the app, and I think millions of us do–hence the popularity of the app, but I have to ask the question…am I spending too much time in the past? Too much time on other’s updates? Too much time seeking inspiration? And perhaps a harder question…am I spending too little time inspiring, pouring out–living in THIS moment?
So this year I am being more purposeful with social media.
While following several encouraging personalities, I also strive to inspire others.
- How are you relating to real in other people’s lives?
I believe we were created to communicate with others. It’s easy to connect with someone based on common interests and familiar life situations. We also enjoy outrageous stories and funny quips. But aren’t there enough fakes out there? The parts of our lives we share can only make a lasting impact if they’re filled with truth. Honesty is crucial, especially if we hope to make an impact on others with our lives. The outlandish and extravagant may be entertaining, but it’s not relatable.
Hopefully, these questions inspire your inner autobiographer! Taking the time to live in the moment can ignite creativity. By sharing your heart and getting real with others, over coffee or Facebook, you can be an inspiration to others and really make a difference. Not only will you feel good about your modern-day-autobiography, but others will be eager to be inspired by it!
