Just like tobacco, alcohol and drugs, we know that social media can also be an addiction.
I spent two days in Italy with top women leaders from Europe, the Middle East and Russia.
Friday began with brief introductions. Each one so unique, so special, so beautiful, so wonderful. I reached for my mobile phone and began to film. That was the beginning. The next two days I took over a hundred clips, ranging in length from one second to forty-seven minutes. The longest was when I filmed my own presentation about social media, PR and outreach, from beginning to end without a cameraman.
Lesson learned: Next time, get support. I had my tablet filming from the table while I spoke at the front.
Feeling abundance
This meeting was a progression from my effort a year ago, to introduce the concept of abundance and possibilities.
A year ago, I came with a proposal for professional support and management and felt misunderstood, misinterpreted, and even misrepresented. However, the result was an investment, minimal, nonetheless, a commitment, to invest, and incremental change across the board.
Health challenge
The year following that meeting was challenging for me as I discovered that I only had one functional kidney a short time afterwards, and I began to question much of what I was doing and committed to.
I stepped back from many areas of public activity as I reassessed my own life and health. When a dear friend of mine passed away, I became even more sure of the importance of self-care and self-reflection.
How hard that seems to be!
Despite daily practice of devotion, prayer, reading and sharing, constant, daily self-care is another matter. Of course, the physical aspects are taken care of, in terms of hygiene and nutrition. But what about reflection, meditation, relaxation, dreaming? And exercise!?
Cyprus
The Cyprus conference in November became my valve as I decided to spend extra days before and after the women’s conference, pampering myself, while also serving the greater whole.
When my husband joined me on the executive board of the women’s group in Austria, as a fellow advisor, it was only logical that he also come to Cyprus for the general conference. He enjoyed cycling to the seaside and I loved spending the extra days to process the video material and swim in the sea to the rising sun.
YouTube
We had a professional videographer for Cyprus as it was the general European and Middle East conference. All I had to do was process the videos and make them available.
This time in Rome was different. It was “just” a leaders’ meeting. No need to record. No need to share. But I could not help myself.
Passion
As I told you before, I’m addicted, no, I am passionate. Just as I recorded so many farewell speeches of my colleagues at the UN, I had to capture the stories of these ladies, some of whom I was meeting for the first time. Name, place and favourite colour was the directive. We spent Friday evening getting to know each other and I knew I was among ladies of incredible calibre. Many knew each other and were simply reconnecting. Many had been to Cyprus and experienced the General Conference. But this was different.
Young Women
This organization had a younger leader. The directive had been to invite young women. And the young women came!
How delighted I was to come to dinner to find a vacant spot at a table of young women. After my comment, ahh, the young ones, their response, “you are young too”, filled me with joy.
International and intergenerational
I see the value in this association in its intergenerational internationality.
As I filmed each one introduce herself and state her birthplace, or the nationality of her parents, and then explain that she now lives somewhere else, I knew I am not alone. We are one. We are family. We have made decisions. We have taken action. We have experienced consequences. Now we are ready to go to the next level and tell the world.
Public or private?
I started writing this wanting to explain why I took so many video clips.
My initial idea was to record everything, feed it to AI, get a transcript, then a written summary and come home with a full report, ready to share. Then I decided to make shorter clips, to capture each individual story, which could ultimately enable short clips suitable to post and share.
I had prepared well in purchasing my new professional tablet. I had not taken account of being in a foreign country and challenged internet connection. Consequently, it’s taken me till now to start sharing the recordings and I’m just waiting for the first one to be challenged to made private, not public.
Even though I claim to be a public person, as I make myself vulnerable, I know I am super-sensitive to personal criticism. So I was all the more gratified to receive positive feedback to my presentation on outreach, PR and social media.
See how AI summarized my points:
Social Media/Outreach/PR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7YKnqUIiCk&t=1762s
💬 Leveraging social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook for spreading information and engaging with audiences.
Emphasizing the importance of utilizing available resources, networks, and energies to accomplish goals effectively.
🌍 Highlighting the significant growth and impact achieved within a year through social media engagement and online presence.
💡 Encouraging an abundance mindset, focusing on utilizing available resources rather than worrying about limitations.
📊 Providing insights into social media statistics and the importance of monitoring and analyzing engagement metrics.
👥 Emphasizing teamwork, recognizing individual strengths, and supporting each other to achieve common goals.
🔍 Discussing the potential benefits and considerations of platforms like TikTok compared to Instagram for reaching younger audiences.
📰 Acknowledging the importance of being present on various social media platforms to disseminate information effectively and reach diverse audiences.
🎥 Recognizing YouTube as a powerful search engine and platform for sharing valuable content with lasting impact.