10 Lessons Social Media Has Taught Me

10 Lessons Social Media Has Taught Me

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

If you are anything like me, you know that there are both pros and cons to social media. I've mentioned before that I used to be HIGHLY opposed to the idea of "social media" and putting myself out there on the internet, but after starting my blog a few years ago I have come to see that it wasn't all I made it out to be. In fact, while social media can take up to much of my time (lets be honest...its kind of a side job I don't get paid for...#blogger), it can have a number of benefits and I have come to see that I have learned a number of lessons through it's adoption into my life:

1. YOUR LIFE ISN'T GOING TO BE PERFECT......so you had better accept that right now! Often times I might look at other peoples "perfect" feeds and life and try to compare myself to them and everything they are doing, but at the end of the day I have to accept me for me! Sure, I can look at others accomplishments and learn from their successes in order to apply their lessons to my life, but I can never become someone who wishes to be someone else. I have to remind myself that I am right where I need to be and be content that my present life is perfect!
2. HEARTBREAK AND TRAGEDIES OF LIFE ARE REAL.....I can't tell you the number of times I have scrolled through Instagram and come across a story that breaks my heart. There are so many (incredible) ladies whom I follow that have miscarried, lost husbands, had broken engagements, deal with health issues, etc. Seeing and knowing that other people are going through trials reminds me that life isn't always easy, that prayer is vital, and that I should always be thankful for what God has blessed me with.
3. HEALING REALLY IS POSSIBLE (in regards to #2).....yes....heartbreak and tragedies come our way, but even in the darkness and brokenness there is healing and people (we) are stronger than we realize! While not everyone chooses to share their trials and heartbreak on social media, many do, and I have come to GREATLY respect those who choose to share and constantly learn from their strength, joy, authenticity, and determination to never give up! 
4. YOU ARE NEVER ALONE......I remember when I was growing up and always feeling like no one understood me, or no one liked the same things I did. Social media totally changes that and gave me an outlet to meet people who have the same interests as me, or are the same type of person (where are my fellow Introverts?). I think this many times come down the the amazing community created through social media, be it with bloggers, creatives, photographers, seamstresses, etc. 
5. ONLINE FRIENDS ARE REAL THINGS.....five years ago I probably wouldn't have believed you if you had told me I would meet some incredible friends through social media! I guess I didn't think connections could be made over the internet that could lead to friendships, but I was wrong. Thanks to messaging options and the ability to comment I have come to meet some of the sweetest ladies who really are kindred spirits. Its even cooler when you get to meet online friends in person and you totally hit it off over coffee :)
6. THERE ARE DEFINITELY WEIRD AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE OUT THERE......lets be honest...we have all had those "interesting" people follow us, or comment on a post, or request to be our friend....but that is precicely what the BLOCK button is for. Am I right or am I right?!?!
7. YOU CAN EXPRESS YOURSELF IN WRITING AND PEOPLE WILL AUTOMATICALLY CONNECT......I can't tell you the number of times I have shared a lengthy post about life or something personal and had people comment with encouragement, understanding, or words of wisdom. I constantly see people on social media who use words to express how they feel and those words will always connect with someone who reads it, reminding them that they are not alone (#4).
8. IF YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU WERE INVISIBLE NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO BE SEEN.....just like #4, I always (and sometimes still do in daily life) felt as if I were invisible to those around me, be it their lack of vocalization to my presence, or their inability to acknowledge or start a conversation with me. However, in joining the world of "social media" I have had to learn that people actually see me.....like they see what I do, what I wear, the things I love and they like it! Thus social media allows me to be "ME" and connect with others who recognize that uniqueness just like I recognize theirs:) And for those people who already know me, and just happen to follow me on social media, they often see another side to me that they might never have seen in person. 
9. YOU WILL CONSTANTLY GROW, LEARN, AND CREATE......wow...this one is such a great lesson! Through social media I have seen myself grow be it in my skills, my blog, my interests, communication, or even in how I run the PR side of my blog and grow my audience and reach. However, that wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the things I am constantly learning through watching other bloggers, reading books, or getting advice from people I know. I am able to see what works for other people and apply those skills to my life. And culminating all of those together I have learned that using social media for what I do gives me an outlet to be creative in photography, writing, and design and I love that I have the chance to utilize creativity in such a unique way. 
10. PEOPLE GENERALLY LOVE TO CELEBRATE OTHERS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND TALENTS.....you might think (sometimes) that people just use social media to brag about themselves (which might be the case for some), but I have found that if you do what you do because you love it, accept compliments humbly, and remove all pride and self absorption from your life people really do want to celebrate with you when you succeed at something! I love to see the people I follow pursuing their dream, accomplishing something grand, or announcing something exciting! Life is something to celebrate, so why not celebrate it every chance you get:) I think this one again, also comes down to the community we create with those we follow and those that follow us. It's so cool to see what other people are pursuing and its also so cool to share the things going on in our life knowing that someone else is either going through the same thing or has a few words of wisdom or encouragement to keep you reminded of how lovely life can truly be and how splendid people really are! 

Have you learned any of these lessons through social media?

What are some lessons you have learned?

-Madison

To Be Thankful

To Be Thankful

Thursday, November 24, 2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I seriously can't believe that it is already the time of the year where we stuff ourselves till we almost burst and then fall into a daze once the triptofan hits :) While there are so many holidays that we celebrate throughout the year, Thanksgiving is one of  those holidays that seems to kick off the entire holiday season, full of life lessons, family, thanks, cheer, and Christmas spirit. However, before I get caught up in talking about Christmas lets turn back to Thanksgiving and reflect on what it truly means to be "thanful!" 

I have to say that the idea of Thankfulness has taken on an entirely different meaning for me over the past couple of weeks. I feel as though we often focus on being thankful for the good and positive things around us and try to forget about the things that might not have been all that great. However, I think that if we could start to focus on the things around us that might have started off as negative situations, we would soon find there are truly more things to be thankful fore than we realize! 

With that being said, I think it is important to be thankful for the blessings in our life, but at the same time, we should reflect on the things that we often fail to give thanks for, because they themselves are likely to be things we don't want in our lives. 

Keeping this idea in mind, on Thanksgiving day I am Thankful For......

1. The lady at the campus parking office who called me 10 minutes before my car almost got towed, and who also erased 8 of my 10 citations (that I didn't even know I had) from my parking account. 
2. The opportunity to work in college, have a steady salary and meet incredible people.
3. For friends who know exactly what I am thinking and who stick by me in difficult situations.
4. People, places, and things that stretch me beyond my comfort zone even though it might be the scariest thing EVER!
5. Opportunities....to meet new people and be a positive influence.
6. Being awkward (as unfortunate as it is sometimes) because without that side of me there would be no funny stories to tell....
7. Still being single....yes, I did just say that, but seriously being single is a time to cherish for its freedom and ability to be available and openly used by God. 
8. Only having 2 more semesters of college left.....yes that means that the future is looming ahead and I don't exactly know what will happen after graduation, but I am thankful for an uncertain future. 
9. Only living an hour away from my family!
10. Having a crazy family who laughs at the most ridiculous things, has the funniest inside jokes, and who baffles everyone that we meet with our closeness. 
11. Lessons...both good and bad, whether it is someone correcting my mistakes, learning from others mistakes around me, or simply learning general life lessons.
12. The Blogsphere....so much has happened over my time of starting the blog and I couldn't be more grateful for all of those experiences and for all of you who are such lovely and loyal supporters of the things I am passionate!
13. Coffee.....gotta throw that in there because it is a substance to surviving college (kind of) and being a "hug in a cup."
14. Valleys....valleys are the hard journeys of life that we don't want to be happy about and we want to feel down in the dumps about, but in order to reach a peak on the hill we have to first go through valleys. 
15. New phones....or might I say, an iPhone......yes, I just upgraded from my prehistoric slider phone. Let's just say I am SUPER happy:)
16. Parents who support me in college, in my interest, and in following my dreams.
17. Siblings who make life so much more interesting and who inspire me daily!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

What are the difficult things you are thankful for?

-Madison

Confessions of the Social Kind

Confessions of the Social Kind

Monday, June 13, 2016

Top: Thrifted

Skirt: I Made

Shoes: Modcloth (Salt Water Sandals)

Purse: Sam Moon "Melie Bianco" (same here) 

Earrings: stole from my sister (Forever 21)

**Pictures by Taylor (my sister)**

I have a confession.......when  I was in high school I was the girls who always did her persuasive speeches and papers on the same topic. What was the topic? I did every persuasive speech and paper on "Why Social Media is Bad" and I had a number of pro/con articles to back up my beliefs and ideas. Now that I look back on that I have to laugh because as a blogger social media is a HUGE part of my life now.....without it my blog would never have grown to reach the audiences and readers that it does (y'all are awesome by the way) and I have also come to meet and know a number of other talented and amazing bloggers and people through those outlets!

Maybe I was sooooooo against it all those years ago because it wasn't really that "big" of a thing as back then not a lot of teenagers had smart phones and wifi was still coming into play (wow.....writing all of that makes me feel sooooo old). However, while I wasn't allowed to have a social media account, which would have only been Facebook, (that was the "thing" back then) my parents wouldn't let me and honestly I was fine with that. I remember people asking me all the time if I had a Facebook and I would just be like "Um, no. I am not allowed to have one" and quite frankly I didn't ever want to be like "everyone else" in giving into the trend. However, as much as I was against social media a few years ago I often failed to realize the positive aspects of it! 

To be honest, if it wasn't for my blog I wouldn't have all the different social media accounts that I have HERE, but social media is such a key tool for the blogger world and I have truly grown to appreciate its positive aspects. Not only does it present us with different types of social media setups that each does a different thing, but it also allows us to connect and find others who share our same interests and even strike up a conversation with them. Therefore if I was only allowed to choose one social media I would hands down have to go with Instagram (hence the FAB bag!)! Not only does Instagram allow you to write long posts (which I like to do at times) but it also focuses on capturing life and telling a story strictly in pictures! Not only that, but nearly every blogger has an Instagram and it is a way for each of us to connect on a platform other than blogger and share our blogging lives through behind the scenes pictures, pictures from recent posts, and even a few goofy snap shots here and there. Through this platform I have gotten to know a number of different people/bloggers apart from their blogs and I love to see what is going on in other peoples lives and sometimes give a quick shout out in the comments :)

I always find it interesting to see how each person treats Instagram and how they use their creativity in taking pictures, styling, editing them, or creating a fun and cohesive feed. Instagram shows each persons uniqueness and captures that in the pictures they take and how they share their lives on their account, and for that my old viewpoint no longer exists. 

__________________________________________________________

Okay, now lets talk about this FAB bag!!!! I might have been squealing and jumping up and down in Sam Moon when I found this Instagram purse though I was just slightly torn when I also discovered an avacado purse, mermaid sea shell purse, and icecream cone purse.......but I think the Instagram purse won! It is truly the "perfect" summer accessory especially as a blogger and as someone who LOVES to use Instagram and might just take 10 minutes to set up the perfect picture (only sometimes.....) 

I can't get over how "summery" these pictures are with the checkered skirt, white picket fence, green grass, sandals, sunglasses and of course you can't forget your iced tea (it's a must for us Texans & Panera is a fave for me, my sister, and my best friend)! I will definitely be frequenting this spot for pictures in the summer though I know the heat and humidity will be a battle as it has already reached the high 90's here but the humidity makes it feel like the high 190's!!! 

I hope all of you are staying cool and enjoying your summer so far! 

Do you have a favorite bag/purse?
Have you ever viewed social media like I used to? 

-Madison

//Lately// Behind The Scenes On Instagram

//Lately// Behind The Scenes On Instagram

Saturday, February 6, 2016

New writing project.....yay!!

Before....

After!!

I take pictures of flowers at the grocery store :)

Never to much lipstick!!

FRIDAYS when class is online #coffee #comfy 

So this is my new FAVORITE nail style!!! 

Rosie...insert heart eyes :) <3

Well.....it looks like this past week was so busy I didn't get in a real post. I was planning on doing a post about my room up at college, but maybe that will get done this next week. However, I was wanting to post something so I thought I would throw together some recent pictures from Instagram  and or from my iPod history and write a little something today. 

I was able to come home this weekend which is always a nice break from being up at school working and doing homework. I always miss sitting around the table with my family as we tell funny stories and laugh our heads off, or when my sister and I have a movie night and nail painting party....those are the good times. Apart from that I really miss my cat Rosie (above) when I am up at school #crazycatlady! 

Aside from that, lately life has really just been focused on school and carrying out my duties as a Resident Adviser at college. I am still getting into the swing of school and mid terms are already creeping up....ahhh! I will say though, that I have resolved to try and organize my life more smoothly so that I have time for reading books and writing. Yes.....one of the pictures above (with the yellow legal pad) is a new project I am working on and I have soooooo many ideas for it....eehh :) I must say that I have become really addicted to books as of late....not that I have actually read or should I say finished any lately but I do have 3 books on their way in the mail. That is what happens when you start following a few bookish people on Instagram who have libraries in their room and post the cutest pictures of their latest reads and all because of that you end up ordering three books that all of them seem to be reading.....LOL! 

When I am not working, or doing homework, reading, writing, or blogging you will find me watching the latest episodes of all my favorite shows which include: Arrow, The Flash, Super Girl, Agent Carter, Blue Blood, and in March Agents of Shield (seriously can't wait till this comes back). 

Well....I suppose that it all I have for now, but hopefully a post will be coming this next week with a tour around my room at college or maybe something even a little Valentines Day....who knows. I hope that everyone has a splendid weekend. 

P.S. If you ever want to know what I am up to when I am not blogging and sharing about my life on the blog, you can always head on over to my Instagram @oldfashionedgirl where I LOVE planning and posting way to many pictures:)

Do you follow any bookish people on Instagram?

What have you been up to recently?

-Madison