With the advent of social media and our 24-hour news cycle, we know about a lot of bad stuff we really should not know about. For example, a kid got an infection from swimming in a pond in Iowa and now pond swimming is on the “THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO” list. Years ago, I never would have heard about that kid, but now I am organizing a march to clean all the ponds in America, or I am just thinking about it and adding my comments to the social media post. Let’s be real, I’m not going to organize that march, but I will think about that kid every time I swim in a pond, and I don’t need that stress. To that, in 2020 I am going to limit my social media exposure and just pick one thing that I really care about and do something about that ONE THING. Just one thing—-and many of you already know what my one thing is: suicide prevention. Based on my experience, that will be my thing for years to come. Back to you, what is the one thing that you care deeply about, and you feel you can make a difference on that one thing if you really focused on it? One thing. I am not interested in hearing from all these wannabe social justice warriors who sit in their parent’s basement and type their feelings on the internet. I want people to get off their rear ends and do stuff!
Right now, there is a kid sitting in their parent’s basement yelling “OK Boomer!” at their computer. Which by the way, is how the younger generation responds when us old folks tell them they are doing something wrong, but let me clarify this: Being too woke can happen to anyone! No matter what the age, sex, race, etc. You can easily become too woke to joke in this day and age and everything bothers you. Thus, the need to focus. The interweb can pull your heart stings in many different directions, but what bothers you the MOST? What keeps you up at night? What has impacted you personally and you do not what anyone else to have to go through what you went through?
Where can you help the most?
You will get everything you want in life if you help others get what they want. The happiest people I have met in my life are those that realize that this life is not about them, it’s about serving others. They inspire me, and I hope this blog post inspires you. I realize that I walk a fine line as the writer of these posts to avoid the temptation of telling you all how to live. Truth be known, my life is mess just like yours, but when I am doing the one thing I care about—suicide prevention—I feel this sense of purpose that is really hard to describe. All I know is that when I am in it, I sleep well at night and at my age, that is a huge victory!
Have a great year and pick one thing that you care about and attack it. The world needs you…. yes YOU!
#toowoketojoke #compassionempathy #youcare #youmatter #suicideprevention #socialjustice #doit
