“It no longer mattered where I was, but how I was.”

If social media didn’t exist (*mic drop*)…what would you do differently?

It might occur to you to answer something simple, or instinctive, like spend more time reading and calling friends or spend less time in front of the screen.

Go deeper. Truly, if social media did not exist, how would you be different and live differently?

What if you ask yourself the tough questions, the embarrassing questions? What if you were even able to surpass just asking the questions and admit the difficult answer?

If social media didn’t exist, would you spend minutes fiddling with your phone just to position it at the correct angle to videotape yourself squatting at the gym or doing a fancy yoga move? Or would you do yoga, sink into your breath, and let that breath wash the pain and suffering up and over you?

Would you have a deeper connection to the practice than to the posture if the idea of validating yourself online didn’t exist? Would you be able to really release your grasp on the destination and soak up the benefits of the journey?

Would you spend the extra time getting ready, the extra money on makeup and new clothes if you couldn’t post a photo with the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could send the thought of yourself through an ex-lover’s mind? What if you couldn’t reach out in these subliminal ways, and you could just be free from the pain of the past? Would you seek out photos of you looking as goddamn happy as possible or would you just be as goddamn happy as possible?

What if the world couldn’t see your status, your accomplishments, your education…would you really spend more time in school, or would you pursue learning something new about yourself and your place in this universe? Would the focus of your learning be about outward rank, or would it be about treating self-improvement like it’s your motherf*cking job?

Would you be in a rush? A rush to “figure it out,” to be engaged, or to have kids? Would you focus more on building a business founded on morality and values, or would you make it your business to concern yourself with the naysayers?

How vulnerable are you when you choose what you do and don’t share? How authentic and genuine do you feel when life feels messy but your feed is without fault?

What if you could no longer show proof of your athleticism, your wisdom, your life experience, your laissez-faire attitude, your adventurous pursuits? What then truly matters to you?

What if it no longer mattered where your were, or with whom you were, but how you are, the quality of your thoughts, and the contentment in your soul?

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