"I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they're bad - to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses." -- Pay It Forward
The world can be a crappy place. Our neighborhoods are bulging at the seams with depression, hopelessness and loneliness. We're tired of empty words and broken promises.
For those of us who want to make a change the task can seem overwhelming. What if each of us found one person and helped them? Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
If you been a part of the Twittersphere for any length of time, you'll notice that Twitter has it's own celebrities. These Social media mavens have eleventy-jillion followers and are chock full of witty tweets. Who would have thought that 3 of Twitter's superstars would have taken the time to help or encourage a somewhat goofy guy like me?
“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” -- John Maxwell
My twitter account was hacked. I had no idea what to do. I sent a tweet to @JeffPulver asking for help. Jeff has 361,000 followers. He immediately replied back to me. Jeff connected me to a techie within the bowels of Twitter. My problem was solved. On top of that, Jeff has helped to get my CEO, Marketing Director and others into his special events. Thank you Jeff.
I got a new Blackberry prior to an emergency trip to Washington State. I had no idea how I would keep in touch with my Twitter business accounts while I was away from the office. I sent a tweet to @UnMarketing. He immediately sent out a tweet to his 60,000 followers. Scott asked, "What is the best Twitter app for a BlackBerry? Please respond to @MarketerMikeE." I was overwhelmed with the response. Before you could say "fail whale" I was downloading UberTwiter to my BlackBerry. Thanks Scott.
@GiniDietrich is the CEO of a social media marketing mega-house in Chicago. The other day Gini sent me a direct message. It said, "I just read your Lesbian Labels blog post. What a brilliant, honest piece!" Over the weekend she sent me this tweet, "@MarketerMikeE Wait til Monday. I have a little surprise." What was the surprise? This morning Gini shared a link to my blog post with her 13,000 followers. Thank you Gini.
Today I found a guest post from Gini. She said, "For me, it’s important I help others, I pay it forward as often as I can, I pump up people, I acknowledge everyone who comes into my world, and I never get too big for my britches."
Don't get too big for your britches. Intentionally reach out to someone today. Help them. Encourage them. They'll remember what you did and hopefully do it for someone else.
Dream Big. Start Small. Pay it Forward.
"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them...." -- Matthew 7:12 (The Message)
Good stuff, Mike. While there are certainly some Twitter celebs that just broadcast their own own stuff, the best of them are where they are because they listen, engage, and help others. That's something everyone on Twitter should keep in mind no matter how many followers they have.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing worth pointing out is that many people who do have a lot of followers on Twitter want to use their influence for good. If a person needs help, has a good cause, a good post, or a mutually beneficial opportunity, they've gotta have courage and ask for what they want, like you did. You'll probably get turned down more often than not, but sometimes cool things will happen.
Hi Mike. This is great. I'm an advocate for change, and to create change we have to act. I think when others act on our behalf it empowers us to act globally. In that moment of support our neighbours become family, and a wave of love is started. Love isn't the overwhelming emotional thing that we imagine, it's gentle, quiet, and guiding. I felt that in this story. Talk soon, Simon.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike! Great post...encouraging. Making the best use of Twitter means being connected to others and seeking to share a blessing with them!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about mega-house...yet! :) I have a handful of friends who have lifetime permission to smack me if I get too big for my britches. It's not secret my vision is Global Domination, but I want to be sure we achieve that while I maintain my humility. There is nothing worse than someone with a huge ego (cough, LeBron James, cough).
ReplyDeleteLike Simon says, to create change we have to act, but it starts with us, first. Then we can create a global movement - if only one person at a time.
I am completely humbled by this. If I didn't think your blog was so raw, honest, brilliant, and funny I wouldn't share it. You've done all the hard work!
http://twitter.com/ginidietrich
that mother theresa quote is a favorite of mine. i found you on twitter, so perhaps you are a twitter superstar :-)
ReplyDeleteyour honesty is a breath of fresh air!
You are very, very good at the pay it forward, my friend :)
ReplyDeleteYou are the nicest guy I never met. I'm thankful for Twitter. And you. ~@ronnerock
ReplyDelete