I’d been searching for words to describe an observation & certain frustrations I’d been feeling recently & went to the web for inspiration. Usually when I do that, something will grab me…exactly what I’ve been feeling, & I’ll share my own take. This time, in searching, this actual quote came up from MLK.
Not surprising this came from him – he has so many incredible words that are just galvanizing. But, the part that was surprising was that I’d never seen it before!
And so why does it hit home so strongly? Some bkgrnd: My good friend launched a biz not long ago – the basis of which is – deep convo starters that make one (or many) think, way beyond the surface level of “what’s your fave color.” There are scenarios brought up, specific situations proposed.
I’d noticed she’d been getting a ton of traction on SM recently & asked her what it was attributed to. She shared some of what she’d been trying & had been working to engage more ppl from other pages. Now here’s the kicker: what I noticed was – the questions, the engagement, was all abt the “me,” not the “we.”
That’s not a knock on my friend. She’s an incredible soul w a tremendous gift. What I’m sharing is – what ENGAGES the most ppl & how THEY answered/commented related to them, INDIVIDUALLY.
So I tried some of the tactics she employed (on other pages). The diff was – I forced the convo to be abt the “collective” instead of the individual. How’d it perform in terms of engagement? Minuscule results.
It’s why I love THIS community we’ve built here. Those of you who have/continue to engage, it’s not abt you/your “challenges,” ALONE. It’s abt helping OTHERS bc OF the challenges you’ve faced.
Compare that to what we saw during MI Awareness Wk. Orgs w tons of engagement arnd “OCD Day”…””Depression Day.” That engagement, sadly, confirms this observation: when the focus is on ME & what I have, specifically, engagement soars. But who collectively are we NOT talking to…not bringing in to help? This focus on the individual happens in MH. It happens in politics…& so many areas where we’re separated. Using your stories to impact the “broader concerns of humanity” is where IT is at!
