I don’t run a business. I am not a social media consultant. My day job has nothing to do with Twitter. Nor am I a very social person.
So, why then am I on Twitter?
Reason #1 : EXPLORATION : It all started with the thought that triggers any journey – to do something new, to add to my experiences and charter a bit of the unknown. There is a veritable trove of treasures in Twitter – so many things to discover and so many people from different parts of the world to meet. Every day, I am amazed with the possibilities uncovered for me.
“Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be…Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you’ll live as you’ve never lived before.” ~ Erich Fromm
Reason #2 : PASSIONS : Our Passions are the winds that drive our ships forward in the journey – what is your passion ? Whatever it may be – Twitter can enrich you. Reading and leadership development are two of mine and Twitter fans the flames every day. I have found so many fellow readers that I can share and discuss books with, get the best book recommendations through #Fridayreads and connect with some of my favorite authors. You can get to meet the best thought leaders in the industry through Twitter too – participate in leadership discussions, links to the best blogs(I love Achieved Strategies Blog by Shawn Murphy and the Catalyst blog by Ted Coine – they have now joined hands at Switch and Shift). Access to wisdom that fuels your passion – all in 140 chars.
Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night. ~Terri Guillemets
Reason #3 : INSPIRATION : Twitter is a living source of wisdom, inspiration and motivation. There are many amazing people, quotes that touch you and thoughts that make you reflect. Just tap on to this huge energy and truly see your life and perspectives change. Through the #JustForToday initiative (started by Gary Loper), I have realized that a few words can give a zap to the day much better than caffeine – so much potential for eureka moments.
I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognizably wiser than oneself. ~ Marlene Dietrich
Reason #4 : LEARNING : There is a world of possibilities out there to enrich yourself-perspectives, blogs and commentaries. So much intelligence and so many mentors to choose from – all the people who you would have loved to meet in your real life, you can through Twitter. Create lists and just latch on to the learning channels.
“That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.” ~Doris Lessing
Reason #5 : ENGAGEMENT : The conversations that you can have in Twitter through CHATS and replies are incredibly stimulating – exercise your brain cells everyday – and the people you meet can take you to places in your mind that you never dreamed of going. #kaizenblog (now #KaizenBiz), #cxo, #spiritchat are a few that I attend regularly to learn, engage and grow.
“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” –Jimmy Carter
See what I mean ?
P.S : This is my first Blog post and being the emotional person that I am, I can’t end it without thanking Judy Gombita, Gary Loper, Andrew (Red Type) and Vicki Flaugher. They are my Twitter Fairies – If ever you need a warm helping hand to pull you towards your dreams, just tweet these wonderful people.
If you have just got started on Twitter or are looking to power up your Twitter experience, visit Redge’s post (@Versalytics) for some awesome Twitter resources.
Could not agree with you more as to the uses of twitter.They are all so true. Have enjoyed tweeting with you at #spiritchat and enjoyed your thoughts here as well.
Many thanks,
Simon
Thanks, Simon – Twitter has truly expanded my horizons. The side(or main) benefit is that I get to interact with the best like you.
Suchitra
How fantastic that you’ve stepped up to share your voice. You obviously have a knack for meaningful insights, as evident in this post and in our conversations, too. I’m eager to read more of your thoughts. Please keep it up.
Shawn
Love the quote from Jimmy Carter!
I will bookmark this post and share it when I am told ~ twitter is superficial ~ there is not rhyme or reason to twitter~ it’s waste of time ~ you can’t possibly have an engaging conversation in 140 characters, and so on and on!
Congratulations on your first post, may it be only the first of very many.
CASUDI
Well said. I’ve been on Twitter a couple years, blogged for a few more, and lived online more than a decade. Your observations are spot-on and I appreciate the reminders from a fresh perspective.
@Casudi sent me. 🙂
Suchitra,
If your first post is any indication, you are destined for higher things ~ what a beautiful piece of writing. And one can tell that it comes straight from your heart!
Yes, I am fairly new to twitter too (really been active for maybe ~ oh, let me think ~ six months?) and it is a terrific learning journey if one stays patient and has an interest in learning. The serendipities are endless, and the joy of connecting, being stretched in ways you didn’t know exist, is heart-warming.
Be well, keep writing, and keep tweeting 🙂
Kumud
I am so delighted that you hit the publish button on this one – congratulations! The post is well-written and I am sure only a hint of what is to grow and evolve from your Spirit and wisdom. Thank you for mentioning me as a helper- I’ve never been called a Twitter fairy – I think I like the sound of it! Great job and I am so proud of you – congrats again!
Vicki @Smartwoman Flaugher
I believe Kumud says it the best! Beautiful! And i also believe you are destined for higher things! PLEASE keep sharing the gift of words is a gift indeed! For us ALL! Much LOVE! Zanne!
Suchitra, A pure and delightful message. Twitter has been a source for healing and growing for so many of us and I am delighted to share the Twitterverse with you and honored to be one of your Fairies and grateful to learn from you as you discover you way to becoming even better.
Great firts post, Suchitra! I think you nailed all the reasons most of us are here. Most of us have noit come to sell or start a business. Most of us have come to explore, learn and engage. I am a relative newbie as well. I have met some awesome, talented and truly inspiring people, including you.
Keep up the great work.
See you in chat.
Martina
Suchritra,
This is your first post?! Wonderful writing!
I’m delighted you are learning from #kaizenblog. If the chat does nothing else but make you stop and think, “I hadn’t looked at it that way before”, it has done its job.
Twitter is an amazing tool! At the surface, it seems like it couldn’t be such a powerful platform for people to truly connect both their minds and hearts but it does….repeatedly. It’s given me new friends, mentors, opportunities to network with colleagues and professionals around the world, invitations to blog on other sites, challenges to deepen my own skills and…yes, job leads.
Thanks for capturing what is beautiful and useful about Twitter!
And I echo your sentiments about your Twitter fairies. It’s wonderful to have such gifted cheerleaders encouraging your gifts!
Hello Shawn,
I have been a fan of your blog since some time as you touch upon leaderships priorities that are close to your heart and explain them with a simple and practical approach. That is what I aim for in my writing eventually. Praise from you is an honour. Thanks for dropping by and sharing my blog on Twitter.
Regards,
Suchitra
Hello Jennifer,
Thanks for dropping by, visited your blog too and really liked your posts, particularly http://mom-amo.com/tightrope-tuesday-take-some-time-for-deep-breathing/ (Its Tuesday and I will try this out today :))
Here is another Jimmy carter quote that I love :
“Failure is a reality; we all fail at times, and it’s painful when we do. But it’s better to fail while striving for something wonderful, challenging, adventurous, and uncertain than to say, ” I don’t want to try because I may not succeed completely.”
Regards,
Suchitra
Hello Caroline,
I am so thrilled with your feedback, encouragement and motivation – puts a huge responsibility on me to write regularly and write well. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity to an “unknown newbie”.
This is exactly why I love Twitter so much – interacting and watching people like you has really lifted me to a much higher level of growth. Twitter is definitely neither superficial nor shallow. Much like everything else in life, you get what you give, here too.
Regards,
Suchitra
Congrats. Inspiring post. Wishing you well!
Hello Brian,
Thank you so much for stopping bye (and thanks, @Casudi :)). So glad that you liked the points made in my post. Just “discovered” you because of your comment here and have now spent a half hour going through all the posts on your very interesting blog – so much to learn and imbibe.
Thanks again,
Suchitra
I was so thrilled to read your inaugural post, enchanting Suchitra. As I told you, offline, I wanted the opportunity to read and reread and savour your offering for awhile, before commenting here. Especially as I know a fair bit of excited/nervous blood, sweat and tears (and likely laughter with your blogger mentor) went into the effort (and probably hours and hours of creative thinking and work)—you deserve more than a “Great first post! And thanks so much for the mention…” placeholder comment.
I am going to comment in a somewhat random order, because my impressions and thoughts keep flitting and landing here and there. Starting with your wonderful Twitter Fairies compliment to Gary, Andrew, Vicki and me. (Side comment: I heart the way Gary and Andrew delighted in the moniker, too…)
Why am I starting here at what is the end of your post? Not because you kindly mentioned me, but more because you captured an image of the way I’ve related to your participation in Twitter chats. For example, sometimes I can “feel” your presence in a chat, like you are hovering above and actively listening and musing…then you light down and deliver a fairy knockout punch to conventional chat wisdom with an astute business observation or bit of global-local context that shimmers and colours the discussion, sometimes taking it on a new flight path entirely (with several admiring thinkers humming together with you). Or you light down and help me out, nailing the “risk mitigation” term that was alluding me…or generously RT’ing something I contributed, but FIRST correcting my typo resulting from too-fast editing to fit 140-characters. 🙂
Anyhow, I really don’t mean this to be a self-serving comment, except to say that whatever you feel you’ve gained from me, I say you’ve equally given back in the relatively short time we’ve related to and with one another. Do you know Anne of Green Gables and its heroine’s “kindred spirits” compliment? I hereby declare us “kindred Twitter fairies.”
Exploration, passions, inspiration, learning and engagement are really worthy goals for personal growth. I am curious to know how much of this was deliberately known when you first became active in Twitter and how much was the result of pondering what you’ve gained, either as a time-commitment assessment or when formulating this post. For example, if you attend a PD or networking event, are these similar things you aspire to gain…or does this total package only apply to online endeavours, because technology makes this package-of-goals so much easier, particularly across geographical challenges?
Similarly, I’d be interested to know if inspirational quotes are a regular part of your life. For example, do you have one of those day calendars that incorporate a quote with each day? Do you regularly peruse books of quotations? (I tend to consult them when writing speeches or developing speaking notes.) And just so you know, you received a virtual smiling-nod of approval from me, by including at least two quotes from women (I don’t know Terri Guillemets, so wasn’t sure if that’s a woman or a man; given the French surname, I suspect a male). As I’ve pointed out on several occasions, “women hold up half of the sky” (Confucius), but that isn’t always evident in social media. As a result, I am so glad YOU are participating in Twitter chats and now blogging, to help correct current imbalances. Your voice is needed and treasured.
One small request: now that you’ve detailed your goals and some influences, in future posts, I really hope we get to hear more about what makes you tick, professionally and personally. That would be some worthy fairy dust to harvest.
So *that’s* who you are! I thought the name sounded familiar!
Glad I could be of help. My blog is a reflection of my refusal to follow other peoples’ road maps to “success” in the social media blogo-sphere. Following the leader is a great way to curse yourself with a pie-slicer’s mindset. I prefer to bake my own pies.
With 7Bn people on the planet, we don’t need to serve them all. I like to think in terms of how I can be successful by helping the one-in-a-million-types (of which there are now 7,000) become successful by helping others still achieve success.
Cheers.
Thanks, Suchitra. I am glad you like Mom-amo!
Jimmy Carter is such a well-spoken man with some great insight into human nature. And he is such a great inspiration to those of us who are looking for ways to make a difference in the world.
Thank You! I love to read and will check all your recommendations.
Hello Kumud,
Trust you to put it so beautifully : “The serendipities are endless, and the joy of connecting, being stretched in ways you didn’t know exist, is heart-warming.”
This captures the crux of my experience with twitter.
I can’t agree with you being a newbie though. Because only an old soul can start an initiative as beautiful as #spiritchat , My Sunday evenings have changed completely since I start attending your chat forum – the perfect way to rejuvenate and get energized for the week ahead.
Thanks for you encouragement,
Suchitra
Hello Vicki,
Your encouraging mail and practical guidance gave me the confidence to publish – I never would have otherwise. I thank my lucky stars that Judy (@jgombita) connected me to you.
Very thankful to you for your support and your inspiration (through your posts at http://blog.commpro.biz/socialmediazone).
Regards,
Suchitra
P.S : Next post on its way to you 🙂
Hello Zanne,
Thanks for dropping by and for your kind words. Met you through twitter and am awed by your generosity and kindness. You are doing such good work through twitter.
Love,
Suchitra
Thank you, Martina. The opportunity to meet and learn from people like you is the best gift that Twitter has given me. The nuggets of wisdom that you provide are real gold that I could never have received otherwise.
Love,
Suchitra
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of Five Paths to Personal Growth through Twitter Happy in the now… . Thanks for the post. I will certainly comeback.
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I really enjoyed reading your post. You’ve captured the essence of my twitter experience as well. I signed up for Twitter and didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. A few months after joining, I decided to become a student of twitter to learn more.
I’m glad I did and I’m glad to have found many new friends (like you) from around the world. I’ve learned so much from so many people through a number of chats (#SpiritChat, #KaizenBlog (now #KaizenBiz), #SoulCall, and #LeadFromWithin) and tweets in general.
An amazing world we live in. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to reading more of your posts (and tweets).
Hello Redge,
Serendipity strikes again through Twitter – I learnt of your website and post through a tweet from someone we both follow (can’t recall the name now). Visited the site and was zapped by the thorough research and generous sharing of your experience. There is just no limit to the endless possibilities of learning and growth through Twitter.
Thanks for dropping by and the support,
Suchitra
Great read! Thank you.
Great web-site you have in this article, i do concur on some factors though, but noot all.
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