You are one of a kind -now prove it

A lot of our time is spent trying to fit in. Social Psychology refers to this process with terms such as conformity, belonging and identity. We need to adapt to evolving situations, changing group dynamics and major shifts in societal beliefs and values.

Social media platforms were created with the hope of connecting people. In my opinion, they have both achieved and failed in attaining their goal: they have succeeded at connecting billions of people around the globe but the majority of those connections are superficial, meaningless and sometimes detrimental.

There seems to be an exorbitant amount of time being spent cultivating the online version of ourselves and this virtual persona seems to be driving many of our time commitments. It is easy and common today for individuals of all ages to devote more time to online communications (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, hangouts, messaging, and email) than they do to in-person conversations and real-life interactions.

Few people stand out online because the environment is saturated by the number of individuals present on each platform and the sheer volume of information that is accessible to us each and every day.

My favourite statistics to highlight this shift are:

From 2013-2015 more data was produced than in the entire history of the human race.

By 2020, 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every second.

There are currently a combined 10.4 billion active users of various social media sites: Facebook (2 billion), YouTube (1.5 billion), WhatsApp (1.3 billion), Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion), WeChat (963 million), QQ (850 million), Instagram (700 million), Q Zone (606 million), Sina Weibo (361 million), Twitter (325 million), LinkedIn (106 million), Snapchat (255 million), Pinterest (200 million).

There are 7.6 billion people in the world!

A recent study of teens by Common Sense Media discovered that “they spend about 9 hours daily using media for their enjoyment. That's more time than teens typically spend sleeping, and more time than they spend with their parents and teachers and that does not include time spent using media for school. Tweens, children 8 to 12, spend an average of 6 hours consuming media.”

Receiving a cell phone used to be a right of passage for high school but now I am being told that kids in grade 4 are getting smart phones which means that they are being subjected to this form of online communication from an earlier age and therefore are at risk of not developing some of the key facets of human interaction and skills related to appropriate interpersonal communication. 

We all need to disconnect at times, so we can be with our inner self. We need to find time for our favourite activities. If you love to write, read, create art, sing, act, play an instrument or play sports then focus your attention on what makes you happy. As adults this can be easier because we have a better sense of ourselves; however, this can be a struggle for teenagers who are in the midst of developing their identity, creating their sense of belonging and better understanding social dynamics. In many ways, a teenager’s online presence is easier to manage and requires less of a social risk. This dangerously blurs the lines between reality and virtual reality.

Too many people hide in the shadows of doubt and too many talented artists, athletes and intellectuals do not dedicate themselves to what they are naturally gifted to excel in. Too many people are distracted and attentive to the generic, the mainstream and the popular when they should be reflecting and planning their unique contributions.

One of the wonderful aspects of getting older is further defining who you are, discovering your passions, deciding what impact you want to have on others and planning your personal and professional goals. This process of discovering who you are and what you are meant to do is truly remarkable and the results can be both exhilarating and terrifying.

Why would anyone want to be average, disappear into a faceless crowd and go through life not making a difference? Our time on this planet should be spent setting the course for a bright future.

I firmly believe that everyone has something special and unique that they can offer. It may be through the work that they do, their community engagements, their hobbies, their family or friends or a special loved one.

Everyone has a gift and everyone is a gift.

What is yours and are you committed to developing it to help others? If your life has taken you far away from what you are truly meant to be doing, is there a way for you to shift priorities and make decisions that will make you happier, healthier, more focused and more satisfied.

You don’t have to be loud to stand out.

You don’t have to speak to be noticed.

You do have to uncover your true value to humanity, commit yourself to achieving your potential and focus your time and energy on standing out to benefit others.

The world is waiting for you.