Are you making an impact?
Maybe it’s the new year, but I’ve been thinking about the impact of the things I’m doing. Mostly I just roll along (pun intended), but occasionally it’s good to stop and ask if what I do makes any difference.
It seems that so much of the culture is about appearances, what happens on the surface. Online that means more Twitter followers and Facebook friends, more web site visits and blog subscriptions—so much of our effort goes toward bigger networks. I’m “connected” in some way to a lot of people.
Readers is one of my keywords for 2011. Broadly stated, the goal is to connect with people in more helpful ways. But it’s awfully easy to mislead myself, to pretend that bigger numbers means I’m making progress.
I’m grateful for the growing list of subscribers. I like knowing that more of you are here, but I hope it’s more than that. I hope this circle is about more than just surface interactions.
This weekend our pastor talked about being together, about listening and really hearing on a deeper level. It’s part of our design, and it doesn’t happen in big groups.
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20
I want my connections to have roots. How does that happen online? It happens when we let people know they’re being heard, when we connect to one person at a time.
When I read my Facebook and Twitter feeds I try to leave evidence. I want people to know their thoughts matter to me. I try to make a few comments and click the “like” buttons when something’s funny or poignant or insightful. I retweet and share stuff I think will be interesting or useful to others.
I always appreciate it when you take a moment to click “like,” make a comment, retweet, or share something you like with your own network. Of course the extra exposure helps, but it’s really a way to say, “I hear what you’re saying and it touched me in some way.”
These online tools give us the chance to let people know we’re here, that they’re heard, that their thoughts and ideas make a difference. They don’t replace face-to-face interactions, they supplement them.
Your feedback touches me. It helps me know that what I’m doing has roots, that it’s not just on the surface, that I’m making some sort of impact. Thanks.
How can you use your online connections to make deeper connections?
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