I have had writer’s block for the past few days trying to write this post. I had so many ideas, but as I began to write them, none, and I mean none (I wrote like 3 different posts y’all) resonated with me. After looking at them, I didn’t feel connected to what I was writing. With the first couple of posts I wrote, it was feeling way too advice-y and that’s not how I wanted this to start. So finally, here I am, writing this piece: from social media to social impact.

Over the past couple of months, I have noticed an almost 180 degree change in my approach to certain things. What once seemed so important, no longer gives me the gratification it once did. My focus has shifted from self-elevation to how I can use what I have to help others. Let’s be real, a lot of times when it comes to helping others, we tend to think of how that helps us and our ego…or was that just me? Yikes…

My mom spent the last quarter of her life devoted to helping others while also spreading the Gospel. This yearning for others to know Jesus as she knew Him prompted her to start a women’s ministry focused on helping women from all walks of life: single, married, divorce, with kids, barren, etc., with the love of God being at the center of all her advice. After she passed, I saw the IMMENSE impact she made in that short amount of time. When we leave this earth, people don’t talk about how much we had or possessed. But instead, the focus is on our character and what we did for others. Her actions have inspired me to be more intentional about what I post and share with you all. She had her platform and now I have mine.

If you’ve followed my Instagram page for some time now, you may have noticed a shift in the way I present my pictures. Not just aesthetically, but in the captions. With a lot of my posts now, I try to write something that is more than just a “hey look at me and my stuff”. While initially (and still even so) it was a way for me to release some of these emotions I had, I realized that these captions resonated with people. Sure, nice pictures are pleasing to the eye. But a nice picture only goes so far. I was tired of posting similar content with similar captions. Really. It was doing absolutely nothing for me. And it was starting to make me feel extremely discontent. 

Which brings me to my point of turning social media into social impact. I’ve mentioned countless times that social media is a beast. There have been times that I literally exit out of Instagram feeling empty. So I’ve been on this social media purge, unfollowing the unnecessary and filling my timeline with things that are actually impactful. Pages that push me to do more for others, focused on self-love, and social justice. I want my page to be of substance because there is too much inauthenticity going around these days. I think of young celebrities such as Yara Shahidi and Zendaya who use their platform and following to speak on issues affecting the world. To me, a following doesn’t mean squat if all I’m doing is talking about my clothes, and my shoes, and my outings, etc.

“I always used to say that I wanted to “inspire people with my brand”. But now, I’ve transitioned into wanting to leave an impact on whoever comes across it”

And that sentiment, to me, has gotten lost in the sauce these days. People have taken the term inspiration and have turned into a “I show my things, in turn, people become inspired by those things”. They have become complacent in being silent in order to not scare off their “followers”. And guess what? I’m tired of that. I refuse to sit back and watch as people’s lives are literally discarded because of the lack of empathy in this world. Social media to some people is just a platform, but it can be a powerful tool used to help and impact people on a large scale. And I am ready to take that on.

Until next time…

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

All Photography by @TheDreamingRebelle