Facebook is the fast-food restaurant of social interaction. Quick, cheap & convenient. Have a busy day and only have a minute to catch up with someone? Write on their wall. Don't have money to go to lunch or out for drinks, send a private PM with a hello. Need to RSVP to their party, wedding (gasp, please don't ever do this.) or other social event, hey why not, Facebook is right here, the mailbox is waaaaay over there. Click. Send. Etiquette out the door. Now. I'm not dissing social media as a whole. I LOVE being able to catch up with family that lives in an entirely different time zone than me. Reconnect with family I haven't seen since I was in Pre-K, or get to see updated photos of all my loved ones. It's great for business marketing and meeting new people. But what happened to connecting with our tribe, our community, the men and women in our lives who we should nurture and be nurtured by? What happened to girls night and game nights and coffee chats that ran deep. What happened to doing everything together, or the bliss of doing nothing at all as long as it was with your girls. Calling just to say hi. Writing a letter to let them get something fun in the mail other than bills (I totally still do this, and am a firm believer I'm one of the last ones out there who adore stationary and the hand-written word.) Now, I know technology isn't 100% to blame. As we age we get married, we have kids, we pour into our careers. Some of us go back to school or we get ill. But it seems to me, we find time to do so many other things, what's a coffee to catch up and let your best girls in your life know that you love them? That you still care to be connected? I am also saying I'm not to blame. We ALL get busy, we ALL let life take over. And we all use social media as a way to feel connected. But if that's true, if we are so "connected" - then why is it that I have over 2,000 "friends" between social media accounts and there are days I feel like there's no one I could call. So I pose a challenge. To you, to me. To my friends and to yours. For the next four weeks I will be doing a Social Challenge. Not a Social Media Challenge. A Social Challenge. Go at your own pace, start when you like, but try to get to all four of these tasks. I promise more fulfilled relationships and more connectivity to what really matters. Will you join me? Nurture Your Relationships: Social ChallengeWeek One: Plan one outting this week with a friend. Whether its meeting for coffee on a work lunch break, seeing a late movie or even running and errand together - make time for at least one hour this week.
Week Two: Aim for two friend outings this week - or one outing and one phone call with two separate friends. Week Three: Write a letter to a friend, at least one full page long and mail it in a cute envelope to cheer her up. Week Four: Plan an event - dinner party, a night out for a drink, group pedi's, a poker night, anything - and send out an invite (social media ok for this) to get everyone together. The point is to not just think or plan but to put it into action so you can start making more memories. Sounds simple - but I know with our group, weeks can go by before we realize we've got so caught up in our "busy". Let me see how the challenge is going for you! I will be doing the same! Snap photos of you and your besties together, snap photos of your event planning or of your cute stationary/envelopes and put them on Instagram using the hashtag #NNSocialChallenge. Let's bring back REAL connection. One moment at a time.
50 Comments
Mandi
7/21/2015 06:20:54 am
Kalee,
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Stopping by from Peony Project. I love your blog design! Very posh. :) I would love if you would share your healthy recipes sometime on #FoodandFitnessFriday! That's a link party I do on my site every Friday that features other bloggers' healthy food and fitness-related posts. Nice to "meet" you!
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:22:58 am
Hello Fellow Peony! :D Thanks for the compliments & I love the word posh, haha. And I saw your message on FB so I will be sharing this week! Thanks for stopping by!
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7/17/2015 07:11:02 am
Hi Mandi - We are on the same page this week! I baked my Grandmother's heirloom Lemon Cake with Orange Cream frosting this week to get us all together - around the table - no TV - no Radio - trying to recapture being unplugged like I was as a kid spending my summers in Norway, Maine. I enjoyed reading this, you could not be more right! So happy I found your blog! With a smile from OffTheSidewalk in Tampa Florida, Carlyn :-)
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:21:39 am
Carlyn,
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This is fantastic! It's a little difficult for me to partake in right now because I am on the opposite side of the country from my friends for the summer but it also pushes me to go out and become friends with some of my coworkers! Grabbing a beer with one tonight and am going to try to meet another for coffee on Sunday. I should definitely try to give some friends on the other coast a call though, or at least plan a meet-up for the end of August when I'm back near them! Thanks for the post!
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:28:36 am
Liz,
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7/17/2015 10:17:59 am
I love this!! I have to admit I am the first to send a text! But I really need to pick up the phone more often. Great reminders. Thank you!
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:29:10 am
Katie,
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:31:43 am
Danielle,
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7/17/2015 06:47:45 pm
I love the idea of the social challenge. Too often, I find that weeks or even months have gone by since I've seen a friend. It's human nature, but it's sad that we all get so caught up in the "busy" of the world and let our friendships fall by the wayside.
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:33:39 am
I know! Time goes by so quickly - that's why I'm implementing weekoly challenges to myself to keep me accountable and not let too much time go by
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:39:56 am
Agreed! Thanks for stopping by
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:31:12 am
Cindy,
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7/18/2015 09:41:37 pm
Great ideas! We all stay so busy in our life's, withe our families we don't have time for old friends. Just yesterday I set up a date to get together with an old friend.
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:32:42 am
Linda,
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:30:17 am
Hayli,
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:40:25 am
Lindsay!
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:24:20 am
Jaime,
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:22:08 am
Emma,
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7/19/2015 12:27:02 pm
Yes x 1000! This is my favorite part: "What happened to girls night and game nights and coffee chats that ran deep. What happened to doing everything together, or the bliss of doing nothing at all as long as it was with your girls." I miss having my girls around to just do everything and nothing together!
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:41:29 am
Brittany,
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7/20/2015 06:53:23 am
I love the heart behind this! Facebook can be a great way to connect and catch up with people but can easily become shallow and superficial. Thanks for these challenges to reach out to make real, genuine relationships!
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:43:38 am
Lauren,
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7/20/2015 11:10:16 am
Love this! Definitely going to challenge myself to do this!
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:44:18 am
Adriana,
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:42:42 am
Carsyn,
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:48:43 am
Sue,
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7/20/2015 11:55:41 pm
I love this post. I feel like I could have written it myself. I love this idea so i'm definitely in :) Thank You for sharing.
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:23:38 am
Leslie,
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Mandi
7/21/2015 06:39:32 am
Ashley,
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7/21/2015 08:33:31 am
Love this challenge! What a great idea on pouring love into our "real life" relationships.
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Mandi
8/10/2015 08:48:32 am
It's so good for the soul.I've stuck to it, and have had coffee dates with all my local girlfriends and have caught up once a week with my out of state friends and I feel so much more balanced.
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7/21/2015 01:22:57 pm
Love these ideas! It brightens my day to receive a handwritten note in the mail.
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Mandi
8/10/2015 08:50:47 am
I know, I love happy mail <3 I've stuck with the coffee dates and phone calls, I have yet to mail out a letter this month so its my next goal!
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Mandi
8/10/2015 08:50:03 am
Cori, Exactly. I know I was partly to blame, so I went out on a limb and just started making plans and calling all my girlfriends. Once we've reconnected we can see who took different paths and are in different seasons and who we can still connect deeply with. It's been a great challenge!
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7/22/2015 05:27:16 am
This is SUCH a beautiful idea and will be good for the soul!
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Mandi
8/10/2015 08:48:55 am
Shannon, thanks for stopping by! It has been! :)
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