Social Break Series Day Twenty-Three : The LEARN Tool

​If I attempt to continue this social break through the end of Lent for a total of 40 or so days, I am somewhere near the mid way point today at day twenty-three. I realize there may be value in reflecting on what I’ve LEARNed so far. And while I’m at it, you’ll learn a valuable tool to use to help summarize group meetings. Stick around! 

Social Break Mid Point Learnings

L :: What have I learned? 

I have learned that being away from social media can be a challenge since so many people use it to coordinate events, business, and networking. Although I don’t see myself ever being able to step away completely, this break has helped me to have perspective on how to use social media on my terms instead of allowing it to run me. 

E :: What has me feeling excited about this break? 

I am really appreciating the extra head space that I am experiencing. It seems that a steady diet of social media causes me to “absorb” and carry lots of unnecessary life dynamics. I recently heard someone refer to it as junk food for the mind. Having a healthy distance helps me to better focus on my life’s priorities instead of mindlessly scrolling social and passively making choices that are not my top priorities. 

A :: What has me feeling anxious or another negative emotion? 

The only thing that has me feeling anxious is lack of clarity around how exactly I will use social in the future. This lack of clarity is two-fold.

For starters, I now have increased awareness of cyber-security risks and want to make some changes to better protect my online presence —this has me feeling anxious because it feels like such a BIG project. 

Secondly, I lack clarity about how to effectively use social to connect with friends and family and promote my business initiatives without going overboard. Is a healthy social media balance sustainable? How will I know if I’m over-indulging? 

R :: What rewards am I looking forward to? 

This social break has allowed me sufficient head space to really begin to tap into some ideas I haven’t made progress on in a while. This progress is exciting to me because I feel like I am closer than I’ve ever been to a defined system that I can get into and just rinse and repeat. More specifically, I am getting my website rebranded, identifying sales funnels and helpful content to better serve my ideal clients. I am looking forward to the rewards that inevitably come when your marketing is as clear as your goals. 

N :: What are the next steps?

I am learning that consistency is the secret ingredient that can make up for a lot of shortcomings so my next steps are to focus on consistently taking the right actions. I feel there’s been a lot of chaos recently as I've figured life and business things out and now that chaos is subsiding and paths are emerging, I want to stay on them — crawl, walk, run. 

How to apply the LEARN tool to your life and business. 

I know you are a clever bunch so you likely noticed the letters and words that I highlighted in my text above. You probably also noticed that the letters form the acronym LEARN. 

L = learn
E = excite
A = anxious
R = rewards 
N = next

This is a helpful tool to use at the end of a group meeting that you are leading (or participating in) to check for comprehension and reality gaps. 

It can also be used the way I used it today, as self reflection.

In larger group meetings you might invite a handful of participants to answer only 1 of the letters instead of having the whole group individually respond to each, as that could take too long. Use your own classroom management skills and leadership style to decide the best way to use this tool and go use it! 

Write me back and let me know how it works! I really do want to hear from you if you use this tool, let me know your thoughts!