Whatever it really is, this invisible enemy is nothing if not a strong force. It’s a brick wall thrown up in the journey of your success. It can be terrifying, demoralizing, crushing, like the impact of hitting a wall at 70 miles per hour.

So, what can you do when you’re immobilized by the Resistance?

Here are my seven tricks:

1. Name your enemy.
It may be writer’s block, or fear, or a messy space, or lack of tools and resources. Whatever your resistance is, name it. So you can face it head on. Otherwise, you’re fighting blind against an invisible enemy. Why bother even getting into that fight? (That’s exactly what the resistance wants you to keep thinking, by the way. That it’s easier to avoid the fight.) When you name your enemy, you throw a spotlight on it, revealing it, leveling the playing field.

Here’s my enemy: For the first time since I can remember, I don’t have a goal.

2. Be brutally honest about the battle (with a stranger).
Now that you’ve named your enemy, you’re going to have to tell people. This may be easy, but probably, it will be harder than you think. So start by telling a stranger, because it doesn’t matter what they think about you, and just telling somebody is a liberating step.

Here’s what I did: I read a post that really inspired me, so I threw caution to the wind and shared my struggle with the Big Scary Enemy, warts and all, with a pretty influential author I’ve never engaged with at all. A smart, savvy, interesting stranger. I poured my heart out. The honesty and courage it took to do that loosened something inside of me. It was a middle finger to the resistance, a rebellion to the Lizard Brain mindset. And now, here I am, writing this post, emboldened and encouraged and ready for battle.

And there’s the resistance, over there, scared and huddling in the corner. Afraid of what I might do next.

3. Listen to your own ideas.
You’ve probably noticed that it’s sort of noisy out there these days. There are so many people to listen to. So many places to engage. So many posts to read. And stories and tips and ideas and memes.

Can you really still hear yourself inside all this noise? When is the last time you sat down, in a place completely unplugged, away from the input, in the uncomfortable silence, and just listened to yourself and your ideas?

If you’re anything like me, this exercise is terrifying. After a few moments of wandering, meandering thoughts, when I really start to listen, suddenly, I’m overwhelmed by ideas. One after another after another. There would never be enough time, ever, to accomplish them all. It’s just easier to turn on the mute button, because listening to them all is so hard. Hard, because listening to your ideas forces you to face the reality of all the ideas that have never become anything more. So we ignore our own ideas, content to only tune into the echo chamber and bounce around what’s been tested and tried, because it feels infinitely safer.

This is where the Resistances loves to keep you. Because the longer you sit, ignoring your ideas, the easier it is to tame you. Keep you quiet. Keep you still. The longer you give in to the Resistance, the harder it is to hear yourself and the further you stay from risk and movement and growth. Ignore your ideas long enough, and you just might stop hearing them all together.

Ironic as it is, this is what gives me hope. Because when I stop to listen, the ideas are still there. They still scare me. Which is how I know the Resistance hasn’t taken over yet.

4. Pick the thing that scares you, and do that.
Be ready. Things might start to get a little risky here. Don’t worry, that’s a good sign. Lean into the risk, and face the monster head on. What scares you the most? Don’t lose sight of this thing, because it’s probably also right in front of the biggest reward.

Right now, at this moment, what scares me the most is writing this post. Well, not just writing it. Doing it. Because unless I hit “publish” and unleash this idea into the big, scary wild, I’m just polishing. And, as Seth Godin reminds us in Poke the Box, polishing is an effort with diminishing returns. So right now, what scares me is to ship. So that is exactly why I’m publishing this post.

5. Radically shake up your routine to dedicate time and resources each day focused on conquering the enemy.
The resistance is tough. It’s relentless. Just because you’ve named it and outed it and faced it head on doesn’t mean it will give up. Ever. So now what you need is a plan to help you keep moving and pushing and doing. Because all those verbs are the opposite of the resistance. And like most verbs, they occupy time.

This is not an easy step, because it’s where your fight against the enemy leaves the realm of your mind and takes physical form in your life. You have to rearrange things, like sleeping patterns, or dinner plans. You have to get buy-in, from a spouse, or a friend, or your workplace. You have to invest yourself, your time, your focus, your energy, your money. But your campaign against the resistance won’t take real form until you bring it out into the world and make room for it in your life. So it’s not optional. This step is mandatory.

This step is where I usually lose my fight with the resistance. Most of us have lost battles here. That’s why it’s such important territory to be won.

6. Expand your potential by enforcing boundaries.
Counter intuitive? When we think of boundaries, we tend to envision being boxed in. But when you’re seeking risk and leaning into what scares you, boundaries actually help you lean out further into the unknown than you ever would without them. Imagine standing atop a skyscraper with no rails. If you’re like me, you’d stand pretty close to the center, and even the most daring might just venture a few feet from the edge. Put me on another skyscraper, one with rails, and my toes will get much closer to the edge, and the adventurous would lean right over it.

Don’t be fooled. The resistance wants you. It won’t give up just because you’ve changed your plan or decided to focus on something. It’s smart, and savvy, and it’s been at this a whole lot longer than you. It may use your good intentions and plans and persistence as a tool to take you down somewhere else. So protect your art, your mind, your dream, your family, your job by using boundaries as a tool to create the life you want to live.

Protect your time and all the areas of your life with just as much passion as you are using to fight the Resistance. Otherwise, you’re not really engaged in a battle for self improvement or enlightenment or art. You’re just being obsessed.

7. Choose a partner in crime for your battle against the Resistance.
The longer you go without a partner or mentor or peer or guide, the easier it is to listen to the Resistance, to give in to its lies. The Resistance will tell you it’s better to be alone. That you can do it yourself. Because if the Resistance is the only friend you have, there’s no one speaking into you, exposing its lies.

Every time I’ve successfully tackled the Resistance, what’s carried me through the tough and trying days when listening to the Lizard Brain felt easier than getting up and fighting has been the company of good people. Yoga class, weight watchers, blogging, grad school - I’d have given up on fitness, diet, and education if I hadn’t had the commitment in my corner, people cheering me on.

Go Ahead, Start a Fight

Here’s what I needed someone to remind me of, so I’m telling you, too, just in case you need to hear it: You have the courage to name your enemy, to step up to the fight against the Resistance, to look it square in the eyes and say “I’m not gonna just sit here and take this any more.”

It turns out, battling the Resistance is actually less painful than the reality of staying still, being battered by the motion of a world moving past you.

What’s your resistance?

If you enjoyed this post, please leave me a comment, share it on Twitter, or send me an e-mail at tiffanymonhollon at gmail.com. I’d love to continue the conversation with you!

Image Source: Flickr Creative Commons, Courtesy tao_zhyn

Scott’s challenge? To work one screen open at a time, wholly focused on just the task at hand.

A noble goal, to be sure. But for today’s professional, do we even know how to work without multitasking?

An interesting debate, especially since research continues to show some interesting things about the realities of multitasking:

What do you think?

• Are we too addicted to multitasking?
• Does it make you more productive, or less?
• Is it good for some tasks but not larger projects?
• Does it depend on the field or job description?

It’s been 1001 days since we made it official. So today, in honor of our 1001th day together, it being Valentine’s week and all, I wanted to share my thoughts about our relationship.

For the record, I resisted you as long as I possibly could. All my friends were telling me how great you were. My husband even tried to win me over to your ways. But I didn’t see your charm at first. I saw your goofy, different exterior and agreed with the critics: You were a Site About Nothing. And I had better things to do with my time.

But ever since May 22, 2008, I realized the folly of my ways.

Things were rocky at first, Twitter. I didn’t care to post the minutiae of my life willy nilly. I thought at first I’d wax poetic and use your unusual format to turn my thoughts into 140-character nuggets of wisdom. Or insight. Or inspiration.

It didn’t last.

But soon, I began to realize your power was more than simply to broadcast breakfast plans into the dark, big void of the Internet. I started really connecting with you. And connecting to other people. And connecting my content to new audiences. And connecting my ideas to new conversations.

The flexibility and freedom were delicious. There was the constant ability to connect without the responsibility of anything expected in return. I could abandon you for a few days, and you’d still be there when I returned. I didn’t have to overthink things. I didn’t have to agonize over what I’d say. You were just there, always ready to listen. Always asking “What’s Happening?”

It was refreshing.

I brought our romance into the office. In one rogue moment, our relationship went from personal to professional. No meetings. Nothing formal or official. Just you and me and an email address, and: Boom! Things were suddenly on a whole new level. You became a part of my work. I started digging deeper into the personal / professional divide. And the rewards were sweet: I tried things. I learned. I explored. You opened new doors and opportunities.

You were also an incredible risk.

After a while, people at the office started to notice. At first, I was worried about what this would mean. But then, there you were, saving the day: front-and-center, headline news, a hero. I didn’t need to worry. My instinct proved right. You were a bet that paid off. Everyone was talking about you. Nobody could get enough. Business execs. New anchors. Celebrities.

It was a whole new world again.

And, despite the odds, over time, you’ve continued to evolve, add value, and make your mark on the world. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot through you. I’ve met some incredible people, and I’ve grown as a strategist, as a thinker, and as a professional.

You’re by no means my everything. But you’re an important part of my world, my work, and how I express myself online. Understanding you has enriched my life and my career.

So thank you, Twitter. And thanks to all the individuals who actually make Twitter such a meaningful experience.

It’s been a great 1001 days! Here’s to 1001 more.

Love,

Tiffany

Are you a Twitter lover or a hater? If you enjoyed this post, share the love on Twitter, and leave me a comment sharing your experiences using Twitter - for personal, professional, and everything in between!

Image Source: Flickr, “Tweedle-E-Dee,” Courtesy Nathan Jongewaard

1) Take the survey.

If you work as a journalist or reporter or as a public relations or communications practitioner, please consider becoming a part of the research sample by taking the survey below. The survey is completely anonymous, and there are separate survey links for journalists and public relations practitioners. The surveys are identical other than that the questions are respective to each field so the data can be compared accurately (i.e. one refers to journalists, the other to public relations practitioners). Other than these terms being different, the surveys are the same.

Survey Link For Journalists: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/surveyjourn
Survey Link For PR Practitioners: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/surveypr

2) Spread the word.

Please help me spread the word about this study – regardless if whether or not you can participate in it! Feel free to e-mail, blog, tweet, or share the link to this post on Facebook, especially if there are public relations or journalism professionals in your network who may find this study to be of interest.

Time is of the essence, so I want to thank each and every person who helps me generate a great turnout for this study in advance!

Let’s put the power of social media to work!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at tiffanymonhollon at gmail dot com or fill out the contact form on the about page of this site.

So I’ll start with telling you about the opportunity first. I’m joining the marketing team at ReachLocal out of their Dallas office to help launch a new product. It hasn’t launched yet, so I’m not sure what all I can tell you at this point, but it’s a fantastic technology, and I’m so excited to join the team of phenomenal professionals there and roll up my sleeves to tell you all more about it!

The transition to Dallas is both exciting and overwhelming. Packing, house stuff, farewells, time with family and friends – the last three weeks since have been an absolute blur. I’ve got my first set of bags packed and a bunch of audiobooks ready to keep me company on my weekly commute, and we’re blessed to have great friends who are helping us transition to the area over the next few weeks.

But it’s exciting, and relocating is a great learning process. So, if you’re considering relocating for a job, here’s the advice I have so far:

1) Consider family first.
I guess this may seem a bit counter-intuitive when you’re thinking about relocating for a job, but the job itself is second to the support of your partner and immediate family when you’re thinking of moving to another city. My husband works from home, so relocation was an option for us since just one of us had to find a job. My husband is completely on board with the transition, and our families, though sad we’ll be a little farther away, are excited about the opportunity as well. So, lesson one is to talk to your family about the decision, and make sure you have their support with whatever decision you make.

2) Consider how interesting the work is.
When you’re relocating for a job, it can be tricky determining exactly how to put the decision into words, especially in our situation, since it’s not 100% typical to uproot for the wife’s job. But more on that in a bit.

For me, I have been craving to be more closely involved in what’s next. I’m terribly fascinated with where media and communications are – and where they’re going – and my mind starts churning when I think about all there is still to learn, teach, and apply. I knew from the middle of the interview to all the moments after it I spent thinking, dreaming, planning after I heard about the opportunity that it was the perfect fit. I can’t imagine going through the craziness of the relocation process for any job less than that. So, make sure you are relocating for interesting work.

3) Keep the social graph in mind.
So, with family on board, passion for the work, and a job offer – I faced resigning my job – a job that’s grown significantly throughout the last five years with a team of professionals and friends I admire – and explaining to my dear friends our decision and timeline for the move – all as tactfully and thoughtfully as possible.

Suddenly, Facebook and Twitter become my worst nightmare. See, there are just some people that I don’t want to find out about this colossal move from a Facebook status update or wayward Tweet by a friend already in the know. I quickly set up as many coffee dates as I could in the few hours I had to spare, and I waited for my boss to announce my resignation to the team so I could begin the transition process, but time was not my friend.

Here I am, three weeks later and only hours away from packing up my car and driving off into the sunset until next weekend, and I’m finally at a point where I can write a post about it. Maybe that’s what I should have done to begin with, and there are certainly people who are those who will hear the news first right here, but that’s one of those things I’m learning and adjusting to as I go along.

And that’s probably the fourth lesson of this process. That no matter what you think you know when you make a decision like this, there is always a lot to learn. I’m sure it’s not over yet!

So I’ll keep learning, and sharing, and growing through this adventure.

Next up: A few friends and I are on the panel picker to speak at SXSW next March about women as leaders in the workplace. What we do right, what we do wrong, and all the honest stuff in between. Voting opens tomorrow, so please vote for us and spread the word! I’ll be posting more directly about that next week, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I’ll be starting my first day on the job bright and early tomorrow morning! Here we go!

But with technology becoming such an important part of many live learning experiences, it can be hard to find the right mix between learning, meeting people, and keeping your eye on the virtual buzz.

I’ve developed a few tactics to help balance the pressures of digital with the opportunities of in-person using some great tools - some you’ve probably heard of, and others that may have slipped past your radar.

1) Getting up to speed: Laptop
I’m sure some will disagree with this approach, but I am armed and ready with my MacBook at every conference I attend these days. Sure, you can keep up on a smartphone and watch the Twitter hashtag for great conference nuggets, but that’s what everyone else is doing! And you can reap major networking rewards by being able to keep the pace with note taking as fast as your fingers will type as long as you’ve got the right tools. Not only do you retain more valuable nuggets and have the ability to capture your own action items on ideas you’re hearing, chances are, people will notice your diligence. Network payoff? People (you know, the ones with the iPhones?) will ask you to e-mail notes from a particular session, a great lead-in to future networking opportunities. A great way to get through the gatekeeper at a future date, i.e., “I noticed you attended xyz conference I also went to, and thought you might enjoy my executive summary of this session.”

2) Getting Plugged In
Want to be the center of attention at a tech or media-related conference? Be the buddy with a power strip. At last year’s Blog World conference, the seats went fast near any attendee who pulled out a power strip that could plug into the awkwardly placed outlets and offer much-needed power connection. Lots of thankful business cards were exchanged, and I’ll wager a few true friendships formed over power strips (Shoutout toMrs. Natalie, one of many great folks I met over the mutual need to sit next to the power-strip-enabled!)

3) Master the Hashtag: TweetGrid, TweetDeck, etc.
If there’s not a Twitter hashtag for the conference, be the hero who coins it! Share the hashtag with conference leaders (who for non-tech conferences may be completely unaware) and see if they’ll announce it formally.

With larger conferences were attendee size keeps you from really having time to absorb the constant flow of Tweets, it’s hard to keep pace, and you can lose the real live learning experience by getting too caught up in the Twitter universe. Sound familiar? My solution is to use Tweet Grid, a web-based tool, and set up a Twitter Party so that I can in one screen follow the hashtag, the key conference organizers and official Twitter handle, as well as see any replies to my tweets.

You can use another tool like Tweetdeck for similar functionality. I really enjoy being able to split my screen between the Twitter Party and my conference notes so I can copy great quotes and Tweets straight from either source.

4) Maximize the Hashtag: What the Hashtag
Want to take things to the next level? Use a site called What the Hashtag to get some really wonderful tools you can use for a variety of functions. This site aggregates all the conversation around hashtags, which is another fun way to follow who’s saying what. But, it also has some fantastic added tools you can use to discover influencers, archive the conversation, and more.

First, search the site to see if your conference hashtag already has a profile on the site.

If it doesn’t, you’ll want to create one, another great resource to share with conference organizers and attendees. It will create an easy-to-share URL for people, for example, http://wthashtag.com/getsocial, the page I made for a recent conference I had the pleasure to attend. This page will show recent tweets, top users tweeting that hashtag, and more goodies, like the ability to sign in to download a transcript of the conversation for a specific date.

5) Become the Connector: Transcript Plus TweepML

So, here’s where we get into the really fun part, where the combination of all these tools can really come together to help you not just follow the conversation, but to easily and powerfully get the most out of the mega virtual networking opportunity, too.

From the What the Hashtag page for the conference hashtag, click on the tab “View Transcript.” Then, you’ll be taken to a separate webpage where all the comments are displayed, along with the name of all Twitter users who shared on that hashtag. Here’s where the real magic begins, because now you have a web page with users you can refer to.

Now, you can use a site called TweepML to automatically create a list of Twitter users who are all listed on that one URL. Simply log into TweepML and double check to see if there’s already a list on the hashtag.

If there’s not, create one. Then, it’s a simple process to set up your list, starting with copying and pasting the URL from your What the Hashtag page into the top box labelled “Find users on this link (optional).” Then, hit “Find” and it will automatically generate a list of Twitter users from your hashtag. You can repeat this action with other web pages that list conference attendees’s Twitter handles, such as a page with the Twitter handle of each speaker, or a user’s Twitter list of notable conference attendees. Get creative, and add as many people to your list from the conference as possible.

Name your list with the conference hashtag if it’s available, and if not, cultivate the list so you can name it accordingly. For example, at last year’s Blog World, instead of creating a master list of users, I created a list of top people I met personally at the conference so it was more personalized to my experience.

Then, create a compelling description and use keywords so that your list is easily findable in the TweepML search. Finally, hit “Generate TweepML,” and your list will be created.

The great thing about this TweepML list is that allows you to select which users from the list you’d like to follow. Then, you can authorize the site to connect with your Twitter account and automatically follow each user from the list you select to add with the click of a button.

Now, kick the master networking into gear by sharing this TweepML list with other conference attendees so they can expand their network as well. Not only is this helpful tool a popular thing for conference attendees to share, it’s also a great way to cultivate your reputation as a connector.

Bonus: Measure Your Connection Quotent
Sounds like a lot of work, right? This can be done easily within the course of one conference. In fact, I recently put this entire process into place at the half day GetSocial unconference here in Oklahoma City that was hosted by OKC blogger palJessica Miller-Merrill. Not only did it help me personally gain a great amount of insight and networking, it also generated 4,435 follows on Twitter. That’s right. I can see the result of all that effort in the fact that over 4,000 digital connections were made. Talk about fulfilling!

So, there you have it. An inside scoop on some of my favorite tactics for connecting at conferences. What are your favorite tools, tips, or secrets for getting the most out of attending live learning? Share them in the comments section!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d love it if you’d share it in your favorite social network or leave me a comment! Happy connecting!

Over the years, I’ve practiced my headline writing skills both on this blog and in my day job, where I’m communications and social media manager leading a team of bloggers to develop content within two well-defined niches on a regular basis. When you write about the same general topics year in and year out, developing new, creative ideas can be a challenge. So, every week, I hold a brainstorming meeting where we develop ideas, play, and find inventive, fun ways to write headlines and e-mail subject lines that move people to action.

Recently, we launched a collaborative blog for business leaders called Refresh Leadership. It offers practical business advice for everyone from developing to mature business leaders. In the months since its launch, we’ve had more than 70,000 hits and have even seen some posts get picked up by Smart Brief. We’ve also posted a few articles that had great content but less-than-perfect headlines.

One thing I’ve learned is that sometimes, all that’s keeping your post from getting traction is simple word choice. So, here’s a list of headline power-words that you can use to strengthen your headlines. Try them on your next post!

For Mystery
1. Sly
2. Top Secret
3. Underground
4. Private
5. Classified
6. Confidential

For Energy
7. Surprising
8. Unexpected
9. Astonishing
10. Stunning
11. Shocking
12. Staggering
13. Wonderful
14. Startling
15. Savvy
16. Amazing

For Controversy
17. Lies
18. Worst
19. Mystery
20. Quit
21. Nightmare
22. Forget
23. Bad
24. Confusing
25. Scary
26. Never

For Lists and Guides
27. Top 10
28. Best
29. Perfect
30. Secret
31. Free
32. Only
33. Complete
34. Absolute
35. Total
36. Exact
37. Ultimate

For Interest
38. Challenging
39. Mistakes
40. New
41. Old
42. Ideal
43. Important
44. Just right
45. Flawless
46. Faultless
47. Textbook

For Fun
48. Epic
49. Unreal
50. Wild
52. Bloopers
53. Oops!
54. Blockbuster
55. Crazy
56. Legit
57. Extreme

What are your go-to headline words? How do you develop titles, subheads, bullet points, and e-mail subject lines that move people to action? Share your comments with us and let us know your creative ideas.

Your Turn! (Plus a Headline Makeover)
Dare to try your hand at writing a headline using this list of power words? If so, share it with us in the comments section. And, if you’d like me to makeover a headline you’ve written, simply post it in the comments section and give me a head’s up. I’ll share my thoughts and a few other options you could go with. What are you waiting for?

Today’s follower bug on Twitter has stirred up questions again about the value of perceived personal and organizational social capital of social media sites that make front and central the numbers of followers of each user.

In case you missed it, for a little while today, the Entire Twitter Universe was rocked by a code error that caused all follower/following counts to display as zero.

It was so utterly epic, a friend actually called to tell me about it.

Sigh.

Because here’s the funny thing about today’s bug. It didn’t actually break Twitter. Other than a brief security hole that allowed people to engineer followers (which, in the process of fixing, Twitter created the short-lived zeroed error), the Twitter experience remained relatively normal.

My feed remained the same. I logged in and saw the same content. I had the same ability to share anything with everyone who’s chosen to follow me. All said and done, Twitter was still Twitter, and the utility of the site – the content, the feed, the links, the relationships – were all intact.

What was missing today was the numbers.

Yet, people were freaking out. At the least, commentary on “where my followers went” was ironically flying around (amongst networks of followers still networking). More extreme commentary used terms like “doomsday,” “epic,” and “failure.” And whether that was tongue in cheek or not, the very need for tongue in cheek commentary on the micro-event illustrates the actual panic many users experienced. I’ll be honest and confess that for a few moments I wracked my brain to recall the last time I’d imported important new contacts into FriendFeed for backup.

As a student of social capital, I understand why it’s important to measure value, especially in terms of networks and relationships. Because if this event taught us anything, it’s that people put a lot of stock in those numbers. So the questions brought up by today’s user experience aren’t about whether numbers matter or not.

What I’m questioning is whether numbers are really a great metric for determining value.

What’s in a Number?

In grad school, we learn that it’s relatively easy to create numbers. Ask a question. Get a certain number of results. Great. Numbers.

But numbers, in research, do not necessarily meaning make. Even the most robustly responded to study, if constructed ineffectively, still won’t communicate truth.

Because what really creates good meaning is asking good questions.

The Questions

So, here are some of the questions I think we should be asking about social media.

• Why do I connect with people on social media? What are my criteria and motivations?
• Regardless of what the pundits and experts say, how do I interpret numbers in social media - numbers about others, and about myself
• Do those interpretations correlate, or do I hold myself in different esteem than others?
• What’s in it for me? Are my actions consistent with what I want out of this investment of my time?
• What’s in it for them? Are my actions consistent with what my network and potential contacts want out of their investment of time and attention?
• If sites like Twitter and Facebook permanently removed the numbers, would I still find them valuable enough to invest so much of my time and attention?

So, about that “Real Value?”

Great question. I’m still pondering that one myself. But perhaps part of the problem is over-thinking the answer.

Because today also brought with it a unexpected event of larger proportion, completely overshadowing this interesting little question of social psychology and my planned commentary for the evening.

On my commute home, tornado sirens broke out all over my local metro, and the overpowering rain, wind, and uncertainty threw me into a panic. It was the first time I’d been driving – or anywhere other than a designated safe zone – in the midst of the truly epic event of an Oklahoma tornado nearby. And the storm was headed straight for a portion of my route home.

Value, in that moment, for me was the ability to call my husband for news and get real-time information about the storm from caring group of citizens on Twitter via #okstorms. Value was knowing to pull over my car and seek shelter even when it looked like the coast was clear to avoid a rain-wrapped twister a few miles away. Value was the thankfulness and relief I felt when I knew thanks to Facebook updates and texts that my family and friends were okay.

Because all social media ideals aside, real, actual value, when it really matters, is in the relationships and ideas that sustain us.

A couch to crash, a conversation to join, a word of well-wishes when it matters, is incredibly, unshakably powerful.

No matter what bugs hit Twitter.

That’s my answer.

What’s yours?

Interested in more conversations like this? Subscribe to Personal PR to get free updates, or connect with me on Twitter.

When I looked up to survey my handiwork, I experienced how wonderful a little white space (or taupe, in this case) can be in a room. Carefully, I replaced a few items, leaving a pile of less-worthy pieces to be dealt with by garage sale. The effect was a relaxing, accomplished feeling.

You see, there’s something powerful about the art of editing. Not just in writing, but in life.  Your resume’s too full? Edit. Your career lacks focus? Edit. Your routine’s too chaotic? Edit.

The First Draft

But here’s the thing. about editing.

First, to edit, you have to have something to work with. In fact, writing experts say that your first draft should be a closed-door process, a go-with-your-gut idea dump. Because there’s a time for creating phrases you can’t bear to part with and a time for throwing caution to the wind. And there’s a certain flow, a rhythm you can find, when you follow the cadence of your thoughts or dreams to their natural or wildly unpredictable conclusion.

Without a first draft you don’t have much to work with, and expecting the first thing you try to be exactly what you want to accomplish is a recipe for disappointment, if not disaster.

The pressure to perform perfectly the first go-around creates a paralysis of progress, where you get so stuck inside your own head, you lose track of the idea you had to begin with, and along with it, the confidence to act.

Life is full of this. Grappling for direction, after all, comes in stages.

The Power of Editing

Great editors bring order to chaos. They aren’t afraid of the dirty work. They’re rigorous, relentless, and focused. They illuminate meaning, discarding the rubbish and fluff.

“To be, or not to be, or to think about being?” Just doesn’t have the same ring, does it?

But here’s the thing about editing: it requires certain sacrifice, a discipline not many of us are naturally drawn to. And, perhaps the most difficult task, even for the most accomplished editor, is editing yourself.

Sure, there are tricks: Take your first draft, and cut at least 20%.

But even that doesn’t always go as planned.

The key is to avoid just deleting haphazardly under the guise of simplification. Taking whole days out of your planner at random or trashing an entire chapter on a whim doesn’t add order, it creates more chaos.

Likewise, editing isn’t a skill of pure subtraction. Great editing may also involve restructuring, revising, reinterpreting, or even adding the proper phrase to bring more meaning into the piece.

A Work in Progress

Too often, we fail to realize that our lives are open for editing as we go. Sure, you’ve only got one life, but why assume you have to have everything exactly right the first time?

What it, instead, we embraced the simple, powerful opportunity of good, thoughtful editing?

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This year, we have already seen the incredible support for relief in Haiti following January’s catastrophic earthquake, with some celebrities donating as much as $1 million to aid in disaster relief.

But social responsibility is also an important part of the lives of individuals like you and me who may contribute by volunteering for local organizations or by financial support – though probably a little less than the million-dollar philanthropic donations that make headlines all by themselves.

When it comes to social responsibility, authenticity is important for corporate and celebrity brands alike. After all, giving back is a great way to demonstrate the heart of a brand. And those like Pepsi or Target are even going so far as to crowdsource philanthropy dollars – ostensibly to reinforce the idea that they care about what their customers care about.

But when it comes to personal brands, the idea of authenticity in social responsibility is even more important. After all, character is what you do when no one’s looking.

So what does that say about doing the right thing, and then asking people to look?

At first glance, the answer may seem obvious. But in today’s hyper-localized, super-personalized media environment, it’s not as cut-and-dried as you might think. In some ways, the lines are blurred a bit.

After all, your favorite charity likely to have its own Facebook page or Twitter account. And an increasingly critical way of giving back is simply to help scale and support that organization’s efforts through your own networks.

So, if you want to share some of the soul of your personal brand online, give of your money as you see fit, but skip the toot-your-own-horn approach. Instead, help build the brand of an organization you care about. Help them raise funds or recruit more volunteers. Become an official volunteer, board member, or group supporter. Help them gain awareness – online and off.

But most importantly, make social responsibility personal first. Give in ways that are meaningful to you.

Because giving not only reflects the soul, it refreshes it.

Your Turn: What do you think about supporting charitable organizations as a ‘personal brand’? Does it make your support inauthentic if you share it in a public way? Do you follow or support charities online? Do you think it makes a difference? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section!