Our culture is ever changing, always evolving… As we navigate the world of social media and try to conquer this thing called connectivity we must accept that it’s not going anywhere.   As many negative and unhealthy parts of it that we have discovered along the way, we can’t ignore the positive effects as well.  If a platform is used for a positive purpose it can bring prosperity and promise to light.  I believe there is a new movement happening.  An awakening that’s taking shape of how we can come together and teach the next generation the lessons we’ve learned.  I believe we can model and teach online behavior that is helpful not hurtful.  I believe we can plant the seeds of our story and create purpose in our platforms.  

Platforms are being used in creative new ways everyday for good.  We have the opportunity to teach young people why a healthy social media matters in this age and for their future. I feel we actually have the duty to show them what a meaningful one looks like and how it can be used. I’ve always been a believer that if we don’t teach them, someone else will.  I know there are two extremes in our culture right now… One wants to avoid introducing media to the young, and one allows excessive access.  I believe we should meet somewhere in the middle.  As with anything in the world, moderation is key, and I believe parents should be responsible for guiding and training their children in this.  As with any child rearing if we give our time, attention, and effort to an area the chances for success are far greater!

I had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day that reminded me of how much a meaningful platform will matter for our next generation… She had applied for a job and the application requested her social media accounts… WOW!  We’ve always known that employers keep an eye on employees social stats, but now they are using them to hire!!! I love it, and think it makes perfect sense.  If I we’re an employer I would want to select an employee that I knew was a good fit with my company.  I would want to make sure their interests and passions aligned with my company’s core values and that they were behaving with integrity and contributing their strengths to society.  I would want to see that they had a good sense of who they were and that they were sharing that with others.  I would love to have the opportunity to select someone that already displayed the kind of team behaviors I’d hope to hire on my team.  This is a great example of how a platform can be used for purpose by highlighting a persons passions and sharing a bit of their personality and life performance.  It will likely be the tool our children will use as they grow into their careers.

These are the kinds of concepts that young people haven’t quite grasped yet or been taught to understand.  In fact, many parents are still trying to comprehend and determine how they feel about the way platforms are being used.   I believe if we can help ourselves and our children discover and develop our strengths and interests and how to represent this on our platforms then we can rest easier knowing we encouraged our best versions of ourselves while creating a presence that pushes us to lead the lives we long for.  You and your story have value and are worth living for the most as well as sharing it with others.

I was forced to start considering these concepts as we started telling our own story online.  We planted the seeds of our story literally when we started our family flower farm and began sharing our journey with the world.  We also began thinking about how this impacted our children and how we could teach them through the process.  It became something I am very passionate about pioneering.  I believe its a practical way to train our children.  I think they learn best alongside us.  Rather than spending our time consuming empty things on media lets create purpose, passion, and influence.  Let’s grow in something we love and develop ourselves and our young people to prosper!

Here are ten reasons to start a platform with purpose and plant the seeds of your story…

1. A platform can allow space for creativity and growth in your passions
2. A platform can be a journal/scrapbook of your life
3. A platform can help you gain experience and learn new things
4. A platform can develop strong character traits like leadership, responsibility, accountability, confidence, and humility
5. A platform can give meaning to social media and allow you to connect with like minded people who show support and share ideas
6. A platform can help you be a part of influencing others for good in contributing to society
7.  A platform can produce work and opportunity in your scope of interest
8. A platform can promote creation and consumption of useful resources
9. A platform can allow you to collaborate with partners in your field on fun, informative, and fulfilling projects
10. A platform can be profitable 

What are your thoughts on platforms and how they are used today?  I’d love to hear!!  Have you had any good or bad experiences?