Of Oak Trees and Social Media—a reflection

March 31, 2009. That’s the day I opened my Linked In account. At that time, I was about three months into my first draft of The Yes! In Success. I am guessing that I thought it was a good idea to start playing with a friendly social media platform, so I could hit the deck running with promotion for this book.

I had prepared the soil for my first social media seed. Ta-da! But did I plant anything? No. Thirteen years on Linked In with no posts or activity. Zippo.

I have always believed that there are very real and valid reasons for procrastination. (See my blog post Procrastination and the Art of Inner Feng Shui.) Once we uncover those reasons, and once we clear up any logistical, emotional or mental blocks, it’s easy to move forward.

I tend to balk, avoiding a specific action, until my reason for doing that thing becomes crystal clear. With this shift in perspective, I can easily move forward again.

In college, I refused to do any of the assignments for freshman English. Why? Because I was required to write about topics I couldn’t relate to. Not a good use of my time from my point of view. The consequence? A summer course with a wonderful professor who allowed me to choose my own topics—to write about things I was passionate about. From an F to an A+ in just 6 weeks. And a life-long love of writing to boot.

My avoidance of social media limited my business in real ways, yet the shift in perspective was just not happening. Until this week.

I had an opening. As often happens with me, nature is my teacher. I was thinking about trees. Oak trees. They are incredible networkers. They communicate through mycorrhizal fungus networks. A single mycorrhizal fungal filament can be hundreds and even thousands of times the length of one tree root. They have mutually beneficial “joint venture partnerships” with a whole host of woodland species—flora and fauna.

This network, their social media network, provides information about available resources, potential threats and more. This is how these forest communities survive and thrive.

Oak trees have a brilliant arrangement with the animal kingdom for shipping their tasty acorns. A flotilla of enthusiastic rodents and birds—both consumers and delivery couriers—carry an oak tree’s acorns far and wide. Everyone in this joint venture benefits!

So, here’s the thought that turned my whole attitude about social media around. “If a tree can do it—communicate through a vast network and thrive as a result—I can too!” I may be starting out with just one acorn and a tiny mycorrhizal network, but as George Eliot reminds us, “It is never too late to be the person you might have been.” And with this Linked In post, my first acorn is planted.

Celebrating your connections !

Eliza

Creatives’ Coach Eliza Bergeson is the author of The Yes! in Success: How To Be The Star You Are And Live The Life You Love.

She works her magic with creative individuals—entrepreneurs, speakers, writers, visual and performing artists; people who are ready to transform bright vision into gratifying outcomes in their businesses and their lives. If that sounds like you, visit her site, www.elizabergeson.com, for more FREE success-building resources.

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