Creating Instragrammable Moments In Your Heart

Laura Gulbranson
Sep 2, 2018 · 3 min read
“woman standing at the beach during day” by Veronika Nedelcu on Unsplash

Are you living in the moment? Or living for that Instagrammable moment? Yes. They are two different things.

“What would life be like?” I asked my students. “…without any form of social media…”

“Boring,” one of them replied.

“I wouldn’t care as long as I still had Fortnite,” another said.

“It would be harder to communicate with others. We would have to actually be in-person to talk.”

“Life would be better without distractions,” rang the multitude of students of my classroom.

Just like my students, we can agree as a whole that social media has its pros and cons. We constantly search for the next Snapchat story, witty one-liner for Facebook, hashtag-worthy tweets, and of course — that Instagrammable photo to capture the moment of our latest accomplishment or travel destination.

For this article, I’ll just focus on Instagram here.

To say the very least, I get easily distracted when I fall off my routine chair.

I’m still working on my ritualistic system to sort and prioritize amidst the “noise” of social media. But for now, getting sucked into the world of other people’s lives is the struggle.

I get a quick, fleeting dose of joy admiring awe-inspiring travel Instagram photos.

Watching DIY videos on how to turn your phone case into a secret food storage compartment is strangely addicting.

During stressful times, I can spend an impressive amount of time checking out the latest cute animal videos. It’s my drug…

Point being: Instagram can be the means to share your own story — your brand — as it can also be the bane to live out other people’s lives and waste time. A trap either way.

Is It Really Worth It?

This article is not to point fingers on your reasons for scrolling or posting on Instagram. But even so, we should bring up the question:

Was it worth it?

Did that post — that story — add worth to your life?

If you answered “yes” to that question, that’s how you know you’re doing it wrong.

A photo… a story… shouldn’t be what gives your life value.

More rather, your life should add value to the stories and photos you share with others.

So what are our motives for posting?

Are we simply sharing our story to build our personal brand?

We’re just naturally philanthropic and want to help others?

Is it for popularity? Attention? Instant gratification?

Whatever our reasons, we should take a moment to figure out what exactly we want to get out of it all in the end.

In the end, let’s hope we remember:

Live Life Through A Heart Filter

Forget living life through an Instagram filter. Start living your story through the lens of your heart.

Instagram will get old one day, worn, and some other social media outlet will replace it.

You can’t replace your heart.

Live life knowing that the most extraordinary stories are not told: they are lived.

So what are the stories you want snapped into your heart?

The truth is, most people are not choosing to be the author of their life. Rather, life is just happening to them. Their daily choices — both consciously and unconsciously, have them acting as a mere character in a story with no idea as to how it will unfold. — Reece Robertson

As Reece Robertson puts it, don’t simply be a pawn in your story. Create your story — strategically planned and chiseled out. You can still live a spontaneous life filled with adventure while taking action to secure your success. It’s the process, not the end-goal.

Call to Action:

So what does it mean when something is Instagram-worthy? What truly is “instagrammable”? I would love to hear in the comments.

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With love. ❤

The Ascent

A community of storytellers documenting the journey to happiness & fulfillment.

Laura Gulbranson

Written by

I love, therefore I write.

The Ascent

A community of storytellers documenting the journey to happiness & fulfillment.

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