September 9, 2024 • 33 mins
Join Kristi and author Sheri Fink for a fun and inspiring discussion about how to find more joy, peace, and bliss in a social media world. If you're ready to reclaim your peace online, this episode is for you. Sheri is an inspirational speaker, #1 best-selling author, and president of Whimsical World, an empowering brand with a mission to inspire, delight, and educate children (and adults!) of all ages while planting seeds of self-esteem. Sheri has written 17 award-winning books with another on the way. Tune in for some great tips and small new habits that can have a big positive impact.
Follow Sheri Fink online:
https://whimsicalworldbooks.com/
Facebook @SheriFinkFan
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Threads @Sheri_Fink
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Follow Sheri Fink online:
https://whimsicalworldbooks.com/
Facebook @SheriFinkFan
Instagram @Sheri_Fink
Threads @Sheri_Fink
LinkedIn @SheriFink
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Joyschool podcast. Real talk about what it
takes to create your happiest, healthiest and most dynamic life.
And now here's your host, transformational life coach, happiness strategist
and best selling author, Kristy ling Spencer.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the Joyschool Podcast.
I'm Christy ling Spencer. So glad you're here with me
again this week, and I am very excited for today's
show because you know when you've been connected with people
online for a long time and then you finally get
to connect in real life. Today, my friend Sherry Fink
(00:40):
is going to be on the show, and we are
going to be talking about finding your bliss and reducing
anxiety and creating joy in a world flooded with social
media and negative news. And I feel like this is
an especially poignant topic this year, and she's going to
share some of her best tips. Sherry is a number
(01:01):
one best selling author, president of Whimsical World, and empowering
brand with a mission to inspire, delight, and educate children
of all ages as well as adults and while planting
the seeds of self esteem. She loves to write, and
she's written seventeen award winning books so far if you
(01:22):
can Believe It and lives in southern California and her
book insta Grateful Finding your bliss in a social media
world is what inspired today's topic. And so we are
going to be welcoming Cherry to the show in just
a minute. But when the interview is done, be sure
to stay on because I'm going to share today's Joyschool
(01:43):
have it with you as well. So thank you so
much for tuning in and hanging out with me once again.
So excited for this and let's jump in.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Welcome to the Joyschool podcast, Sherry Think, Thank you for
being here.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Thank you. I'm so excited.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's so great to find the connect, you know, when
you get to connect with people that you've.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Known on social for quite a while, and it's just
such a fun thing to find the connect in real life.
I'm so glad you're here, you too, I can't wait.
And this is going to be such an awesome conversation today.
I am so excited for this topic because I feel
like it is so timely with being in an election year,
all the toxic and negative stuff flying around on social media,
(02:30):
all the toxic and negative stuff in the news. It's
coming at us from every direction, yet we have some
power over it. So your book insta Grateful, and I
want to make sure I get the sub headline right
here there is. It's gorgeous cover too. Finding your bliss
in a social media world really caught my attention for
this topic because I thought we could have such a
(02:51):
great conversation today to share with people on how they
can use social media to lift up their life instead
of bring them down. Curate their feeds so that it's
full of joyful things or things that touch your passions
and things that lift you up. And also set some
boundaries and you know, boundaries around our screen time and
(03:12):
our social so that we can really use this to.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
Our advantage instead of letting it drain us. Right.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
So I would love to hear what inspired you to
write this book, and then I would love to dive
into some of your favorite tips and thoughts about these topics.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Love it, love it, love it well. I was inspired
to write Instagrateful at a time when people were really
coming down hard on social media and we're saying that
it was causing a lot of mental distress, and obviously
it does. Absolutely You're not complete victims, right like we
don't have to use it, and we don't have to
use it the way everybody else does. And I just
(03:46):
kind of got tired of the I don't know, the
victim mentality, and I was kind of like, well, I
was really slow to get on the social media train.
I was late to the party. Was But when I
did get on there and when I finally started being
you know, open yet selective about the way that I
(04:07):
shared myself and the way that I connected with people,
it was amazing. I found so much value in it,
Like I'm able to connect with people from all around
the world that I would have no access to otherwise.
People sometimes will come to festivals and they'll meet me,
like as a writer, and they'll cry and they're like,
I don't know why I'm crying. I just feel like
I know you. And I'm like, well, how do you
(04:27):
know me? And they're like, oh, I follow you on
Facebook and I'm like, well, then you kind of do
know me, actually, you know, because I try with my life.
But yeah, different folks don't know how to use it
in a way that's productive as a tool. They get
sucked into the negativity and the drama, and it's easy
to do I will be honest, like I'd fallen.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It is easy to do, and it takes skills. It
takes practice and skills to not get sucked into the
toxic side and to actually curate your feeds and choose
what you're seeing according to what aligns with your life
you want to have right.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Percent. That's why I wrote the book, and I focus
on five different piece passion, power, peace, prosperity, and panache.
And I feel like social media is a tool where
we can amplify all of those great things in our lives.
And if we're doing that fully, then you're having more
fun and it's a fulfilling experience and it doesn't have
(05:22):
to be the drudgery and the drama that we sometimes
associate with social media.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
That is so absolutely true, And you know, I think
all of us can relate to reaching a point with
some of the social media platforms like this isn't fun anymore.
You know that feeling when what you've curated in your
feed starts to fall away and it starts to get
filled with stuff you don't want to see and you're
tired and you don't really have the energy to go
in and redo it again. Sometimes there is a good
(05:50):
time to take a step back and catch your breath right,
and then go in and recurate your feed again. You
just have to unfollow what isn't serving you or what's
bringing you down, or if it's your friends on Facebook,
you can click that like hide for thirty days.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
This yeah like crazy lately.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
I love that button especially.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
But curating your social media so that it serves you
in a way, so that your feed is filled with
things that you love and people that you love, right
is really the key to using it for our advantage.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
So I would love to hear maybe a couple of
your tips for that.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Sure, well, I think a big part of what you're
shown on social media is generated by what you actually
create and share. So for me, I like to look
at my accounts like it's my own personal online magazine.
You know. I want to showcase my friends doing cool things.
I want to show my dog looking silly doing something.
(06:47):
I want to like, show off my baby and her
cute little outfit. I want to share all the things
that matter to me and every now and then mentioned
you know, hey, I'm doing this cool book event or
whatever too. You're invited, But I really want to focus
on the good, And it doesn't mean that you ignore
the bad, right, because you can s that you're having
a difficult time and people give you support and that's wonderful,
(07:09):
but you want to take it the whole message. I
think we're all very complex beings and we have very
full lives that we have. Any given day, you can
look at the highlights or the low lights, and then
you can choose what to share. And if you're sharing
the highlights, the algorithms will pick that up and they're
more likely to show you things that are in the
same vein as the beacon of light that you're showcasing
(07:33):
on your feets. It doesn't mean that you'll never see
any weirdness, but at least it'll be more tailored to
what kind of weirdness you like.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Exactly our own kind of weirdness, right, because we all
have it. But love that that's also kind of like
a metaphor that your social media feeds will in a
way reflect the energy and the light that you're putting out, right,
And that's.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
A metaphor for life.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Life reflects back to you the energy and the light
that you put out. And so I love that you
kind of say that about social media because it is
very true, and I think it's what you're engaging with,
it's what you're posting, it's what you're clicking on, So
be careful not to get sucked into clicking on the
toxic or negative things, because then that'll start to fill
up your feed again.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Right, Yes, it's the algorithm.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
So if you're clicking on if you love fashion and
you're clicking on fashion things, you're going to see more fashion.
If you love inspirational quotes and you're clicking on those,
you're going to see more quotes. But if you get
tempted to click on some of the negative stuff, it's
going to start feeling up your feed.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Right. So true, And you know, I have this huge
realization about a month ago. I had someone I loved
very much at my home and she's not on social media.
She's never had a social media account. But during the
election year, she's reading a lot of the news. And
that's you know, that's cool if she wants to stay informed.
I respect that, but she was dumping it all on me.
(08:54):
She's been I agree with her in many ways, but
even though I'm in agreement, I'm not even in an argue.
Men of state, about it. I had to tell her.
I was like, you know, I love you so much,
but I need a break from this, Like this is
a lot for me. I have purposely chosen not to
invest time in these energy sources because I have a
lot going on in my life and I can't get
(09:15):
bogged down energetically with this. And even though I agree
with you on so many things, us having this rant
about it isn't serving anyone. We're not in a political
position to do anything about it, like other than vote,
and we will do that, but you know, it's just
it was so overwhelming, and I thought this is exactly
how I used to feel on social media. Yeah, the
(09:38):
kind of boundary that I had to set on social
media for myself, right, so that I didn't get sucked
into it. And it's easy to do, but I'd prefer
to have more meaningful conversations with this person, you know,
because I do care so much about her. And she
was offended at first, and it took a few times,
I mean reminding her like, hey, you know, I understand
(10:01):
this thing is going on and it's upsetting you, and
I get it. But I'm not the person to have
this conversation.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
With, right now like, I can't write this.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I have all these other things to do that actually
I can affect in my life, you know. And eventually
she started telling someone else and then that complain to
me that she was dumping all of that stuff on her,
and I was like, well, here's what.
Speaker 5 (10:21):
You do, here's what to say, because it worked for me.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I love the way you put that, too, because that's
such a graceful way to share with somebody that you
want to change the dynamic of a conversation.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
I posted something the other day that really resonated, where
I said.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
It's perfectly okay to tell somebody I choose not to
participate in this conversation. You know, saying I choose not
to participate is not offending.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
Someone else because you're making it about you.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
And you know, you can say that out loud, or
you can say it quietly to yourself. Like there are
many times I'm scrolling through social and I'll see something
and I'm tempted for a split second to and then
I'm like, no, I choose not to participate in this,
and I keep moving on with my life.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Right. I think there's power in that.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
It really is. And then you just feel so much
better because you're not taking on the heaviness of everything.
You know, it's just that choosing the things that make
a difference for you and how you want to invest
your time and these types of conversations that you want
to have, Like, you can curate that too, And it
didn't occur to me years ago that I had the
right to do that, but you absolutely do. If your
(11:29):
time is the most precious.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Resource you have, absolutely one hundred percent. I say that
all the time. My biggest pet peeve in life is
when my time is wasted. I can't stand it because
it's so true. It is more valuable than anything it's
I would say it's probably tied with your health. I
think health and time are the two most valuable things
we have in life, and so social media really is
(11:52):
a time suck. So let's talk about that, because I
think the big, big topic of conversation here is really
not just bound that we're setting with other people or
with the algorithms, but boundaries we're setting for ourselves because
we have to be very disciplined when it comes to
resisting getting sucked into those negative conversations and also the
time that we're spending on screens and socials. So I
(12:15):
would love for you to share maybe some of your
tips on how people can reduce their screen time but
still have social media and scrolling or posting benefit their life,
but not suck it away right right.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Well, for me, as a mom of a toddler, I
find myself looking at myself from her perspective, and I
don't want her to see Mommy always on a phone.
I don't like that. I don't like when I'm sitting
at a table and someone else is on their phone.
Like I mean, it's one thing for a second, like
they're you know, texting someone, Hey, we're at the table
or whatever, but it's very off putting, and I don't
(12:51):
want her to think that she's not important to me.
So that has cut back a lot for me because
I'm not just randomly doing it, because I am conscious
of it, so I think paying attention. And also those
moments of boredom that we use the phone to fill in, we.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
Write that moment of boredom.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
It would be okay to be bored for four whole minutes.
You know, you might have the most creative idea pop up. Also,
you're more present and you can have more conversations with
people that are like waiting in line with you, Like,
I'm totally that girl. I'm an introvert, but I like
to make friends to me where I go. I just
I missed that when people are all looking down and
(13:30):
you know, it's.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Just, oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I saw a meme the other day that was so true,
and it had a picture of a bunch of people
sitting around a restaurant table and everybody's face was in
their phone, and it said the Eagles were right in
Hotel California when they said we are all just prisoners
here of our own device. And I thought, Wow, what
a play on words there, But isn't it true?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
And I love that you say that with your daughter.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
You know, you really are conscious about not being on
the phone all the time because you want her to
feel important. And also you're setting a great example for
her because you're showing her that it's not okay to
be on the phone twenty four to seven. And I
have also created the habit when I go to lunch
with a friend or brunch or dinner, I leave my
phone in my bag or if for some reason I
(14:16):
need to have it on the table, it's face down
because I want to give that person one hundred percent
of my attention.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
And something else you said.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
I remember there was a quote from the late MERV Griffin,
the talk show host MERV Griffin, and I think he
said something along the lines of only dole people get bored.
So what you said about, you know, being bored for
four minutes or whatever, Like we're so used to now
not having stillness. We're so used to if we're still
(14:46):
in quiet for a few minutes, we're anxious about it
and bored, and we want to pick up the phone
and start scrolling right and leaning into that quiet, leaning
into that boredom.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
It's not actually boredom. It can be stillness.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
It can be time, like you said, to think creatively
and let those ideas in if we just train ourselves
to allow it, right.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
Yes, And some platforms too. I think a lot of
times people think, oh, I have to do everything or
I have to do nothing, and I find that to
be true. I think there are certain platforms that nurture
certain types of people. And you might like if you
love visuals, maybe you'll love Instagram if you like really
in depth connection with people, where you can write really
(15:26):
long posts and add video and photos and all of
the things multiple images from. I like Facebook better, for example.
I have found that like that shifts a little bit
for me depending on what I'm doing, and because I
want to be on social media for my business, but
I really like being there for the connection with people
and some platforms that I used to be active on
(15:48):
and I found rewarding for a while, but in recent
years they've changed so much that I barely see the
people that I'm connected to anymore. Right, completely abandoned that account.
And it's sad because I have over seven thousand vans there,
but I can't see them, So why would I waste
time here? Everything I see is something lah, you know,
(16:12):
putting that boundary for myself and I don't have fomo.
I have jomo. I have the joy of missing out.
I'm like, I love something nonsense on that's coming from
that direction. I'm like, I'm so happy I'm not there.
I'm just so happy I don't have to waste any
time there anymore. I can be in these other places
and if someone's meant to discover me, they'll discover me there.
(16:33):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
How do I have a feel. I think I have
a feeling.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I know which platform you might be talking about, and
I largely did the same thing for the same reasons,
And that brings me to something else too. We touched
a little bit earlier on curating your feeds, customizing them, right,
who doesn't love something custom just for you?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
And you can do this with your social media And
you had just mentioned.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
You know, it used to be at that one that
you could tap on certain people or engage with certain
people and they would stay in your feed, And it's.
Speaker 5 (17:04):
Not really like that anymore.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But many of the platforms, including Instagram and Facebook.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Are still that way.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
But if you're not engaging with the people that you
want to see and engage with, they will disappear out
of your feed. So I think one of the tips
is if you're thinking about somebody and you're like, oh,
they haven't been in my feed for a while, jump
over to their page and click on a couple of
things and post a comment, and they'll be right back
into your feed, right yes.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
And another thing I think people don't think about is
like when someone takes the time to comment on your post.
That's like someone at a party saying high five yees
don't like it or comment back, and then assuming it's
a good a good comment, you don't delete or delete,
(17:50):
But if someone's liked by at a party, you wouldn't
walk away and leave them hanging, right, So slapping that
handback with that like or that respect makes a big difference.
And then that person's more likely to see your content
again too, So the two of you will see each
other's things more. And that also makes it more rewarding
because you're actually interacting rather than just monologuing.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
Us, right, and rather than just consuming. Right.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
And I think that we are all in a place
with the way the world is right now and with
AI coming, and you know, with so much to choose
from on streaming platforms, we're overwhelmed with consumption and we're
stepping into a place where we're consuming so much that
it's taking away from us being creative beings. Yes, absolutely,
(18:42):
and it's almost I think creating this strange low energy
vibe within a lot of people when they're overdosing on screens,
whether it's television's phones, computer, and we're not creating enough, we're.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
Not putting enough out.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
And I think it's so important, like you said, if
you're going to be on the screen, if you're going
to be on the social media, engage with people, because
that's what it's there for. It's why it's called social media, right.
And then, like you said, get your boundaries aligned, you know,
figure out am I on here too much? Maybe I
just want to set some time for myself or be
mindful of how much time I'm spending. And the same
(19:18):
thing I would say social media is spilling a lot
over into entertainment now because you see all the TV
shows people are talking about and buzzing and on social
and then you're like, oh, I guess I have to
watch that series now, and all of a sudden, you're
watching ten different series and it's taking over your life.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
So in reading your book when you sent it over,
I noticed there was.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
One part where you talked about it doesn't have to
be all consuming, right, and it doesn't have to take
things over. Everything is connected, And I love that you
said everything is connected. Social media is connected to our
real lives, and our real lives are connected to social media.
So I would love to maybe wrap things up with
you expending on that a little bit.
Speaker 5 (19:56):
And then I want to share with everybody where they
can follow you.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
And you have some ex citing news about September seventeenth, I.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Will share out to that as well, so your thoughts
on that as we wrap things up.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
I think, for me social media, I like to make
it meaningful. So if I'm having a writing day, I
absolutely cannot open social media early in the morning, Like
it will derail my plans, even with the best intentions,
like got to get the writing done first. And I
will treat social media almost like a reward. If I
get this other goal accomplished in the morning, then I
(20:30):
can do this thing. I also plan out, so if
I know, you know, World Cat Day is around the
corner or whatever, and I have a cat book, I'll
plan out, Okay, I'm going to post about that on
that day, and then that leaves room for my fun
family stuff to like fit in on the other days.
And I do mean it's the fun stuff, Like I
like to write a post as a writer, I think
(20:51):
this is another opportunity for you to showcase your skills
and to tell people why this photo or why this
share matters to you. I don't like it when people
post a picture and I don't even know what it is,
who it is, why it matters to them?
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Like where are no context?
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Right?
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I like, yes, I think that is just so draining.
It's like, why am I why are you wasting my time?
Speaker 5 (21:13):
I don't know what this is.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
I don't know what this is like. But if you
tell them, I'm like, wow, I've always wanted to go
to Italy and here's my family in front of whatever,
and I dreamt of this moment. Like then I'm like, yes,
I love this. Like this for me, I'm going to
put this on my adventure list. You know. It's that
meaningfulness matters, and to put that into your day too,
(21:37):
so you're not just on there for hours and hours,
but just saying, Okay, I've got a post I want
to share. I'm going to do fifteen minutes to share
that post. And I pre write too. That's the other
thing I do. I write something in the notes and
the Apple Girl, so my Matt, my laptop, and my
phone share the same brain. So I can be out
on the go and I can just say, oh, I'll
(21:57):
have like a quote or something that really strikes me,
and I'll I'll either voice record it or I'll put
it into my notes, and then when I'm at home,
I can like massage that and like add the things
that I'm thinking, and then when I go to posts,
I just copy and paste. I don't have to be
on the platform. Manually composing it is so hard. It's
so hard and very distracting. So I write it first
(22:19):
and then I can share it everywhere later. And then
the benefit of that too, is that if I'm looking
for what did I post last year for International Book
Day or whatever it is, I can do a search
in my notes for the hashtag and it'll pop right up,
and I'm like, oh, I can copy this, and then
I can tweak it, or I can say, oh, I
want to do something completely different this year. You know,
(22:39):
it's so much easier, so it doesn't have to be hard,
and it doesn't have to be meaningless. I think if
we do those, we cultivate the habits that make it
fun and fulfilling and actually work for us. I think
that's so much more worthwhile. And just be who you are, right, Like,
if you love unicorns and sparkly things and rainbows, like
(23:01):
I do, be that person. You know, it doesn't have
to be so hard to like try to be a
robot version of yourself, or you know, a perfect version.
Nobody wants the perfect version, like When I see a
celebrity that I admire, it's usually not the person that's
in the movie or the person that's on the red carpet.
It's the person who's hugging their dogs.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
The human being, the real human.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yes, everyone is so afraid to be imperfect on social media.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
But yet when you're imperfect.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
And you're vulnerable and you post about your life and
what's going on in a very real way, that's when
you get the most engagement from people, because that's how
people connect.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Yes, and we don't want to see people who are
avatars of themselves, like we want to see the real person,
and so be real. If you're a person who loves something,
then go ahead and claim it. That's cool. Somebody else
who loves that might fall in love with you, so
give them that opportunity. You know, it's so true.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Authenticity I think matters more than ever. I think people
are craving it. They're craving that realness because for so
long on social media it was all about being perfect
and only posting everything, you know, only the good things,
and you know, not really being real. But I think
we're leaning toward that way, which feels really good. And
I also love what you shared too about chunking your
(24:18):
time taking fifteen minutes to post this, fifteen minutes to
post that, because then it's not becoming as much of
a time suck. It's like setting boundaries for yourself. This
is how much time I'm going to spend scrolling, or
this is how much time I'm going to spend on
this particular post, and then I'm out.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
And I love that you said.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
That makes it a lot more fun too, because then
you're not burdened. You're not just like where did the
time go? You know, my whole day is blown. It's like, Lenna,
I did what I needed to do, I had some fun,
had some chats, and then I'm on to the next project.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
Yes, yes, and it really is that simple.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
But it does require some self management, some self boundaries,
some self discipline. But I really invite everybody listening to
take some of these tips and thoughts that we've shared
and reclaim your time, reclaim your life from the screens.
They can benefit you, but you don't need to allow them.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
To take over.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
Right.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Well, with that, I want to share with everybody just
a couple of quick things about you. So I shared
earlier in the interview that we've been connected on social
for quite a long time, and that is one of
the things I love about social media, like you said,
being able to connect with people from all over that
you might not have otherwise met. And I think you
are such an inspiration for those of you listening. I
(25:28):
highly encourage you if you want some positivity in your feeds,
go follow Sherry, because she really is all about the
sparkles and the unicorns and uplifting things in such.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
A real authentic way.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
And I always smile when I see her posts, and
she really posts a lot of content with great value. Now,
she is the author of seventeen books, as I mentioned
in the intro, and many many children's books in there,
in addition to this book for adults called Instagrateful, which.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
I encourage everybody to check out. And you have a
brand new children's book coming out right, so tell us
about that, because this is so much fun.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
This is Magenta, and she is a kitten lost in
the woods who's looking for a place to stay dry,
and she stumbles upon an enchanted cottage. But inside the
cottage she will discover a little sorceress who accidentally creates
some magic and in enchants her with the ability to
fly and to talk, and the only problem is the
(26:30):
white raven that lives with this little Sorceress is not
a big fan of cats. So you get to discover
that they find out their magical abilities and the types
of adventures that they're going to go on together. So
I'm really excited about this book. I've been dreaming about
it for years and it's the person beyond my Little series.
So it's a huge blessing to get to share it
(26:52):
with you. And it's coming out September seventeen.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
That's so great.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
So everybody with kids or if you just love children's books.
I have friends that just love children's books. They love
reading them them, so I love them too. I mean
I still read.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Good Night Moon now and then when I get my
hands on it.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
So this is going to be so much fun. I'm
actually really looking forward to it. So it's called Magenta
and the Little Kitty is adorable. So and everybody listening
to the audio of this go check it out on Amazon.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Or you can catch the video.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
I'm going to start posting video of these interviews for
those who want to go revisit the interview. You can
revisit on my YouTube channel and actually see us conversing
on video, so you can see it there as well.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
So, Cherry, where can everybody find you? On social media?
Speaker 4 (27:36):
Well, on Instagram and threads you can find me at
Cherry Underscore Think and my name is spelled sh eer
I underscore f as and Frank I am as a
Nancy K. And on Facebook you can find me at
Sherry Think and.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I love it and I will post those in the
show notes as well. For anybody listening to the show,
Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
For being with us today.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I am I'm just thrilled that we got to have
this conversation and so grateful for all of the wonderful
tips you shared. I think we all need this right now,
and it just feels really good to talk about it
and just be real about it.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
Right.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
I had so much fun. Thank you so much for
inviting me.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Thank you so appreciated, Have a beautiful afternoon, and thanks
for connecting by How much fun was that? Such a
great conversation. And by the way, you all, I am
going to start posting the video versions of these interviews
on my YouTube channel, so jump over and find me
on YouTube and hit that subscribe button because I'm going
(28:38):
to be revamping that channel soon. And as I've mentioned
on some recent episodes, I've been going through a lot
of growth and sort of re examining how to up
level everything and bring more content to you all in
simplified ways. And one of the things that is part
of that goal is I'm going to be revamping my
YouTube channel and posting a lot more great content there.
(29:00):
And I've had quite a few people tell me, hey,
I would love to watch the video version of the
interviews on your podcast, and I was like, you know what,
let's do that. Let's take those interviews and we can
post the video version right on YouTube. So I'm going
to be starting to do that, So jump over find
me on YouTube, love to connect with you there. Also
find me on Instagram because I'm going to also start
posting some video snippets from the interviews there. So thank
(29:22):
you so much for tuning in. And now it is
time for today's Joy School Habit. And this is where
I share a simple habit that can have a big
positive impact. So this is one I started recently doing
in my life, and I have to tell you, just
aside from the fact energetically in health wise that I
(29:42):
think it's potentially greatly beneficial. What it's done for my
mindset and just for my emotional and mental fitness has
been fantastic. So this little habit is turning your phone
onto airplane mode before you go to bed at night,
and then you can take it off airplane mode in
the morning with your morning tea or coffee or your
(30:03):
morning workout, whatever something in the morning. Part of your
morning routine is that you can have it stack this
with because then you'll always remember to take it out
of airplane mode. So I generally take mine out of
airplane mode when I'm sitting and having my coffee. I
play wordle in the morning, sometimes with the coffee. It's
a little bit addicting for anyone who doesn't know wordle.
It's a word puzzle with the New York Times. If
(30:26):
you just google wordle WRDL New York Times, it'll pop up.
It's just a fun little puzzle that takes like three
minutes to do, and not only does it challenge your brain,
but it also kind of clears your mind of things.
It's like a mini meditation. So I do that in
the morning with my coffee and in order to get
to the wordle puzzle, I have to take my phone
out of airplane mode, so very helpful. But turning your
(30:48):
phone on airplane mode each night before you go to
sleep does several things. First of all, it makes it
so that you are not going to be disturbed right
while you're sleeping, but also it reduces the EMFs. These
are the electromagnetic and radiation fields that come off your
(31:09):
phone when it is trying to connect to Wi Fi
and when it is trying to connect to nearby towers.
And by turning into airplane mode, you're only connected to
Wi Fi and it's consistent, so you are still able
to use your phone when it's an airplane mode. It's
just not emitting as much of the toxic energy as
it does when it's always trying to reach out to
(31:29):
towers and in full blown like operational mode. So there's
just something about it that will also give you a
sense of peace. It's almost like disconnecting from electronics a
little bit, disconnecting from the world a little bit so
that you can have a peaceful night. And that's not
to say people can't text you if there's an emergency
or things like that. Most people know that texts will
(31:51):
come through if you're still connected to Wi Fi. But
it's just a small, little energetic thing that you can
do to reduce your exposure to eat, but also just
give yourself a little bit of extra piece each day.
For me, I almost feel like it's improved my sleep
a little bit. Gives me peace mentally, just knowing that
I'm not having all that all those electronic vibes in
(32:13):
the room while I'm trying to sleep, And I just
love the action of doing it and of disconnecting. There's
something about it that is very cathartic, and so give
it a try tonight. When you get into bed, turn
your phone into airplane mode. And if you're afraid you're
going to forget to take it out of airplane mode,
just set a little alarm for yourself in the morning
(32:34):
and then that'll remind you until you create a habit
out of it, a joy school habit. All right, my friends,
thank you so much for tuning in for another episode
of the show. I am so grateful for you all.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. They
truly help the show and I read them all and
thank you so much to everybody.
Speaker 5 (32:53):
Who's left one so far.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
Can leave it on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite
platform and find me on Instagram, connect with me, find
me on Facebook.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
Let me know what you thought of the episode.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
I am always reading it. I personally do my own
social media, and I love connecting with you all. So
before I go, remember, as always, you have the power
to create more amazing days, and more amazing days add
up to a pretty amazing life. Thank you so much
for tuning in my friends, and I will be back
with you soon.
Speaker 5 (33:24):
Have it a beautiful week.
Welcome to the Joyschool podcast. Real talk about what it
takes to create your happiest, healthiest and most dynamic life.
And now here's your host, transformational life coach, happiness strategist
and best selling author, Kristy ling Spencer.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the Joyschool Podcast.
I'm Christy ling Spencer. So glad you're here with me
again this week, and I am very excited for today's
show because you know when you've been connected with people
online for a long time and then you finally get
to connect in real life. Today, my friend Sherry Fink
(00:40):
is going to be on the show, and we are
going to be talking about finding your bliss and reducing
anxiety and creating joy in a world flooded with social
media and negative news. And I feel like this is
an especially poignant topic this year, and she's going to
share some of her best tips. Sherry is a number
(01:01):
one best selling author, president of Whimsical World, and empowering
brand with a mission to inspire, delight, and educate children
of all ages as well as adults and while planting
the seeds of self esteem. She loves to write, and
she's written seventeen award winning books so far if you
(01:22):
can Believe It and lives in southern California and her
book insta Grateful Finding your bliss in a social media
world is what inspired today's topic. And so we are
going to be welcoming Cherry to the show in just
a minute. But when the interview is done, be sure
to stay on because I'm going to share today's Joyschool
(01:43):
have it with you as well. So thank you so
much for tuning in and hanging out with me once again.
So excited for this and let's jump in.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Welcome to the Joyschool podcast, Sherry Think, Thank you for
being here.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Thank you. I'm so excited.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's so great to find the connect, you know, when
you get to connect with people that you've.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Known on social for quite a while, and it's just
such a fun thing to find the connect in real life.
I'm so glad you're here, you too, I can't wait.
And this is going to be such an awesome conversation today.
I am so excited for this topic because I feel
like it is so timely with being in an election year,
all the toxic and negative stuff flying around on social media,
(02:30):
all the toxic and negative stuff in the news. It's
coming at us from every direction, yet we have some
power over it. So your book insta Grateful, and I
want to make sure I get the sub headline right
here there is. It's gorgeous cover too. Finding your bliss
in a social media world really caught my attention for
this topic because I thought we could have such a
(02:51):
great conversation today to share with people on how they
can use social media to lift up their life instead
of bring them down. Curate their feeds so that it's
full of joyful things or things that touch your passions
and things that lift you up. And also set some
boundaries and you know, boundaries around our screen time and
(03:12):
our social so that we can really use this to.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
Our advantage instead of letting it drain us. Right.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
So I would love to hear what inspired you to
write this book, and then I would love to dive
into some of your favorite tips and thoughts about these topics.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Love it, love it, love it well. I was inspired
to write Instagrateful at a time when people were really
coming down hard on social media and we're saying that
it was causing a lot of mental distress, and obviously
it does. Absolutely You're not complete victims, right like we
don't have to use it, and we don't have to
use it the way everybody else does. And I just
(03:46):
kind of got tired of the I don't know, the
victim mentality, and I was kind of like, well, I
was really slow to get on the social media train.
I was late to the party. Was But when I
did get on there and when I finally started being
you know, open yet selective about the way that I
(04:07):
shared myself and the way that I connected with people,
it was amazing. I found so much value in it,
Like I'm able to connect with people from all around
the world that I would have no access to otherwise.
People sometimes will come to festivals and they'll meet me,
like as a writer, and they'll cry and they're like,
I don't know why I'm crying. I just feel like
I know you. And I'm like, well, how do you
(04:27):
know me? And they're like, oh, I follow you on
Facebook and I'm like, well, then you kind of do
know me, actually, you know, because I try with my life.
But yeah, different folks don't know how to use it
in a way that's productive as a tool. They get
sucked into the negativity and the drama, and it's easy
to do I will be honest, like I'd fallen.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It is easy to do, and it takes skills. It
takes practice and skills to not get sucked into the
toxic side and to actually curate your feeds and choose
what you're seeing according to what aligns with your life
you want to have right.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Percent. That's why I wrote the book, and I focus
on five different piece passion, power, peace, prosperity, and panache.
And I feel like social media is a tool where
we can amplify all of those great things in our lives.
And if we're doing that fully, then you're having more
fun and it's a fulfilling experience and it doesn't have
(05:22):
to be the drudgery and the drama that we sometimes
associate with social media.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
That is so absolutely true, And you know, I think
all of us can relate to reaching a point with
some of the social media platforms like this isn't fun anymore.
You know that feeling when what you've curated in your
feed starts to fall away and it starts to get
filled with stuff you don't want to see and you're
tired and you don't really have the energy to go
in and redo it again. Sometimes there is a good
(05:50):
time to take a step back and catch your breath right,
and then go in and recurate your feed again. You
just have to unfollow what isn't serving you or what's
bringing you down, or if it's your friends on Facebook,
you can click that like hide for thirty days.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
This yeah like crazy lately.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
I love that button especially.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
But curating your social media so that it serves you
in a way, so that your feed is filled with
things that you love and people that you love, right
is really the key to using it for our advantage.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
So I would love to hear maybe a couple of
your tips for that.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Sure, well, I think a big part of what you're
shown on social media is generated by what you actually
create and share. So for me, I like to look
at my accounts like it's my own personal online magazine.
You know. I want to showcase my friends doing cool things.
I want to show my dog looking silly doing something.
(06:47):
I want to like, show off my baby and her
cute little outfit. I want to share all the things
that matter to me and every now and then mentioned
you know, hey, I'm doing this cool book event or
whatever too. You're invited, But I really want to focus
on the good, And it doesn't mean that you ignore
the bad, right, because you can s that you're having
a difficult time and people give you support and that's wonderful,
(07:09):
but you want to take it the whole message. I
think we're all very complex beings and we have very
full lives that we have. Any given day, you can
look at the highlights or the low lights, and then
you can choose what to share. And if you're sharing
the highlights, the algorithms will pick that up and they're
more likely to show you things that are in the
same vein as the beacon of light that you're showcasing
(07:33):
on your feets. It doesn't mean that you'll never see
any weirdness, but at least it'll be more tailored to
what kind of weirdness you like.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Exactly our own kind of weirdness, right, because we all
have it. But love that that's also kind of like
a metaphor that your social media feeds will in a
way reflect the energy and the light that you're putting out, right,
And that's.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
A metaphor for life.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Life reflects back to you the energy and the light
that you put out. And so I love that you
kind of say that about social media because it is
very true, and I think it's what you're engaging with,
it's what you're posting, it's what you're clicking on, So
be careful not to get sucked into clicking on the
toxic or negative things, because then that'll start to fill
up your feed again.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Right, Yes, it's the algorithm.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
So if you're clicking on if you love fashion and
you're clicking on fashion things, you're going to see more fashion.
If you love inspirational quotes and you're clicking on those,
you're going to see more quotes. But if you get
tempted to click on some of the negative stuff, it's
going to start feeling up your feed.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Right. So true, And you know, I have this huge
realization about a month ago. I had someone I loved
very much at my home and she's not on social media.
She's never had a social media account. But during the
election year, she's reading a lot of the news. And
that's you know, that's cool if she wants to stay informed.
I respect that, but she was dumping it all on me.
(08:54):
She's been I agree with her in many ways, but
even though I'm in agreement, I'm not even in an argue.
Men of state, about it. I had to tell her.
I was like, you know, I love you so much,
but I need a break from this, Like this is
a lot for me. I have purposely chosen not to
invest time in these energy sources because I have a
lot going on in my life and I can't get
(09:15):
bogged down energetically with this. And even though I agree
with you on so many things, us having this rant
about it isn't serving anyone. We're not in a political
position to do anything about it, like other than vote,
and we will do that, but you know, it's just
it was so overwhelming, and I thought this is exactly
how I used to feel on social media. Yeah, the
(09:38):
kind of boundary that I had to set on social
media for myself, right, so that I didn't get sucked
into it. And it's easy to do, but I'd prefer
to have more meaningful conversations with this person, you know,
because I do care so much about her. And she
was offended at first, and it took a few times,
I mean reminding her like, hey, you know, I understand
(10:01):
this thing is going on and it's upsetting you, and
I get it. But I'm not the person to have
this conversation.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
With, right now like, I can't write this.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I have all these other things to do that actually
I can affect in my life, you know. And eventually
she started telling someone else and then that complain to
me that she was dumping all of that stuff on her,
and I was like, well, here's what.
Speaker 5 (10:21):
You do, here's what to say, because it worked for me.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I love the way you put that, too, because that's
such a graceful way to share with somebody that you
want to change the dynamic of a conversation.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
I posted something the other day that really resonated, where
I said.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
It's perfectly okay to tell somebody I choose not to
participate in this conversation. You know, saying I choose not
to participate is not offending.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
Someone else because you're making it about you.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
And you know, you can say that out loud, or
you can say it quietly to yourself. Like there are
many times I'm scrolling through social and I'll see something
and I'm tempted for a split second to and then
I'm like, no, I choose not to participate in this,
and I keep moving on with my life.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Right. I think there's power in that.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
It really is. And then you just feel so much
better because you're not taking on the heaviness of everything.
You know, it's just that choosing the things that make
a difference for you and how you want to invest
your time and these types of conversations that you want
to have, Like, you can curate that too, And it
didn't occur to me years ago that I had the
right to do that, but you absolutely do. If your
(11:29):
time is the most precious.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Resource you have, absolutely one hundred percent. I say that
all the time. My biggest pet peeve in life is
when my time is wasted. I can't stand it because
it's so true. It is more valuable than anything it's
I would say it's probably tied with your health. I
think health and time are the two most valuable things
we have in life, and so social media really is
(11:52):
a time suck. So let's talk about that, because I
think the big, big topic of conversation here is really
not just bound that we're setting with other people or
with the algorithms, but boundaries we're setting for ourselves because
we have to be very disciplined when it comes to
resisting getting sucked into those negative conversations and also the
time that we're spending on screens and socials. So I
(12:15):
would love for you to share maybe some of your
tips on how people can reduce their screen time but
still have social media and scrolling or posting benefit their life,
but not suck it away right right.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Well, for me, as a mom of a toddler, I
find myself looking at myself from her perspective, and I
don't want her to see Mommy always on a phone.
I don't like that. I don't like when I'm sitting
at a table and someone else is on their phone.
Like I mean, it's one thing for a second, like
they're you know, texting someone, Hey, we're at the table
or whatever, but it's very off putting, and I don't
(12:51):
want her to think that she's not important to me.
So that has cut back a lot for me because
I'm not just randomly doing it, because I am conscious
of it, so I think paying attention. And also those
moments of boredom that we use the phone to fill in, we.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
Write that moment of boredom.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
It would be okay to be bored for four whole minutes.
You know, you might have the most creative idea pop up. Also,
you're more present and you can have more conversations with
people that are like waiting in line with you, Like,
I'm totally that girl. I'm an introvert, but I like
to make friends to me where I go. I just
I missed that when people are all looking down and
(13:30):
you know, it's.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Just, oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I saw a meme the other day that was so true,
and it had a picture of a bunch of people
sitting around a restaurant table and everybody's face was in
their phone, and it said the Eagles were right in
Hotel California when they said we are all just prisoners
here of our own device. And I thought, Wow, what
a play on words there, But isn't it true?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
And I love that you say that with your daughter.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
You know, you really are conscious about not being on
the phone all the time because you want her to
feel important. And also you're setting a great example for
her because you're showing her that it's not okay to
be on the phone twenty four to seven. And I
have also created the habit when I go to lunch
with a friend or brunch or dinner, I leave my
phone in my bag or if for some reason I
(14:16):
need to have it on the table, it's face down
because I want to give that person one hundred percent
of my attention.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
And something else you said.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
I remember there was a quote from the late MERV Griffin,
the talk show host MERV Griffin, and I think he
said something along the lines of only dole people get bored.
So what you said about, you know, being bored for
four minutes or whatever, Like we're so used to now
not having stillness. We're so used to if we're still
(14:46):
in quiet for a few minutes, we're anxious about it
and bored, and we want to pick up the phone
and start scrolling right and leaning into that quiet, leaning
into that boredom.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
It's not actually boredom. It can be stillness.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
It can be time, like you said, to think creatively
and let those ideas in if we just train ourselves
to allow it, right.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
Yes, And some platforms too. I think a lot of
times people think, oh, I have to do everything or
I have to do nothing, and I find that to
be true. I think there are certain platforms that nurture
certain types of people. And you might like if you
love visuals, maybe you'll love Instagram if you like really
in depth connection with people, where you can write really
(15:26):
long posts and add video and photos and all of
the things multiple images from. I like Facebook better, for example.
I have found that like that shifts a little bit
for me depending on what I'm doing, and because I
want to be on social media for my business, but
I really like being there for the connection with people
and some platforms that I used to be active on
(15:48):
and I found rewarding for a while, but in recent
years they've changed so much that I barely see the
people that I'm connected to anymore. Right, completely abandoned that account.
And it's sad because I have over seven thousand vans there,
but I can't see them, So why would I waste
time here? Everything I see is something lah, you know,
(16:12):
putting that boundary for myself and I don't have fomo.
I have jomo. I have the joy of missing out.
I'm like, I love something nonsense on that's coming from
that direction. I'm like, I'm so happy I'm not there.
I'm just so happy I don't have to waste any
time there anymore. I can be in these other places
and if someone's meant to discover me, they'll discover me there.
(16:33):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
How do I have a feel. I think I have
a feeling.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I know which platform you might be talking about, and
I largely did the same thing for the same reasons,
And that brings me to something else too. We touched
a little bit earlier on curating your feeds, customizing them, right,
who doesn't love something custom just for you?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
And you can do this with your social media And
you had just mentioned.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
You know, it used to be at that one that
you could tap on certain people or engage with certain
people and they would stay in your feed, And it's.
Speaker 5 (17:04):
Not really like that anymore.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But many of the platforms, including Instagram and Facebook.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Are still that way.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
But if you're not engaging with the people that you
want to see and engage with, they will disappear out
of your feed. So I think one of the tips
is if you're thinking about somebody and you're like, oh,
they haven't been in my feed for a while, jump
over to their page and click on a couple of
things and post a comment, and they'll be right back
into your feed, right yes.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
And another thing I think people don't think about is
like when someone takes the time to comment on your post.
That's like someone at a party saying high five yees
don't like it or comment back, and then assuming it's
a good a good comment, you don't delete or delete,
(17:50):
But if someone's liked by at a party, you wouldn't
walk away and leave them hanging, right, So slapping that
handback with that like or that respect makes a big difference.
And then that person's more likely to see your content
again too, So the two of you will see each
other's things more. And that also makes it more rewarding
because you're actually interacting rather than just monologuing.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
Us, right, and rather than just consuming. Right.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
And I think that we are all in a place
with the way the world is right now and with
AI coming, and you know, with so much to choose
from on streaming platforms, we're overwhelmed with consumption and we're
stepping into a place where we're consuming so much that
it's taking away from us being creative beings. Yes, absolutely,
(18:42):
and it's almost I think creating this strange low energy
vibe within a lot of people when they're overdosing on screens,
whether it's television's phones, computer, and we're not creating enough, we're.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
Not putting enough out.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
And I think it's so important, like you said, if
you're going to be on the screen, if you're going
to be on the social media, engage with people, because
that's what it's there for. It's why it's called social media, right.
And then, like you said, get your boundaries aligned, you know,
figure out am I on here too much? Maybe I
just want to set some time for myself or be
mindful of how much time I'm spending. And the same
(19:18):
thing I would say social media is spilling a lot
over into entertainment now because you see all the TV
shows people are talking about and buzzing and on social
and then you're like, oh, I guess I have to
watch that series now, and all of a sudden, you're
watching ten different series and it's taking over your life.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
So in reading your book when you sent it over,
I noticed there was.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
One part where you talked about it doesn't have to
be all consuming, right, and it doesn't have to take
things over. Everything is connected, And I love that you
said everything is connected. Social media is connected to our
real lives, and our real lives are connected to social media.
So I would love to maybe wrap things up with
you expending on that a little bit.
Speaker 5 (19:56):
And then I want to share with everybody where they
can follow you.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
And you have some ex citing news about September seventeenth, I.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Will share out to that as well, so your thoughts
on that as we wrap things up.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
I think, for me social media, I like to make
it meaningful. So if I'm having a writing day, I
absolutely cannot open social media early in the morning, Like
it will derail my plans, even with the best intentions,
like got to get the writing done first. And I
will treat social media almost like a reward. If I
get this other goal accomplished in the morning, then I
(20:30):
can do this thing. I also plan out, so if
I know, you know, World Cat Day is around the
corner or whatever, and I have a cat book, I'll
plan out, Okay, I'm going to post about that on
that day, and then that leaves room for my fun
family stuff to like fit in on the other days.
And I do mean it's the fun stuff, Like I
like to write a post as a writer, I think
(20:51):
this is another opportunity for you to showcase your skills
and to tell people why this photo or why this
share matters to you. I don't like it when people
post a picture and I don't even know what it is,
who it is, why it matters to them?
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Like where are no context?
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Right?
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I like, yes, I think that is just so draining.
It's like, why am I why are you wasting my time?
Speaker 5 (21:13):
I don't know what this is.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
I don't know what this is like. But if you
tell them, I'm like, wow, I've always wanted to go
to Italy and here's my family in front of whatever,
and I dreamt of this moment. Like then I'm like, yes,
I love this. Like this for me, I'm going to
put this on my adventure list. You know. It's that
meaningfulness matters, and to put that into your day too,
(21:37):
so you're not just on there for hours and hours,
but just saying, Okay, I've got a post I want
to share. I'm going to do fifteen minutes to share
that post. And I pre write too. That's the other
thing I do. I write something in the notes and
the Apple Girl, so my Matt, my laptop, and my
phone share the same brain. So I can be out
on the go and I can just say, oh, I'll
(21:57):
have like a quote or something that really strikes me,
and I'll I'll either voice record it or I'll put
it into my notes, and then when I'm at home,
I can like massage that and like add the things
that I'm thinking, and then when I go to posts,
I just copy and paste. I don't have to be
on the platform. Manually composing it is so hard. It's
so hard and very distracting. So I write it first
(22:19):
and then I can share it everywhere later. And then
the benefit of that too, is that if I'm looking
for what did I post last year for International Book
Day or whatever it is, I can do a search
in my notes for the hashtag and it'll pop right up,
and I'm like, oh, I can copy this, and then
I can tweak it, or I can say, oh, I
want to do something completely different this year. You know,
(22:39):
it's so much easier, so it doesn't have to be hard,
and it doesn't have to be meaningless. I think if
we do those, we cultivate the habits that make it
fun and fulfilling and actually work for us. I think
that's so much more worthwhile. And just be who you are, right, Like,
if you love unicorns and sparkly things and rainbows, like
(23:01):
I do, be that person. You know, it doesn't have
to be so hard to like try to be a
robot version of yourself, or you know, a perfect version.
Nobody wants the perfect version, like When I see a
celebrity that I admire, it's usually not the person that's
in the movie or the person that's on the red carpet.
It's the person who's hugging their dogs.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
The human being, the real human.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yes, everyone is so afraid to be imperfect on social media.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
But yet when you're imperfect.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
And you're vulnerable and you post about your life and
what's going on in a very real way, that's when
you get the most engagement from people, because that's how
people connect.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Yes, and we don't want to see people who are
avatars of themselves, like we want to see the real person,
and so be real. If you're a person who loves something,
then go ahead and claim it. That's cool. Somebody else
who loves that might fall in love with you, so
give them that opportunity. You know, it's so true.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Authenticity I think matters more than ever. I think people
are craving it. They're craving that realness because for so
long on social media it was all about being perfect
and only posting everything, you know, only the good things,
and you know, not really being real. But I think
we're leaning toward that way, which feels really good. And
I also love what you shared too about chunking your
(24:18):
time taking fifteen minutes to post this, fifteen minutes to
post that, because then it's not becoming as much of
a time suck. It's like setting boundaries for yourself. This
is how much time I'm going to spend scrolling, or
this is how much time I'm going to spend on
this particular post, and then I'm out.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
And I love that you said.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
That makes it a lot more fun too, because then
you're not burdened. You're not just like where did the
time go? You know, my whole day is blown. It's like, Lenna,
I did what I needed to do, I had some fun,
had some chats, and then I'm on to the next project.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
Yes, yes, and it really is that simple.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
But it does require some self management, some self boundaries,
some self discipline. But I really invite everybody listening to
take some of these tips and thoughts that we've shared
and reclaim your time, reclaim your life from the screens.
They can benefit you, but you don't need to allow them.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
To take over.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
Right.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Well, with that, I want to share with everybody just
a couple of quick things about you. So I shared
earlier in the interview that we've been connected on social
for quite a long time, and that is one of
the things I love about social media, like you said,
being able to connect with people from all over that
you might not have otherwise met. And I think you
are such an inspiration for those of you listening. I
(25:28):
highly encourage you if you want some positivity in your feeds,
go follow Sherry, because she really is all about the
sparkles and the unicorns and uplifting things in such.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
A real authentic way.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
And I always smile when I see her posts, and
she really posts a lot of content with great value. Now,
she is the author of seventeen books, as I mentioned
in the intro, and many many children's books in there,
in addition to this book for adults called Instagrateful, which.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
I encourage everybody to check out. And you have a
brand new children's book coming out right, so tell us
about that, because this is so much fun.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
This is Magenta, and she is a kitten lost in
the woods who's looking for a place to stay dry,
and she stumbles upon an enchanted cottage. But inside the
cottage she will discover a little sorceress who accidentally creates
some magic and in enchants her with the ability to
fly and to talk, and the only problem is the
(26:30):
white raven that lives with this little Sorceress is not
a big fan of cats. So you get to discover
that they find out their magical abilities and the types
of adventures that they're going to go on together. So
I'm really excited about this book. I've been dreaming about
it for years and it's the person beyond my Little series.
So it's a huge blessing to get to share it
(26:52):
with you. And it's coming out September seventeen.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
That's so great.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
So everybody with kids or if you just love children's books.
I have friends that just love children's books. They love
reading them them, so I love them too. I mean
I still read.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Good Night Moon now and then when I get my
hands on it.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
So this is going to be so much fun. I'm
actually really looking forward to it. So it's called Magenta
and the Little Kitty is adorable. So and everybody listening
to the audio of this go check it out on Amazon.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Or you can catch the video.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
I'm going to start posting video of these interviews for
those who want to go revisit the interview. You can
revisit on my YouTube channel and actually see us conversing
on video, so you can see it there as well.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
So, Cherry, where can everybody find you? On social media?
Speaker 4 (27:36):
Well, on Instagram and threads you can find me at
Cherry Underscore Think and my name is spelled sh eer
I underscore f as and Frank I am as a
Nancy K. And on Facebook you can find me at
Sherry Think and.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I love it and I will post those in the
show notes as well. For anybody listening to the show,
Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
For being with us today.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I am I'm just thrilled that we got to have
this conversation and so grateful for all of the wonderful
tips you shared. I think we all need this right now,
and it just feels really good to talk about it
and just be real about it.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
Right.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
I had so much fun. Thank you so much for
inviting me.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Thank you so appreciated, Have a beautiful afternoon, and thanks
for connecting by How much fun was that? Such a
great conversation. And by the way, you all, I am
going to start posting the video versions of these interviews
on my YouTube channel, so jump over and find me
on YouTube and hit that subscribe button because I'm going
(28:38):
to be revamping that channel soon. And as I've mentioned
on some recent episodes, I've been going through a lot
of growth and sort of re examining how to up
level everything and bring more content to you all in
simplified ways. And one of the things that is part
of that goal is I'm going to be revamping my
YouTube channel and posting a lot more great content there.
(29:00):
And I've had quite a few people tell me, hey,
I would love to watch the video version of the
interviews on your podcast, and I was like, you know what,
let's do that. Let's take those interviews and we can
post the video version right on YouTube. So I'm going
to be starting to do that, So jump over find
me on YouTube, love to connect with you there. Also
find me on Instagram because I'm going to also start
posting some video snippets from the interviews there. So thank
(29:22):
you so much for tuning in. And now it is
time for today's Joy School Habit. And this is where
I share a simple habit that can have a big
positive impact. So this is one I started recently doing
in my life, and I have to tell you, just
aside from the fact energetically in health wise that I
(29:42):
think it's potentially greatly beneficial. What it's done for my
mindset and just for my emotional and mental fitness has
been fantastic. So this little habit is turning your phone
onto airplane mode before you go to bed at night,
and then you can take it off airplane mode in
the morning with your morning tea or coffee or your
(30:03):
morning workout, whatever something in the morning. Part of your
morning routine is that you can have it stack this
with because then you'll always remember to take it out
of airplane mode. So I generally take mine out of
airplane mode when I'm sitting and having my coffee. I
play wordle in the morning, sometimes with the coffee. It's
a little bit addicting for anyone who doesn't know wordle.
It's a word puzzle with the New York Times. If
(30:26):
you just google wordle WRDL New York Times, it'll pop up.
It's just a fun little puzzle that takes like three
minutes to do, and not only does it challenge your brain,
but it also kind of clears your mind of things.
It's like a mini meditation. So I do that in
the morning with my coffee and in order to get
to the wordle puzzle, I have to take my phone
out of airplane mode, so very helpful. But turning your
(30:48):
phone on airplane mode each night before you go to
sleep does several things. First of all, it makes it
so that you are not going to be disturbed right
while you're sleeping, but also it reduces the EMFs. These
are the electromagnetic and radiation fields that come off your
(31:09):
phone when it is trying to connect to Wi Fi
and when it is trying to connect to nearby towers.
And by turning into airplane mode, you're only connected to
Wi Fi and it's consistent, so you are still able
to use your phone when it's an airplane mode. It's
just not emitting as much of the toxic energy as
it does when it's always trying to reach out to
(31:29):
towers and in full blown like operational mode. So there's
just something about it that will also give you a
sense of peace. It's almost like disconnecting from electronics a
little bit, disconnecting from the world a little bit so
that you can have a peaceful night. And that's not
to say people can't text you if there's an emergency
or things like that. Most people know that texts will
(31:51):
come through if you're still connected to Wi Fi. But
it's just a small, little energetic thing that you can
do to reduce your exposure to eat, but also just
give yourself a little bit of extra piece each day.
For me, I almost feel like it's improved my sleep
a little bit. Gives me peace mentally, just knowing that
I'm not having all that all those electronic vibes in
(32:13):
the room while I'm trying to sleep, And I just
love the action of doing it and of disconnecting. There's
something about it that is very cathartic, and so give
it a try tonight. When you get into bed, turn
your phone into airplane mode. And if you're afraid you're
going to forget to take it out of airplane mode,
just set a little alarm for yourself in the morning
(32:34):
and then that'll remind you until you create a habit
out of it, a joy school habit. All right, my friends,
thank you so much for tuning in for another episode
of the show. I am so grateful for you all.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. They
truly help the show and I read them all and
thank you so much to everybody.
Speaker 5 (32:53):
Who's left one so far.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
Can leave it on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite
platform and find me on Instagram, connect with me, find
me on Facebook.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
Let me know what you thought of the episode.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
I am always reading it. I personally do my own
social media, and I love connecting with you all. So
before I go, remember, as always, you have the power
to create more amazing days, and more amazing days add
up to a pretty amazing life. Thank you so much
for tuning in my friends, and I will be back
with you soon.
Speaker 5 (33:24):
Have it a beautiful week.
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