If you noticed, that’s cool, and if not, that’s cool too. I’ve been increasingly active on social media lately, mostly on Instagram and TikTok. Ever since joining Twitter back in 2010, I’ve begrudgingly joined the different platforms years after most, usually at the behest of a manager or agent, and in hopes of not being left completely behind the world. Things have changed. I’ve grown to love the platforms, discovering the fun, inspiring insanity they offer, and connecting with people on a new level across multiple continents.

What’s changed? My mindset. I’m not going to lie and pretend that I don’t want to get “likes” and “comments” on my posts. I’d rather be liked than disliked, and I’d rather people have a positive reaction to what I put out there, I think that’s human nature. But I’m no longer obsessed with it. If you don’t like me or what I do or say, that’s okay, it’s not going to keep me from sharing it, and it’s not going to affect my mood, my day, or my mental health. After years of trying to paint a perfect picture of my life, and only sharing things that supported that façade because I was worried, actually terrified of what people would think, now I don’t care. Well, that much. Things don’t have to look perfect because they’re not. Not all days are great. I’m dancing for fun with my kids and sometimes my wife, and it makes me feel good. I’m fighting a daily battle with alcoholism, and right now I’m winning, that’s my reality.

“…I love to connect with people. That is something that is new for me, incredibly special, and I don’t take it for granted”

Sure, it’s fun when a post garners attention with a bunch of likes and comments, but lately, I actually feel better about some of my posts that don’t get much love. Those posts mean more to me personally, and sometimes have a deeper effect on a select few individuals. I feel I have something of value to say, sometimes to a small group and other times to the masses, and either way, I’m going to share it. Ninety percent of my life is private, spent off-camera with my family, sober friends, and on my own. The other ten percent is also important and real, and I feel worth sharing. Whether it’s just fun for entertainment and good for laughs, more serious for help, or maybe even inspiring for some, it feels good to share it with the world, and I’m grateful for those of you who want to experience it.

I like to get “likes” but I love to CONNECT with people. That is something that is new for me, incredibly special, and I don’t take it for granted. Technology, and social media in particular, has a lot of good and bad to offer us, but I choose to focus on the good and use it. I’m consuming the positivity and trying to spread it. Seeing what my friends around the world are up to and interacting with fans is cool. I’m slowly building my sober community on social now as well, and that is both powerful and helpful to me. And of course, there are the inspirational and motivational people that I gain so much from every day. Some of them are well-known, some are on a more personal level, all have a lasting effect on my life.

Like almost everyone, I want the likes and follows, but I don’t need them. What I need is the community, the impactful shares and connections, the knowledge and inspiration. And, of course, the fun. I love the fun!