Posting on social media is easy. Share something that challenged you instead.

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Everyone understands the thrill of a social media post. 

The notifications you get when someone likes your photo. The small serotonin shot you get when your phone buzzes. These feel good. 

I feel it too. It’s addictive enough to make me want to do it more often. 

But sharing something greater — something you put effort and thought into — can mimic this sentiment at a more profound level. Social media attempts to replicate a sense of accomplishment — garnering as much applause as possible for a minimal-effort action. 

But what about an arduous project you just completed? Or a story you just wrote, or a photo you took and edited with meticulous care? How about a video you produced over a span of tens of hours? 

Completing something challenging is meaningful, and you can feel the fulfillment in the process. When you finally close your laptop after a strenuous project, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Pride follows, and you can pat yourself on the back after a real sense of accomplishment.  

Sharing something with others multiplies that victory. It makes for a far more substantive thing to share than an errant tweet or picture.

You can post something that challenges you, and instead of aiming for likes, you can feel the fruits of your labor. A job well done being published into the world. 

The more time you put behind something, the more impactful its potential. 

And the more impactful something is when it is shared, the more effective it is at encouraging others to do the same. Sharing something that requires sweat and tears can inspire drive and commitment in others for their respective projects. 

Social media is great at making us feel important (think of the 12-character tweet that goes viral). Much of it is the illusion that we’re part of a greater conversation. 

But what if you shared something other than a typical social media post? Something long-form and thoughtful, something that you agonized over completing. That seems likely, at the very least, to spur some interesting conversations. 

Go deeper than aiming for the adrenaline of a social media post. Share something profound. Put out something that challenged you, and see what happens.

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