Like the crowds at New York City's Grand Central Station and Times Square, more an more people gather on social media.  As our digital social media culture evolves, we are finding that even on cyber-space, it is becoming increasingly crowded.  I, for one, am sure glad I don't need to hunt for a parking space (!).

If you are relatively new to the social media scene, you may feel a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of voices and information. Some of the noise sound like a loud roar in a crowded restaurant, while others are jarring, like a Chinese fire sale, affecting some like finger nails on a chalkboard.

There are amazing advantages for being online.  Amongst social interaction and keeping up with the lives of our acquaintances and loved Ones, any ambitious entrepreneur can make a viable living on line.  

How about that?

How do you stand out in a sea of crowdedness when it seems that have to share is already online?

How do you create space for yourself in the digital world when it seems that there is ALREADY duplicates of you out there in various forms?

Well, here's the good news:  there is NO ONE out there like you.

There is only one you, ever in existence - unrepeatable, unique and vital - whose energy is absolutely needed right here, right now.

What you have to share, what you are here to do, only you can do it.  

It is up to you whether you take action... here are the there things you need to embrace with a resounding "YES!"

Martha Graham, dancer is known for her quote: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost."

What you have to share, what you are here to do, only you can do it.  It is up to you whether you accept the invitation by the universe of expressing that who you've came to be with a resounding "YES!"  

If you are skeptical, take a look at the following 3 ways to shine brightly on social media in the face of today's very crowded, very loud content driven world.

1. Be YOURSELF: Everyone Else is Taken

Okay.  We’ve heard it time and again, in many ways, through different channels, and various mediums: in all that you do, be yourself.

I can picture a mom, squatting in front of her school-aged child, eye-to-eye, for a last minute good-bye and blessing, “It’ll okay. Just be yourself.”

Can you imagine what the child might be thinking as Mom leaves? 

“Be myself.”

This child, in confusion and dismay, with the whole day ahead of him (and it may as well be his whole life), is now chanting the mantra, “be myself, be myself, be myself.”

What does that mean?

Believe it or not, folks, many of us are still asking that very same question, “What does it mean, to be myself?”

We’ve been exploring this meaning our whole lives (you know who you are!).

If you are dipping your toes in social media, or even ankle deep, you may be seriously asking yourself, “What does that mean, to be myself?”

You may experience similar feelings to that babe whose mother dropped him off to embrace his day, along with all the insecurities of not knowing how to express on the outside all of the complexities of what he feels, how to say it, and even what he wants to say.

On top of all that, as an adult now, you have developed a much greater sense of self-awareness (one would hope) than a school child.

Now, you got years of self-talk coming at you that you are weeding through, in effort to bring out your truest, most noble, highest authentic self. Whew!

You may be triggered by the same insecurities like how to “do” social media, whether you are using the right words, design, or promoting the right things.  And, in your process of done by this, you exhaust every option, run out of steam and feel totally discouraged in the process.

You may laugh at yourself if you have a sense of humor, but on a day when you feel ‘less than,’ you just want to cry and quit and wonder what in the world you were thinking about in the first place.

Well, I be been there, and so have countless others.  We do not fe to evolve to greatness without taking the path of experience.

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2. Consistency: Get Up, Dress Up, and Show Up

When I was in high school, a guidance counselor once told me that in order to succeed, I must do my part.  

She was really clear on her 3 step process: "Get Up, Dress Up and Show Up!"  This three lines were strategically posted at the entrance of her door.  

At the time, I was 16 years old and my mother had just passed away.  

It seemed, I was going through all the stages of grief, it seemed, all at once. The last thing I wanted to do was to get up, let alone show up ... ANYWHERE (!!!).

I had deep issues to deal with, alright.  Grief was amongst the many practical items that were at the forefront of my mind. I was also  faced with major issues like where I was going to live, how I was going to support myself, and how I might finish high school, as opposed to dropping out to make a living.  (My mom was pretty much a single parent as I was estranged from my father at the time).

Luckily, my guidance counselor explained that showing up doesn't mean going at it like a bull in a china cabinet.  

Showing up doesn't mean you cannot take time off of "daily life" to deal with deeper issues. Showing up INCLUDES showing up for yourself, full and present.  

To Get Up is to wake up from being caught up with your life.  Get up from your present situation and step outside of yourself, even for a minute to gain perspective.  Even the death of my mom, as devastating as that was for me to experience, when I step outside of my own initial trauma and situation, I realized that her passing is part of the cycle of life.  Yes, I depersonalized.  I had to in order to wake up and Abe functional in my life.

To Dress Up is to accept what I am faced it and deal with it.  Even with grief, I took the time to accept my loss, allowing myself to get out of denial.

To Show Up means to be fully present to life.  Whatever is going on, to be present with it.  Through the willingness to be present, and the courage to be still, I allowed myself to experience the humility of losing a loving parent at a young age.

Consistency in doing that which scares us, to be present to ourselves (or that which we know we need to do), despite our own reluctancy, is how to show up for ourselves.  In many times, this is even more challenging than simply physically and literally be present.

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3. Speak Your Truth: Sound Your Own Voice - not an echo

When we show up for ourselves, we work through issues and patterning that misleadingly tell us that we cannot, or should not or ought not.

We fin dour way through the darkness as we work through our own difficulties.  In this way, as we walk on a path of intentionally clearing the way for the future, we free ourselves.  It is only in this freedom that we find out OWN voice - what resonates true to our soul.

No longer do we echo what others have said, we own our opinion, our voice, our experience, and thus, our life.  In the recognition of acceptance of all the we are and all that we are not, to l love ourselves just as we are:  good, bad, indifferent, for what we have done, and what we have not done, we then can stand firmly on our own AWESOME.

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Three Questions to Dive Deeper

Take a few moments to write down the answers to these three questions.  You may need to (and WANT TO) find some time to find quiet so you can hear your heart's answer (not your ego's answer) to these.

Answering these will get you through the complexity of deciding who you are on social media; Who You are as a brand so stand out from the crowd.

1. Who am I?
2. How am I Showing Up?
3. What am I saying that TRULY resonates on a soul level?

Remember that you are an original:  Unique, unrepeatable, and totally awesome!

What is your take away here?  What one thing will you do today to get right with yourself so you are being authentically YOU??