The Facebook app has over 7.3 billion downloads on apple and android devices combined. Pretty much anyone you meet on the street has some form of social media. With so much outreach, this tool could be used to bring about much good; however, it is often found to lower the self esteem and mental health of others. So, what can be done to address this impact? I believe that it all starts with a personal desire to change, but as we learn how to use technology righteously, we will be able to see a shift of positive momentum in the way that social media affects its users. What does it mean to use technology righteously? Well as stated earlier, with Facebook alone having over 7.3 billion downloads, the potential outreach of all social media is extremely high. However, the side of social media that causes the downwards slope in self esteem users are experiencing today comes from the content that we are consuming on social media. When we look at someone else and they are doing something that you may never be able to afford, or they may have the perfect body that you try hopelessly to achieve. That is what causes the problem, we compare ourselves to idealized versions of others. When we use social media, often times we forget that people don't post all of their reality, just highlights. Then endless scrolling on social media causes its users to think that everyone is living life way better than them. However, that is not true. After we get that into our heads, it is important that we use social media with a purpose. It is often when we are bored and get on social media that we will find ourselves mindlessly scrolling and getting caught up in comparisons or false realities. Sometimes users find themselves wondering where the day went when they have six hours of screen time on Instagram. When we go onto social media with a purpose in mind: whether to find inspiration, send a message to a friend, or to share an uplifting message on our own account. That is when we will be able to use the power of social media for good. Furthermore, as we monetize our time spent on social media and use it for righteous purposes, we will be able to see a positive shift of momentum in our own lives as well as the lives of those around us. In conclusion, through the development of righteous technological habits, we will be able to use the potential outreach of social media to bring more inspiration to others and grow deeper relationships with those close to us, but it all starts with you.

I don’t know what my life would be like without baseball. I was 4 years old when I first stepped out onto the diamond. That was the beginning of what would be one of the biggest focuses that I would center my life around for the years to come. It’s a game that has helped me to learn diligence, overcome fear, and to fight back in the face of adversity. Through baseball, I learned diligence and what it means to take the time and put in the necessary reps to get better. You’re not going to get better by sitting around but you need to put in the practice. So I did just that, I would show up before practice and take fly balls, I would stay later after practice and hit in the cages. And when I got to high school, I would show up before school to get in extra work in the cages. This helped me grow into a better player as well as develop the mindset for life that I need to put in the work to get the results that I want. Baseball is also a mental game. It’s easy to get into your head. Growing up, I was the coaches kid. That can mean one of two things: that you get favored over all of the other kids, or that you get pushed harder than the other kids. My situation was of the latter. My dad always pushed me harder, and yelled at me more than any of the other kids because he expected more of me. This helped me to dig deep and find myself confident during high pressure situations, I learned how to deal with intensity and perform when needed. In high school I was able to perform at a high level and deliver clutch moments for our team. I will be able to use this in life as high pressure moments are bound to come to all of us and I am confident I will be able to deliver. Finally, baseball can be a heartbreaking game. You can bust your butt and play your hardest but sometimes it just doesn’t turn out the way you want and you lose. When that situation comes, I have learned that instead of sulking in defeat, the best thing we can do is to bounce back and use what we’ve learned from our defeat to become better. Thats what this life is all about, we need to become better. We need to progress and that only comes through learning from our shortcomings. When we take the time to learn from those moments. That’s when we will find joy and prepare ourselves to whoop up on the next team that comes along. To close, I really don’t know what my life would be like without baseball. Ever since I was 4 years old it’s been one of the main focuses of my life. But what I do know is that if I had never ran onto that diamond at 4 years old. I wouldn’t even be close to where I’m at today.