Life Lessons from Pinterest

So, I joined Pinterest earlier this week. In a week where I felt very bogged down by minutiae at the office, and needed a mindless outlet, the online corkboard proved to be just the ticket. It helped me relax and do something non-strenuous, non-academic, purely unnecessary. And I love it for that.

But something interesting happened as I got lost in recipes, inspirational sayings, and sooo many cute shoes. I started to see my series of boards (named for verbs- eat, wear, move, inspire, create, and read) as ME.

What image of myself am I presenting in these boards where I spend time "pinning" things that stick out?

You are more than welcome to go look- but I can sum it up: A well-dressed, positive, healthy and consistently thoughtful person. And in presenting that image, it makes me want to hold myself accountable to the images that I find significant.

One of the images that I pinned came from a former professor and professional inspiration, Regina Young Hyatt:

Source: Uploaded by user via Amma on Pinterest

In my mind, this is the goal that I have in "living what I pin". If it says that I'm active, I want to work to stay active. If I present myself as well-kept, I want to fight the urge to not iron, quickly throw my hair up, and take good care of myself. And if I preach positivity, I want to make sure that I'm doing what I can to stay uplifted, and to lift up those around me.

Are there bad aspects of Pinterest? Maybe. Like other social networking/procrastination tools, I want to work on using them in moderation (And in truth, the pinning I've done the last few days makes it look as though I've been using it for months). But I also want to use it as an inspiration, as a guide, as a reminder.

What about you? Will you join me in my quest to "live what you pin"?