Why I Take Selfies.

If you follow anyone on any social network these days, it's selfie city.
 

 
I am 100% in support of The Selfie.

Why?

Because I am an advocate, ambassador, lover, and enthusiast of -- The Selfie.

Some folks would say that they go into nature to expel technology (if just for a 2 hour hike) from their lives. I get that.

We won't go into ways you can daily expel technology from you life right now. (Don't sleep with your phone in the room, keep the phone put away at the dinner table, leave the phone in your bag more often, etc.).

You may notice on my Instagram or Facebook accounts, most of the pictures I post are taken by me, of me.

"Oh, she's so vain...always taking photos of herself."

"Isn't it about the moment? Why take so many selfies?"

....are a couple statements hurled my way. *Shrug.*



Let me clear one thing up: I definitely do not go hiking for the photos. I have hiked with a couple people who do this and kind of get bummed because once they take a photo, they're ready to go. They don't know how to enjoy what they just photographed.

Have you seen Walter Mitty? The scene where he finally meets up with Sean O'Connell, just as he is about to snap a photo of the tiger -- and then he doesn't take the photo.

Why not? Sean says:
"If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it."


I totally teared up when I saw that part of the movie, because I know exactly what he is talking about. 
....that is why I hike. Why I travel. Why I take a walk. Why I get to know myself. 
It's all about the moments. They are everything. 
So, then, why all the selfies? 

When I learned that my purpose in life was to inspire others,  I first had to grow up a bit in the way of caring what others thought. I started sharing my words from the heart, without holding anything back, and taking photos that matched the words or vice-versa. I became extremely honest with myself so that I could be extremely honest with others. 

Instagram was the best place for me to start. Hilarious, right? 

At the time, I had a job that sucked the time and life from my life, and was also (still am) a loner who preferred more me-time than us-time, we-time, etc., and so social media became my platform to interact with people. 

Writers write autobiographies, painters paint self-portraits, and so do photographers.

I have always loved photography, and know I have a decent eye for framing and editing, so I chose to use that gift for my purpose: to inspire others. 

Enter: the GoPro + trekking pole combo = perfect selfie setup on the slopes or hikes! ;)

By telling my story, I can show others that they are not so far away from their own stories. By taking selfies and then including my thoughts when the photo was taken, or random thoughts having nothing to do with the photo, I am sharing my story. 

It changes others' perception of what they can or can't do, because I have a public timeline of where I've been and people can tag along with where I am. 

Even I find myself flipping through old selfies and remember what I was thinking and how I felt when I snapped the selfie. It is very nostalgic and also shows me how far I have come. 

I can't believe in less than a year all the things I have done. If I had not taken selfies, I would probably still remember them, but I get to visually recall them and that is so much more vivid and meaningful to me! 

Seriously - I love The Selfie.