Today I’m sharing the 5 things I learned from not having a phone for 5 days. Honestly, I learned a lot more than just 5 things but these were the top ones. As most of you know from Instagram, I recently went to Cabo where my boyfriend and I both lost our phones to the ocean 2 hours after arriving. Long story short, we went for a walk on the beach and put our phones down on this huge rock. For the record, the rock wasn’t that close to the ocean and wasn’t wet. We both had our phones out of our hands for the first time ever and of course, at that time a wave came around the back sweeping our phones and shoes into the ocean. I was able to grab my shoes and phone but the phone was shot and the bf’s phone was long gone. Luckily the shoes were ok. They were the Hermes look-alikes too so I’m glad I at least saved those. So basically we were in Cabo for 5 days without a phone and this is what I learned…
- Take it all in: I feel like I was way more observant without my phone. I have much more vivid memories from the trip and I feel like the days didn’t blend together as much. It kind of makes sense if you think about it though because when you’re on the phone all the time your attention is divided so without that attention being divided, you can focus more on what you’re doing and what’s in front of you.
- Don’t do things for show: Most of the couples at the pool just took photos together then literally did not speak all day. It was so crazy! Why would you want to date someone that you don’t even want to talk to? Like do you even like each other? Is this all for the gram? I get it -the gram is important as in it’s a way to share your life but let me tell you – the life they were sharing was not the life they were living…
- Put yourself first: I didn’t realize how much I was getting pulled in a million different directions until all of it was forced to stop at the same time. Self-care is really important and this was a good reminder to me to take a break and do things for you and not just run around for everyone else. Has anyone heard of the saying that you can’t give to others if you cup is empty? Well, this is exactly what I mean.
- Use your time wisely: The same thing goes for work-related things as well. I realized I needed to prioritize the emails and opportunities that respect what I have to offer as a business. This was also a reminder to me that my time and content is valuable.
- If there’s a will, there’s a way: I’ve been wanting to build a relationship with this one brand in particular and I was so happy when I secured a collab with them. It was a really quick turn around and I actually shot the content the morning that I flew to Cabo, my photographer rushed the photos and I even finished editing on the plane. Well, these were lost with my phone on July 4th with a July 6th deadline. I basically downloaded lightroom, signed into my account to pull the photos and then downloaded my editing apps, etc and just made it work. I had a commitment to a brand and wanted to fulfill my end of the agreement regardless of the situation I was in with my phone. If there’s a will, there’s a way part II: Every single photo posted from Cabo was taken on an iPad. We literally carried around the iPad like it was a child… super cautiously, in a blanket, out of the sun so it wouldn’t overheat, etc just so I could still get content. Let’s all take a second to think about how ridiculous holding up an iPad is for photos. I easily could have been like well, I don’t have a phone so… but I honestly couldn’t imagine myself saying that. I was determined to find a way to at least be taking content if I wasn’t able to post content (two-factor authentication…).
This is a really interesting post for me to write because the majority of my job is based off of social media but like anything in life, too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing anymore. Instagram started as a platform to share your life on, not something to live your life for. Sometimes I think we need to remember that. I love sharing my experiences on social media and it’s a reminder to be true and share what’s going on, experience thing and not just force it.
Let’s get one thing straight though – I love social media. I love its ability to bring people together and how it has allowed me to share my life. There’s nothing that makes me happier than chatting with people who follow What Would Kiki Wear. It’s also so cool to see people from all over come together in the world of Instagram. I’m very grateful to be part of a platform that has connected me to so many wonderful people, opened many doors and have allowed me to inspire others and call it my job.
What I Wore:
