You might wonder from the title what these three have in common. To me…a LOT! I joined a gym a few days ago. After months of knowing I needed to do it, I went to Planet Fitness on the recommendation of some friends and especially Dr. Jen Bennett’s blog (Read it here.) I was taking her Social Media Manager class at the time and was really intrigued by some of the positive aspects that were offered. This blog was intended to show the value of identifying your ideal client…in this case that would be me! I had prayed to have God guide me to the right thing to do.
Looking for a key
I decided if I was going to make this work for me I needed tools to help me. I decided to use social media as one of the key links to my success. I started posting a picture before I start the workout.
This is my virtual check-in with the world. Amazing that just seconds after my very first post I had people (Thanks Jen and Tommy) who were encouraging me! I also post a picture(s) after my work out showing those in the cheering section how far I’ve walked.
Today I figured out how it calculates the calories burned..that was pretty awesome! Need to work on that smile!
Prayer
Yesterday while I was there several of the hanging televisions were showing the recovery of bodies from the terrible AirAsia plane crash. As I watched this unfold my head was filled with song, thanks to my local Christian radio station SpiritFM and I started praying for the families who were lost, praying for the families who await word, and praying for this airline. I also felt the Holy Spirit descend on me. At first I thought I was just getting a little overheated but I knew it was much more than that. I felt the spirit move me to pray for the individuals in the gym. One thing that I think so many of us take for granted is that we are all caught up in our lives. What about those around us? I looked at my clock on the treadmill. I still had 20 minutes to go on the workout. There were about 20 people in the gym. I spent 1 minute praying for each one of these people. We don’t know what the person on the next piece of equipment is going through…have they had the best day of their life or maybe the worst? I know in my life that if I didn’t have the comfort of the Lord along with family and friends encouraging me that I would be very lost. I will continue praying for individuals as part of my spiritual workout. I don’t need these individuals to know that I am praying for them. God is the one that takes care of all of us.
Thanks to you…
Meanwhile, I know many of you are praying for me and how incredible is that? I have my very own cheering squad as I connect with people around the world who take the time to hit that “Like” button on Facebook or Instagram or “Favorite” a Tweet of mine. I will continue carrying my social media torch to prove that can be used in a positive way!
Blessings,
Mary Lu
Connect with me:
Email: marylusaylor@outlook.com
Blog : https://socialmediamarylu.wordpress.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mary.l.saylor
Twitter: @marylusaylor
Instagram: marylusaylor
Mary Lu Saylor is an Emmy-award winning journalist who spent 30 years in the television news business. Her experience includes work as a videographer, newscast video editor, and ultimately as the newsroom Assignment Manager at WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, SC. Mary Lu is currently pursuing her passion of social media, which began during her years at WSPA-TV. She is a Social Media Specialist with FindGreatCompanies.com.
Social Media Mary Lu 
Love the inspiration….thanks for sharing! Great idea to combine social media and the gym…and prayers, too! You Rock!!
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Thank you Kim! We’ll see what other areas we can expand this into! 🙂
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This article was inspiring! I bet that praying for those people in return was a blessing to you because you were distracted so time must have flown by while you were walking! I really would like to implement this into my own life as well. And you become more aware of the world around you rather than being non altruistic. This was a fun, yet heartfelt blog post-thank you! Where did you learn to connect God and faith to your life 24’7?
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Anna, thank you. I sent you an email to answer your question!
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I love how you’re using social media to help you with your goals instead of letting it distract you from them like so many of us do! That’s also great that you are using your time at the gym to pray for those around you. I think when we pray like that it can have effects that we might never find out about until we get to heaven- and perhaps meet some of those very people! May the Lord bless you in your efforts this new year!
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Thank you so much for your kind words Diana. I used to spend a lot of time walking outside taking pictures and posting them afterwards on social media. The challenge always was to find something different especially if you walk in the same place day after day. The challenge is bigger now inside the gym…it’s about being aware! Have a great day!
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Hi Mary Lu! isn’t it GREAT that we have people all over the world – some know us and some don’t – who are cheering us on and really care? Love this article! Thinking how it can be applied other ways – wonderful food for thought!
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Thank you Betsy! Yes, all of it goes back to being aware. When we lived in SC I walked in two different neighborhoods and I would pick houses on each street and pray for the families inside. You never know what is going on and I know I appreciate the prayers of so many! 🙂
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This definitely challenged me. The part about praying for others even those I do not know.
Thanks!
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Thank you! Have a blessed day!
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