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This morning, as I was getting my ass kicked by my trainer, he casually dropped a bomb on me that I didn’t expect.
“So… You’ve been the mayor of 99 Cent Pizza for quite a while, huh? Ever think about giving that mayorship up?”
As I was removing the weight that I dropped on my foot in surprise, I was shocked to find out that my trainer was following me on FourSquare. He knew I was not only the mayor of 99 Cent Pizza, but of Claudio’s Pizza, as well. I could have SWORN I’d blocked him.
Whoops. The rest of my workout was spent lifting in shame. I had no idea that he knew I was on FourSquare, or that he even followed my checkins. More importantly, though, it showed me that even when you least expect it, you’re being tracked. Even if you don’t think you’re being tracked, you’re being tracked. The funniest part is that I’m the guy who runs around telling people you have to be transparent, you have to understand that your world is constantly under the public eye, there is no privacy anymore, etc… And yet, I let my fat, pizza-loving ass get caught at not ONE, but TWO pizza places. Amateur move, Peter. Amateur move.
But, this led me to a positive thought in this whole embarrassing situation. Is it possible that those of us who enjoy using GPS-enabled social apps (and have a fear of getting caught) have a better chance of sticking to a diet due to the simple concept that we’re living our lives more publicly as those who don’t, if we know we’re being tracked by the right people? I’m not talking about posting a blog like I did last year about my weight loss, but rather, using the tools given to us via mobile tech.
Over the next month or so, I’m going to focus on gaining mayorships at somewhat healthier places, like Energy Kitchen and the like. I’ll also try to gain a mayorship at one of the gyms at which I work out. Perhaps keeping it public will produce a “Jared-like” effect – If he’s only eating a six-inch sub 3x per day, he’s gonna have to lose weight. If I’m focused on gaining mayorships at places that are healthy, perhaps I’ll become a bit healthier, too.
Just another way in which social media can possibly help us stick to our personal goals. What other ways are you finding that social media helps you stick to your goals? Let us know.
