I wouldn’t’ normally expect to find His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama quoted in the likes of the International Business Times, but nowadays the Tibetan sage is called upon everywhere for sound advice. And if social-media consultant Joshua Waldman, owner of Career Enlightenment, has it right, his advice may also be a shot in the arm for your Twitter strategy. In “There is No ‘I’ in Your Personal Brand,” Waldman has this to say:

The Dalai Lama said the root of all suffering is thinking about yourself. In Tibetan, the word for pride is literally translated as, “Me, the King” (nga gyal). In contrast, your happiness is proportional to the thoughts you have for other people. It seems the internet would agree with the Dalai Lama. In  a recent study done by Dan Zarella, the more someone uses words like, “I,” “me” or “my” the less Twitter followers they have (see below). Another study also suggested “you” is the most retweeted word.

Zarrella’s chart above pretty convincingly bears out the advice he offers—and the Dalai Lama’s wisdom, too.

For more of Zarella’s advice, click here.

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