Anthony Patterson, 19, uses the power of words and technology to reach others in hopes to inspire them to pause daily and get a different perspective on life.
The Sacramento, Calif., native, and USF St. Petersburg junior mass communications major, started his project Morning Texts, based on the inspirational messages at the end of Rev Run’s TV show “Run’s House.”
He wanted to share his thoughts with those close to him. Then he put his own spin on it—sending inspirational messages to people he does not know.
He started the project in November 2010, and it’s grown into more than he can fathom.
“I never imagined it would be as big as it is,” Patterson said.
Starting September 6, Patterson will text his inspirational messages to approximately 225 people, five days a week. With the help of publicity on Facebook, the revamped program has reached its highest numbers yet.
With an abundance of social media tools, Patterson chose text messaging to reach his followers because it is “the lesser of all evils,” he said.
He did not think he would reach a high number of readers, and Twitter’s 140-character limit was too restrictive. Patterson wants to reach as many people as possible and he feels the best way is via texts because “everyone has a phone,” he said.
If a person is interested, the option is right at their fingertips.
“A text is more personal than I ever imagined,” Patterson said. He believes when a recipient of a Morning Text reads Patterson’s text message, they will understand the message is personal and meant for them. Although the messages are sent to more than 100 other people, Patterson tries to personalize it a little by sending more than one message.
“I respond to everyone who replies,” Patterson said.
Patterson’s new Facebook page has garnered the support and encouragement of his friends.
Patterson’s morning text message content comes mostly from his own thoughts. Sometimes he uses a quote or another person’s though, like a line in a song or a Mark Twain saying. He uses others’ words to facilitate an idea he wants to share with other people.
The text messages usually come in about three separate messages. Patterson sees his project as “more of a service than just writing,” he said.
The meaning behind the messages is something for people to think about. Sometimes the texts have challenges, which both inspire the recipients to form different ways of thinking and help them gain different perspectives, he said.
The outcome of Patterson’s endeavor has surprised him but “I knew it could work,” he said. “Something would happen for someone, even if it did good for even one person.”
It takes about an hour to send the messages to all the recipients, but Patterson enjoys impacting people.
The inspirational messages are for people of all ages.
“I want people to know that it is for everyone,” he said. “A 70-year-old man could be affected the same way as a 7-year-old girl.”
Some messages are more relevant to certain individuals than others, but Patterson researches his topics, whether it is history, language or something else.
About 70 percent of the recipients are women, who respond most frequently. But when men respond, their messages are “more in-depth,” Patterson said.
To learn more about the project, visit “Anthony’s ‘Morning Texts’ of Inspiration” on Facebook or send Patterson a phone number to send the texts to apatter4@mail.usf.edu.
Photo by Lexy Parr
