It seems like every time we open a social media site, there is a new perfect-looking photo or post thrown into our faces. Whether the photos are heavily edited or not, which they usually are, they sometimes have the effect of making us feel inferior or self-conscious about ourselves. It's easy to open up Facebook and instantly begin to feel like your minor accomplishments aren't at all comparable to the major things everyone else seems to be doing. How did we let our lives become so invested in the opinions of people clicking the "like" button? So, it's time to stop. Stop trying to post things with the intent of collecting as many "likes" or "comments" as possible. Stop feeling guilty because your achievements aren't always as big as others. We've got to stop trying to impress people in general, and here are three reasons why:
1. It's a waste of time
I can't really speak for the next person, but in my opinion, spending time worrying about what my followers think of me isn't my idea of fun. Taking the time to edit the perfect photo with the perfect caption and post it at the perfect time has somehow become the norm. I believe social media was created in order for people to share their lives with friends and loved ones, but it's become a time-consuming popularity contest, and whoever gets the most "likes" wins. Don't focus so much time and attention giving the appearance of a happy life, when you could actually live one.
2. You already impress people
There's a reason why your friends and family have stuck around: you already impress them! If your friends are really your friends, the social media presence you maintain should have no impact on their opinions of you. Your friends and family love you for the person you are, not the amount of "likes" you receive or your amount of Facebook-worthy achievements. Chances are, they are still going to love you whether you get three "likes" or three thousand. These are the people we must focus on. These are the people worth caring about, not thousands of practically invisible others represented by a small heart symbol on a screen.
3. You'll feel happier
With constant exposure to perfect-seeming people with perfect-seeming lives, it can be easy to let yourself feel extremely below-average. What everyone seems to forget is that people usually only post the best aspects of their lives online. No one has a perfect life and no one is exempt from having the occasional bad day, but not everyone gives that impression on social media. Only after you've stopped trying to compete with everyone's best selves, will you realize that your life is actually amazing, bad days and all. As the line from "The Breakfast Club" goes: "You ought to spend a little more time trying to make something of yourself and a little less time trying to impress people." Trust me, you'll feel happier for it.
