"I wish." "I want." "I need." "Why am I not this way?" "Why am I more that way?"
Sound familiar? I know, because I've been there and I still go there. Yep, you're not the only one. There are a ton of us out there. And you know what? It's sad. Extremely, utterly sad.
We live in this social media engulfed world, one where we constantly put ourselves through this comparison. We always ask why we can't look a certain way, or why we can't have the life of someone else. And we do this comparing ourselves to people that we don't even know.
But let's back up here.
How many people, honestly, do you know that would post an unedited, horribly angled picture of themselves (while perhaps bloated after eating a plate of spaghetti) on their personal Instagrams? Not many at all, if any.
People tend to post when looking their best: best location, clothing, bathing suit, makeup, lighting, angle, filter etc. So this is what we see all of the time when we do not interact with them in person. We don't know others' personalities, their life stories, how they look when they roll out of bed etc. There is so much missing.
Self-confidence is so important, and I am all about posting pictures that make yourself feel happy, but I think it is time for some mind-set switching. We feel good posting a picture on our profiles that makes us happy, but then the happiness only lasts as long as it takes to find yet another picture that makes us feel as though we need to do better. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to live their lives and how to control their social media. I think everyone should post what makes them feel good, especially ones with authenticity. But I truly think what needs to change is how we focus on life as a whole.
We live in a world of "likes" where others' approval is what gives us this short-lived thrill. Our lives revolve around social media, instead of social media just being a small addition to our lives. We were brought into this world with purpose, and that purpose was not to constantly wish we were something else. Social media isn't all bad, but if we don't place our focus on other parts of life that makes us happy, and ways to succeed that don't involve a number of likes, then we will continue to be upset and miss out on the important and beautiful things happening around us in real-time.
So, let's all learn to live in the moment, and to form relationships with the real people around us. And sure, connect with others not close to us either. But as someone once said, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." And certainly, life is not measured by the quality of social media posts, either.
