It is hard to find your place in this ever changing and ever expanding world we live in. Social media can spread news like a literal wild fire while constricting everything it touches inside the arms of its straightjacket. Because it sets unrealistic expectations everyone is encouraged to attain, there is a certain mold every female is supposed to fit in. “Goals” exist, and I don’t mean career or life goals, but rather beauty and relationship goals. The spoon of superficiality is being fed to each and every one of us, and we take it unknowingly and only fall further into the pits of envy and insecurity. How is one expected to feel adequate when they constantly have access to view people who seem to have it “so much better?” Maybe the old saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” needs to be rephrased.
As millennials, stereotypes are continually formed against us. We are sought out to be selfish, self-centered, and entitled. Our faces are constantly searching for answers to problems within our phone, TV, and computer screen. But society is partially to blame. Growing up, we have become so accustomed to praising wealth and fame that we dismiss the beauty of humble beginnings and empowering overcomers. This life isn’t about what society is jamming down our throats. Life is simply about living your own.
Society tells us that in order to be happy and self-fulfilled we must obtain these “goals.” I, for one, am sick and tired of seeing people deeply longing for a different life. Young girls crave unrealistic bodies admired in magazines while young women continually struggle to see their worth in the mirror. You don’t have to have the picture perfect relationship to be happy. You don’t have to have the body of your dreams to be happy. You don’t have to have the hottest trends in your closet to be happy. Happiness has been misplaced in hands it never belonged in. Your happiness lies within your own life and your own hands. It is time to understand happiness is a mindset and a choice.
In order to be content, you need to learn to recognize who you are beyond society's viewpoint. You are the only you in this entire world, this entire galaxy, and this entire universe. And I wonder, do you even realize how special you are? Do you? Do you know how truly unique you are? It would be such a shame for you to long to step in the shoes of someone else, because your own would never be refilled. There isn’t a person, place, or thing that can ever replace you and the individuality you bring to this world. You are your own kind of beautiful. You are your own kind of “goals.” And, as the great Dr. Seuss said himself, “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is youer than you!”
There is a huge difference between admiration and aspiration. So please, I beg of you to acknowledge this distinction. Admire the world around you and all it has to offer, but don’t place all your aspirations to achieve only the surface level achievements broadcast through social media. Enjoy what your life has to offer and live it to its fullest potential. After all, the only limits you face are the ones you set for yourself. So bask in the light of knowing there is and will only ever be one you. Life is an adventure, so love the one you lead. Stop looking for society’s appraisal and approval. Be your own life’s judge. And, if you ask me, I prefer the grass on my side of the fence.
