We live in a very superficial age. Everyday we’re exposed to someone’s ideal image of themselves. Social media has taken a toll on the young, and women in particular. It’s constant bombardment of the best version of people and relationships, in their happiest moments.
It’s simply not real.
I’m grateful to live in a time that allows open expression. But society has taken the opportunities that social media has granted them and dashed in the opposite direction.
We are influenced by influencers. We're herded like sheep. Whether we know it or not, they affect our choices and the content that we elect to share (the content that is meant to represent our individual selves). It’s setting an unattainable goal for perfection, or at least it’s perceived in such a manner. How many of you edit your photos? Or post 1 out of 5 taken? I will absolutely admit that I do.
I was reading a short blog post by Seth Godin, an author and speaker on leadership, entrepreneurship, and transformational thought. He presents the idea of a perfect circle you’ve drawn with a compass. But the closer you analyze this circle, the more magnified its flaws become. Perhaps there was a change in pressure on the compass, or a grain of sand below the paper in which it was drawn. But humans are organic, and we are incapable of creating a perfect circle by means of our hands. A computer program would likely create a more perfect image.
Happiness and confidence are temporary. Grief and anger are temporary. But to grow we must learn to appreciate the everfeeling state in which we exist. Be grateful for your evolving self. Be curious about the multitude of emotions that exist within you. It makes you complex, it allows you to add value to the lives you encounter and those that follow your own.
The point is that we are flawed. But here is the catch.
If we lived in a world where perfection was attainable, uniqueness and authenticity would have no worth. You are here and you can offer something that no other person can. Make an effort to discover what that is. What you’re experiencing is a lesson and an opportunity. Know that and harness every second of it because we are on borrowed time. So choose to make an influence that only you can offer. Whether it touches the lives of a 500,000 or 20, it is significant.
So thanks, for being flawed and owning that story. Share it with me sometime, I’d love to hear it.
~Soph xo
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