"We're all just trying to do our best and figure our shit out."
It's easy to look at someone else's life from the outside and think it looks perfect. It's easy to compare ourselves to others and judge our choices and milestones based on this comparison. In an age of perfectly crafted online presences and expertly filtered photos, it can often look like the whole world is accomplishing more than you, looking better than you, and generally doing better at life than you.
Right? It's not just me?
Now, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to put your best foot forward, creating an aspirational social persona, or using others as a means of healthy motivation. I'm talking about when it crosses that line. That line that shifts the conversation in our heads from good to not so good.
Yea, you know these voice I’m talking about.
These voices can be loud and they can be cruel, chipping away at our confidence until there’s nothing left but paralysis or defeat. If bad enough, they can stand in our way from pursuing the things we want in life, from trying something new, from making a friend or finding love.
The truth is though, this is an illusion, an assumption. The truth is, none of us have it totally together 100% of the time. Seriously, everyone’s got their shit.
Say it with me, “everyone’s got their shit.”
One day we’re on the top of the world and others we’re just trying to keep our head above water. Even when we recognize this, we don’t always believe it. We believe the lies we tell ourselves. We assume that just because a person has a smile on his or her face, it means they’re succeeding. We assume that when someone is successful, it happens overnight. We don’t see the work. We don’t see the pain or journey lingering underneath the sunny surface.
So, we judge. Or we spiral. Or we give up. Slapping on our own happy face and proceeding like everything’s fine. But this just detracts from having real conversations that move us forward as people. We’re human, but human isn’t perfect. And there’s so much beauty in the imperfections and figuring things out in in our own way. There’s depth in being human. To getting up every day, doing our best, and trying to leave the world a little better than we found it. And if we don’t? There’s always tomorrow.
I don’t have all the answers. I definitely don’t know everything. But I am endlessly curious. I want to take the mystery out of things. I want to share the lessons I’ve learned (or am learning), what inspires me, what makes sense to me. I also want to learn from those who are doing amazing things, both big and small, and share their inspirational stories (whether they see themselves this way or not). I want to create support and community to show that we are not alone, in our struggles, in our successes, in our desire to feel connected and understood.
This space is dedicated to generating positivity, building confidence, and exploring personal growth. To rebelling against this "perfect standard” with authenticity. To battling incredible hate and negativity with humanization and empathy.
So, to those who feel the same way, who are on the same journey, or looking for answers to the same questions.
Welcome.
