I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what success means to us. Is it a nuclear family and a solid median household income? Is it travelling the world and learning new languages? Is it spending time with friends and writing your book? And if it isn’t one of these things – is that a failure?
There are so many paths to take at every point in our unique adventures. People in my life are pursuing dreams bigger and smaller than mine, but that absolutely doesn’t mean that any of us are doing this wrong.
It can feel terrifying to compare yourself to the folks on your Instagram feed. Some might have a Masters, a new family, a house, a beautiful wedding, a cool job. If you’re comparing notes with people on social media, it’s no wonder you feel like you don’t stack up.
When was the last time you shared a post online about something awful that happened to you? Probably never. And why would anyone else? In fact, maybe someone looks at your perfectly curated life online and thinks that you’ve got it all. We’re all in on this charade together.
Live your life in whatever way you’re happy with. There’s no how-to manual on navigating the rest of your life. We’ll all get there in the end. Take your time. Have fun along the way. Turn off your wifi sometimes.
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love,
ELLE
good post. i can tell ya it was far easier to write something dark than something that is fluff – on th e up and up, though it took me a quite awhile to write fluffy stuff. one thing i can tell ya from an earlier time period i tried to fit in rather than identifying with myself. identifying with myself means not have to compare myself to those that have far more in accumalations in the mainstream cream.
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So true, Elle. “There’s no how-to manual on navigating the rest of your life. We’ll all get there in the end. Take your time. Have fun along the way.” One real way to do that is to “Turn off your wifi sometimes.” I’m outta here! Enjoy the sunshine. Go help someone.
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Good post. I read somewhere that some group somewhere on social media, and it’s effect on self-esteem. It’s terrible for our self-esteem.
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This has been a theme in my internet consumption today. Started the day with a new Francina Simone video on YouTube about this, ending it with your post. Have a good night everybody! Dream forward!
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Nice Article, and true too. Social media can be a problem if you’re the type of person who compares yourself to others, because like you said, no one posts anything bad. Being the person you can be and waking up everyday getting whatever it is you want out of life in the best version of yourself..that’s what’s important. Everything else will fall into place. 💕
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