I’ve always struggled with worrying what other people think of me. But who hasn’t? (Well if you haven’t speak up; I want to know your secret). If I’m being honest, I think that might be one of the reasons I’m so positive on social media. Okay, yes, I’m largely a positive person; I’ve been “criticized” for being too optimistic… but part of it is, yes, I’m trying to focus on the positive, because that’s what I want more of in my life.
My life isn’t all sunshine and daisies, but it is what I want to remember when Facebook reminds me, years down the road, what I was doing on this day, X number of years ago. It’s why I do affirmations. I want the positivity; give me all the positivity! (Affiliate links included).
But I’ve also been realizing more and more (Brene Brown has helped me with this, as has therapy) that life is not all sunshine and daisies and skipping and singing on tune. Sometimes there’s some anger. Sometimes anxiety. Sometimes worry. And that’s okay! That’s life… that’s all of our lives.
Life is never going to be “picture book perfect,” no matter how it may look online and on social media. Social media is full of “zoomed in” moments that often show us at our best. We show what we want to show. We show what we want people to see in us. And there’s good in that; I have no doubt about that.
But I think the problem comes in when we try to crop out the “mess,” both literal and figurative and, in real life, ignore it or pretend it’s not there. And then when we see those zoomed in moments that others share online, we sometimes forget that people are only showing us a part of their lives. Life is messy. Life can be hard. Life isn’t always fair.
So I’m making a pledge, right here and now, on this blog to be more open and honest and real and raw and vulnerable. To live life less “zoomed in” and more “full picture.”
I know there might be some criticism of this “pledge” of mine. (Then again, people can find a way to be critical of just about anything, am I right?) I recognize that we don’t NEED to put it all out there on social media; I recognize that we live in a culture of over-sharing, and social media can feed that.
But with social media, it’s easy to see the highlight reel. It’s easy to see all the roses and daisies… but I named this blog “Oops and Daisies” for a reason. There can be so much good in life, but please know, if you’re going through something, chances are? You’re not alone… no matter how it may look when you scroll through your Facebook feed.
So get ready, dear readers, I’ll be sharing more of my ups and downs, more of my daisies, but more of my oops too.
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Want to learn more about living life more “full picture”? Here are some of my favorite self-development books related to this blog post:
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way we Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are By Brene Brown
You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon
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Nice post. Also i like how thr article came first with request for contact info after! (On my phone)