You might be living life and feeling pretty confident…until you check your social media accounts.
Then you see those friends (more like acquaintances) with their seemingly perfect lives.
You scroll through your feed and see their perfectly dressed children in matching clothes. Their houses are always clean, with Pinterest perfect homemade décor adorning the walls.
And then the photos start to pop up of their summer vacation destinations. Trips to the beach with perfect purple and orange sunsets, ocean waves glaring bright blue with a seaside dinner for two on the beach, complete with hashtags #blessed and #bestlifeever.
You scroll through, secretly full of envy wondering how they have their life “so together” when your life is “so not.”
Your house is a mess. Dishes are piled high and clothes are thrown everywhere. You can’t even remember when you last took a vacation. In fact, it’s probably been too long since you have even washed your hair.
The Illusion Of Perfection
But behind the “Instagram Perfect” life of your friend is the reality you don’t often see.
That friend who posted the perfect sunset picture spent an hour editing it to get just the right filter and glow. The romantic dinner on the beach ended up with fighting, both people going to bed angry at one another.
And your friend…with the “perfect life” is actually miserable.
So many of us spend hours and hours trying to create a presence on social media to give off the illusion of a perfect life, that we are missing out on living the gift of life.
One woman opened up and shared in a real way, that more than anything she just wanted to live an authentic life.
Scary Mommy reported:
“I don’t want to show you how perfect my life looks. I don’t want something I can filter and edit for highlights and shadow. I want something real to hold onto. I want the solid ground under my feet: time with real friends, a solid relationship with my husband, happy children. You can’t snap that pic, filter it up, and make it insta-worthy.
But I crave it more than any vacation. More than magical experiences that would make you drool: gorgeous vistas, children in seersucker, adorable selfies, sunsets over lakes.
Give me something I can’t put on a screen. Give me something I can’t point to, something I can’t hold. Give me something real.”
The Beauty Of Reality
Living a life of reality means taking the good with the bad.
And honestly, not everyone needs to experience every sacred moment you live.
Some moments are sacred and special, and you need to just live them, instead of posting them.
And when you do decide to post, consider posting life like it actually is.
Messy and beautiful all at the same time.
We all know life can be chaotic and not always “Instagram worthy.”
But in the moments of chaos is often where we can appreciate life to the fullest.
When our children cuddle up next to us at night, suddenly the fact the laundry is piled high doesn’t matter.
Likewise, a simple afternoon ice-cream date with a friend means way more than an overpriced vacation to a place you didn’t actually want to visit anyways.
Live An Unfiltered Life
If you’re out to dinner with a friend and allow your food to get cold because you spent 10 minutes trying to take the perfect photo – then you have a problem!
Our time should be spent with those we love, not trying to impress a group of people, many of whom we barely speak to.
So ladies, live your life to the fullest and embrace the authenticity of life.
That’s not to say you should never post online.
Feel free to take photos and share away.
But don’t be sucked into the social media competition, nor feel depressed when it seems like your life isn’t measuring up to everyone else.
Chances are, your friends are probably feeling the same way when they see your photos.
You can even be bold and post a photo of your true reality, messy house and all.
And I’m sure those who see the photo of your “messy house” can relate more than you realize, and feel a sense of relief that they aren’t the only ones who don’t have a “perfect life.”
Perfection isn’t real, and it’s not attainable.
Strive to live an authentic life and you won’t need a filter to showcase the best moments.
(h/t Better Change Project)