“If you want to improve your self worth, stop giving other people the calculator” -Tim Fargo This sentence resonates with me. Why do we give others the power to determine our self worth? How do social media, friends, and school play a part? This post we will talk about the great social media challenge. You have to take social media with a critical eye. Is it hard? Yes. Can it be done? Yes. Is it a challenge? Absolutely
You all have so many aspects of your life thrown out there for everyone to see. It feels overwhelming to try and keep up. Will there be times you wish you were at that party? Yes. Does every person on this planet have that time in their lives when being left out happened. Yes. This is part of growing up, the good and the bad. You will get through it all if you keep reminding yourself that you can.
The one lesson I have learned is all of those people you thought you wanted to be; those people who peaked in high school; those are the ones thrown in to the world and do not know how to be a small fish in a big pond. They may have a hard time feeling a sense of belonging because they've never had to look for a group of friends. They are the ones who are at risk for meaningful relationships or they tend to get lost because nobody cares who they were in high school. So all their perfect posts, take a hard look at them. You will eventually notice fake smiles, emptiness, and loneliness. Behind every perfect picture is an imperfect story. It is the imperfect stories that mold and guide us. It is what we do with the imperfections that are important.
An example of this would be family pictures. How many of you take them? I am sure a lot of you know the dreaded family picture time. I know the family pictures I frame in my house or put on holiday cards look so perfect and everyone is smiling but there is a story before the smiling. There is a mother who organizes the clothes and timing for the family and who is screaming for everyone to get ready. There is a child not listening or fidgeting. There is someone who can't find something at the last minute. There is someone yelling to everyone to hurry and smile so we can be done. There is a push when someone is standing in the wrong spot. There is a tight squeeze from one of the parents to get everyone in shape as they sternly say it thru smiling clenched teeth. Then, right before that camera clicks, boom, everyone looks perfect. There is a sigh of relief when it is over and sweating from the fiasco, but that isn't shown. We add filters and enhancements and have everyone look to see which is the best. We don't show the story behind the picture; no we show the perfectly framed picture.
Social media like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Snap give the picture without the story. Because there is no story, you only see the perfect picture. For every perfect picture is a story of imperfection. So what? That is what you have to say to yourself. Do I really need to care about someone I know who is not being truthful about the realities of life? Don't let others imperfect life, or even times when you life is imperfect get in the way of your self concept and your goals. You can persevere through it all.
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