This is My Real Life
What a world it is in the whole social media, blogging world.
I know I am not alone in this, in that I compare myself to others all.the.time. Like all the time. In just an every day, non social media world, we compare ourselves to others like its our job. It's crazy how much I do it, and I know other women have to be like me. I pass a girl on the street- I can't just think 'oh that's a cute dress!' I think- "oh that's a cute dress. I wish I had her legs. A dress like that would look terrible on me." Seriously! STOP IT, REBECCA.
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Add in social media and it's just a terrible disease. Everyone else's lives look so put together, and so fun 24/7. Add blogging on top of that and it's even more terrible. You see, as a blogger, you spend a lot of time reading other blogs, following other blogs, commenting on other blogs. That leads to constant comparison. At the top of my mind is always "ugh she has more followers than I do and she started blogging after me! Oh wow their picture got so many more likes on instagram than any of my pictures. What a great post idea-I'm such an idiot for not thinking of that! Why doesn't my living room look as pretty as hers does? That outfit looks a million times better on her than on me. There is NO WAY she looks that perfect all the time. No way!" (Seriously, there are some bloggers I compare myself to all the time and all I can think is that there is no way someone can look that put together all the time. All the time! How is that possible?!?!)
I could go on, and on, and on all day long about what goes through my head! The bad part is, is that it makes me think of what I don't have, what I wish I had, what I wish I looked like, instead of focusing on what I do have and what makes me, me.
Why does this happen???? Because we do this to each other. Right? All of our perfectly staged instagram photos, the perfectly tidy kitchen with the perfect instagram filter, or photo edits make everything look so perfect. It makes us think "well that just looks perfect. Why can't my desk look like that? Why can't my kitchen look like that?" Because their's doesn't either, that's why. We have to remind ourselves that these instagram photos, these blogs posts, or perfectly written facebook statuses are glimpses into someone's life. Just a glimpse. The picture is failing to show you the dirty dishes in the sink, the pile of clothes on the floor. But, in this day and age (does that make me sound old, saying that? Yep. I thought so...) that's what we love to see, right? We love the pretty pictures with the sparkles, and filters, and monogram everything.
Sometimes, when I see these perfectly staged pictures I have to laugh- it makes me think of this commercial....
Totally fitting, right? Looks are deceiving, aren't they? What would our instagram or facebook newsfeeds look like if we were all totally open and honest? As much as I am an open book on my blog, I am definitely guilty of posting (or at least attempting to) the kinds of pictures I know people will want to see. I'm sure you can admit to doing it to, right?
My life is not perfect, it's not filled with monograms, and glitter and perfectly polished nails. I think we all could use a dose of reality! Here is where you come in (whether you have a blog or not)....I am starting a "movement" so to speak- a movement to start sharing the imperfections, realities, the things that make us human and not just a blogger, instagrammer, facbooker, or social media user with the perfect everything!
Starting today, whether you are a blogger, have an instagram account, facebook, etc, share your reality, embrace it, be proud of it, be proud of you. Use the hashtag #ThisIsMyRealLife on all of your social media accounts, whether it be twitter, instagram, facebook, etc.
I will start, of course- the picture above is my reality! The pictures I post on my blog are all carefully selected (I do have a "blooper" folder...my dad keeps bugging me to do a blooper post one day- I will one day!), but that picture is a definite depiction of my family, my 'photo shoots' and my life! I can't help but laugh when I look at it!
Here is more of my reality....
-dishes in the dishwasher that have been washed twice, because it is easier to run them again with a few other dirty dishes rather than unload, load some more and wash. -dog hair on the floor, because with two children, and both working full time, cleaning the floor sometimes doesn't make the cut -our laundry basket is always filled with clean clothes- we take what we need when we need it because sometimes that is easier than putting the clean clothes away. -my nail polish is always chipped...that's just the way it is. -I don't iron, so my clothes are almost always a wrinkled mess. -My home office is not a typical "blogger home office"
#ThisIsMyRealLife
What's your reality? What's your 'real life' every day?
So let's see it....let's see your real life! Don't forget to use the hashtag #ThisIsMyRealLife
Add in social media and it's just a terrible disease. Everyone else's lives look so put together, and so fun 24/7. Add blogging on top of that and it's even more terrible. You see, as a blogger, you spend a lot of time reading other blogs, following other blogs, commenting on other blogs. That leads to constant comparison. At the top of my mind is always "ugh she has more followers than I do and she started blogging after me! Oh wow their picture got so many more likes on instagram than any of my pictures. What a great post idea-I'm such an idiot for not thinking of that! Why doesn't my living room look as pretty as hers does? That outfit looks a million times better on her than on me. There is NO WAY she looks that perfect all the time. No way!" (Seriously, there are some bloggers I compare myself to all the time and all I can think is that there is no way someone can look that put together all the time. All the time! How is that possible?!?!)
I could go on, and on, and on all day long about what goes through my head! The bad part is, is that it makes me think of what I don't have, what I wish I had, what I wish I looked like, instead of focusing on what I do have and what makes me, me.
Why does this happen???? Because we do this to each other. Right? All of our perfectly staged instagram photos, the perfectly tidy kitchen with the perfect instagram filter, or photo edits make everything look so perfect. It makes us think "well that just looks perfect. Why can't my desk look like that? Why can't my kitchen look like that?" Because their's doesn't either, that's why. We have to remind ourselves that these instagram photos, these blogs posts, or perfectly written facebook statuses are glimpses into someone's life. Just a glimpse. The picture is failing to show you the dirty dishes in the sink, the pile of clothes on the floor. But, in this day and age (does that make me sound old, saying that? Yep. I thought so...) that's what we love to see, right? We love the pretty pictures with the sparkles, and filters, and monogram everything.
Sometimes, when I see these perfectly staged pictures I have to laugh- it makes me think of this commercial....
Totally fitting, right? Looks are deceiving, aren't they? What would our instagram or facebook newsfeeds look like if we were all totally open and honest? As much as I am an open book on my blog, I am definitely guilty of posting (or at least attempting to) the kinds of pictures I know people will want to see. I'm sure you can admit to doing it to, right?
My life is not perfect, it's not filled with monograms, and glitter and perfectly polished nails. I think we all could use a dose of reality! Here is where you come in (whether you have a blog or not)....I am starting a "movement" so to speak- a movement to start sharing the imperfections, realities, the things that make us human and not just a blogger, instagrammer, facbooker, or social media user with the perfect everything!
Starting today, whether you are a blogger, have an instagram account, facebook, etc, share your reality, embrace it, be proud of it, be proud of you. Use the hashtag #ThisIsMyRealLife on all of your social media accounts, whether it be twitter, instagram, facebook, etc.
I will start, of course- the picture above is my reality! The pictures I post on my blog are all carefully selected (I do have a "blooper" folder...my dad keeps bugging me to do a blooper post one day- I will one day!), but that picture is a definite depiction of my family, my 'photo shoots' and my life! I can't help but laugh when I look at it!
Here is more of my reality....
-dishes in the dishwasher that have been washed twice, because it is easier to run them again with a few other dirty dishes rather than unload, load some more and wash. -dog hair on the floor, because with two children, and both working full time, cleaning the floor sometimes doesn't make the cut -our laundry basket is always filled with clean clothes- we take what we need when we need it because sometimes that is easier than putting the clean clothes away. -my nail polish is always chipped...that's just the way it is. -I don't iron, so my clothes are almost always a wrinkled mess. -My home office is not a typical "blogger home office"
#ThisIsMyRealLife
What's your reality? What's your 'real life' every day?
So let's see it....let's see your real life! Don't forget to use the hashtag #ThisIsMyRealLife
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