Just be yourself!
Social media is great for so many reasons, it’s great to connect with old friends, update family members, post photos! It’s even greater for business’s like me, to be able to share my work with an audience for free! It’s definitely part of how my business got of the ground.
But there’s also negatives. Some of which are no ones fault, they are just down to plain old doubts and insecurities. So much of what we see can be perceived as something different than what it truly is. I love looking at so many people’s instagram posts, love insta stories, seeing what people are up to, but I totally struggle to post my own stories.
‘But what if people don’t like what I do or say!’ I used to be a bit of a people pleaser, I kinda don’t like to let anyone down. This has been one of my silly struggles, even from when I was young. I remember being 18, mum and dad away at the caravan and me & heather, my younger sister, at home doing our own thing. Heather convinced me to get the top of my ear pierced! ‘Sure it will be cool!’ I knew my mum would kill me, I mean she was crazy about things like that (she still is) but I thought, come on your 18! Do it! To cut a long story short, it lasted less than 24 hours! It was firmly removed by mothers tightly gripped hand! (Safe to say my ear is still intact)
But this year for sure I have grown up & out of that. (I’m 29, it’s taken me a while) Sometimes people pleasers, or plain old nice people can be taken advantage of, and dropped in a second! They can also be easily hurt but yet they’d never hurt you back.
Social media sometimes can make you feel crazy things! Make you covet more things, make you wish you looked more like her or could afford more Zara clothes. Make you wish you were a ‘better mum’ (whatever that is), your child would sleep better, feed more or put more weight on like all those other cute kids with the rolls. Make you wish you could build your own home, even a slightly bigger house than yours would do, make you feel you need to have thousands of followers or hundreds of likers.
But comparison my friends is the greatest ‘thief of your joy’. Why because when we compare our lives to someone else’s, the joy gets sucked out & the depressing feelings get drawn in. But listen! You are unique!! There’s actually no one identically like you, even if you are a twin. No two people are exactly the same.
I definitely believe we are all created for a purpose. I believe that God created each of us uniquely with a job in mind, a gift to use.
So if God gave me that gift, if God made me in his image, no one else like me, then why am I so hung up on how many people like my posts on social media. Wondering why I’m not getting more likers & why everyone follows her & not me! Should I be more like her? No! Just be you!
The reality of everything is, life is tough & it’s more important to be present in your own life than worrying about how someone else’s life looks. Life is a wonderful journey! You have been gifted in some shape or form, by God, so why not use your gift for a greater purpose! Whether it’s staying home to raise your kids, adopting someone’s else’s kids, caring for your husband, teaching children, comforting or counselling, making or mending, whatever your calling, DO IT WELL! Don’t be the same, don’t try to compare yourself to others, be yourself, do your thing, worship Jesus with your gift!
You don’t need Instagram hearts to say how amazing you are! You just are you! Rock at it!
Even as I re-read what I’ve written to encourage you, I know maybe 20 minutes later, you or I will be back on social media struggling not to feel inferior or compare ourselves! The struggle is totally real & I get that, I’m in there with you! Plus it’s not just limited to social media, it’s meeting up with people, talking to people, looking at other people at the gym, all of it can lead us to compare.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”. I love the word lavished in this verse from 1 John 3:1, meaning to ‘give in great amounts’, he constantly gives us his love, pours it out over us in great amounts!
If anything, please just remember you are loved & created for purpose! Even if you haven’t found yours yet!
(Said with all the love & genuine care)