In a world that is dominated by digital inventions and social media, it is very easy to create illusions out of everything. People living in this age are 10 times more likely to develop anxiety and mental illnesses because of the illusions of social media.
Social media has given everyone a platform to freely speak, to freely edit their appearance and worst of all, to freely lie. Despite the knowledge that social media promotes façade out of everything, we still believe what we see on other people’s profiles.
It is very important to remember that things are not always as they seem. Financially and career-wise people do not really have everything figured out. It is very important to note that although it is absolutely fine to draw inspiration from successful people on the internet, it is wrong to put oneself under pressure to reach their level overnight.
It takes hard work, discipline and a strategic work ethic to maximize one’s success. The big question that is still unanswered is, how does one avoid to deal with the anxiety caused by the display of other people’s success on social media?
The first key is TRUTH.
In the daring words of Steven Furtick, “It is impossible to be completely blessed if the version you present to the world is the pretending version of yourself.” Most times, we rather fake where we are than tell the truth that we are in fact struggling. It is easier to make people think we are absolutely happy when we know that we are not where we wish we could be.
Despite all of this, we pretend and fail to realize that the more we pretend, the slower we are to actually start doing the work that will allow us to succeed. The first domino we need to knock down is that of telling ourselves the truth.
The bitter truth that we are not where we know we could be. The bitter truth that we do not know where to start in rebuilding the pieces of who we used to be. The bitter truth that we wish we could have done ‘x’ or ‘y’ differently. It is not necessary to tell everyone your truth, but it is absolutely essential to tell yourself the truth and forgive yourself for not being there yet.
The second key is to DEAL WITH ONESELF.
Sometimes we tend to overwhelm ourselves by setting huge goals that need more time and discipline. After you tell yourself the truth, you need to look around you and evaluate the habits that you have that hinder you from maximizing your full potential. It could be procrastination, low self esteem, lack of discipline, and many others.
Your task will now be to work on these habits by either talking to someone who is good at the things you are bad at or reading a self-help book. Remember, you can never reach your full potential if you do not prune yourself to become better. Consider yourself as a project for one month and work on your habits. In no time, you will serve the best version of you to the world through your craft.
The last key is RESEARCH.
Most times, people fall short because they do not know what exactly a certain career path of field of study entails. It is relatively easy to google the salary you will get working a particular job. However, the reason we are so depressed is because we never familiarized ourselves with the challenges of a career or field of study.
Instead of finding the benefits of something, look for how it will challenge you everyday. If your intention is to start a business, do not just think of the profits, think of the losses too. If something takes more from you than it will give, LEAVE IT!
Final Thoughts
In all honesty, that social media life that people live should never pressure you into anxiety of not being good enough. The next time you feel anxious because someone made it and you haven’t, say these words out loud,
- “I WILL NOT COMPARE MY CHAPTER 1 TO SOMEONE’S CHAPTER 20”
- “LIFE IS NOT A RACE I NEED TO WIN QUICKLY, IT IS A JOURNEY I NEED TO LEARN FROM’’