In this day and age, success seems to be defined as how many likes you get on your last picture or how many people comment how amazing your Instagram is. The first thing we do when we are introduced to someone is find their social media and make a judgement on how aestically pleasing their life appears. Don’t get me wrong, I am completely a culprit of this. I even look at my own Instagram profile and pick out all the things I would change if I could go back to that post and just add a little more light to the photo or make a slightly different face.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about why we do this or what the purpose of it is. Why do we put ourselves in this spotlight and expect to have the perfect “Instagram-worthy” lifestyle? Who even created the idea of “Instagram-worthy”? I really wish I had a definite answer to this question, but I don’t. What I do know is that everyone needs to come to their own conclusion of how they define their self-worth. It should be stemmed from their own values, not from the ideals of the people around them.
Something I like to do when I’m feeling less than or not sure if a post is “cool enough” to add to my profile is picture myself as the only person on Earth. Not a single other person is around, just me. How do I feel? What would I do? The answers to these questions should be consistent with how I live my life. It’s a pretty easy way to know that I am truly doing things that will make ME happy and not other people. That is the secret to self-worth. Stop comparing yourself to others and looking to others for validation, rather, see your own worth and determine it for yourself. A little disclaimer: I don’t want it to come off like I hate Instagram or having a beautiful feed because I can fully appreciate when someone has put time into their profile. My point is that self-worth should stem from how you feel when you look at your profile, or look in the mirror, not a comment on a photo. Don’t let other people’s profiles or decisions convince you that yours is not correct or “cool” enough. Stay you!!