The truth behind the highlights | Virginia Wedding Photographer Sarah Houston Photography
Social Media can be SO toxic. It leads us to think that we need to be a part of something wonderful in order to actually BE wonderful. We spend countless hours on social media-putting ourselves out there, then we spend what little we make off of our dreams on things we think will make our dream bigger, brighter and better than we can imagine. It's this vicious circle of trying to make it but spending to much on "making it" that your just scraping by. I'm there my friends. I want to always be "in", I want to make sure I'm not missing out and I want so badly to "Keep up with the Jones's" that I'm driving myself further and further into debt-which in turn is taking me farther and farther from my dream. In a world of "Highlight Reels" it's so hard to remember the truth....that the person you think you need to keep up with is much more successful than you'll ever be. That's just it- what you are seeing is a HIGHLIGHT reel. You're not seeing that Susie just ate ramen noodles for a whole month so she could buy that new lens, or that Karen sold a bunch of her things so she could attend some amazing workshop. Let's be real y'all....that Elephant does NOT wear a flower crown all the time. These are just the good things, the pretty things no one posts the real because it just doesn't fit. Reality has no place in the world of creatives.
I believe in honesty. My Grandma "Mimi" raised me with the belief that honesty was the most important attribute you could have. Granted I can be a little TOO honest and share more then I should about things....but at least I know I am transparent. What you see is what you get. I don't style my coffee with flowers in the morning for instagram because guess what....I usually down it in 5 seconds while trying to rush my kid out the door for school. I don't have time to pull out a whiteboard...add some ribbon and fresh flowers for my oatmeal that I only have 2 minutes to eat because I have more important things to do that day. Seriously WHO actually sits and eats oatmeal surrounded by pretty ribbon and flowers....be real y'all you know your house is a wreck and you just hit the "square" option on your camera to crop out the mess. I get it though, the world loves to see the pretty, but the lie is setting us all up for failure-IF we don't remember the truth. The truth is you don't have to keep "keeping up", you don't have to style every.single.thing in your life-because LIFE is messy. Be real with yourself and others...eat your oatmeal instead of putting a tutu on it.
I guess what I am trying to say is: I know it's hard...you're scrolling through and you see all the amazing things everyone around you are doing. You think you'll never be able to do those things, but you can-in your own way YOU CAN do something amazing. You first need to realize that their highlights are just that and nothing more. Next start paving your own path to success-because success is going to be different for us all. Lastly- don't be discouraged as hard as it is I am telling you comparison will rob you of your joy. I have spent way to much time dwelling on what others were doing that I hender MY OWN success. Start living for you & stop living for what everyone else is.
xoxo
Sarah
