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How many LIKES is my Life worth?

As young individuals, we focus so much of our attention on social media. I don’t think that’s too big of a deal if we doing that for fun; but when we measure our self-worth by how many likes we get on our pictures, then it becomes a problem.

I’ve met so many people ‘in the industry’ but what they lose sight of is, that life is so much more than building your online presence. I’ve come across so many people that try to become cool by association. People become friends in the hope that it will grow their following. Maybe becoming friends with certain people would ignite more brand interest? Maybe they will discovered on a few more company sites or PR lists?

Have you ever stopped to think why we do it? At the end of the day, is it all worth it?

If you feel any sort of pressure to fit in, stand out or just be relevant in the industry then you’re most likely not doing it for an authentic reason. But if you are loving every milestone you reach, enjoying every experience and intrigued by meeting people that are absolutely killing it, then your mind is in the right place.

Let me tell you a little bit about why I state this so confidently…

-Reaching Milestones : When you are able to shut your mind off and stop yourself from comparing yourself to others, then you are doing it for yourself, naturally and not affected by what so-and-so is doing.

-Enjoying Yourself : You actually appreciate the places and experiences you have seen because you got there on your own, through your own capabilities. Not stressed out about the lists you’re not on and the experiences you’ve missed.

-Intrigued by people who are successful (doing what you are striving to) : If you can appreciate and applaud the person next to you, without hate, without shade, without jealously, then you know your mind and heart is in the right place. I’ve met so many people that are too scared to share their successes because others might surpass them. They feel that they have worked too hard to help someone else. Why be kind to a newbie when nobody was kind to you when you started.

I might be a little naive to say this but I honestly have faith that humanity cannot be that shallow! That is possibly the dumbest thing and the hardest thing to have just stated. I am one of those believers, that aim to see the beauty of others, even when they make you doubt they have any good in them at all, but if not for our faith… what do we believe in? With that said, I have been so stupid to believe in so many people when they were so undeserving of even one moment of my time.

I can honestly say that “I am a content creator because it’s the only thing I want to do” not because it’s a nice thing, or a fun thing to do.. even though it is. I am not striving to be anything I’m not or anyone. I am the best at being me, so why would I want to be a “second” anything else?

With all due respect, I do not do this for the approval of others, nor their acceptance. I am not going to make friends with high-profile people because they are high-profile people… but I choose friends because they are good people.

I am not going to portray an image of myself that I do not like.

I AM going to be myself, whether others ‘like’ or approve of me.

I AM going to believe in my beliefs.

I AM going to save my world… even if my world consists of a handful of people who just needed someone to listen to.

I have had many moments where I wanted to be accepted and appreciated by others, but that temporary yearning slowly passed when I realized just how much ingenuity there is around us. I started asking myself questions like ‘How little do I think of myself to allow those people to judge me?” “How much do I think of myself, to actually care about these judgments?”

When people say you are too this, or too that, you need to stop and say to yourself “I AM ENOUGH”

People have taught us that it’s okay for us to hate ourselves.

They have led us to believe that we are too short or too fat because we can’t walk a runway in a bikini… but do we really want to?

They have taught us that we are too imperfect because we have a scar, a mark or a blemish…

They have taught us that people who don’t look like us, has something seriously wrong with them…

They have taught us that if we pray differently, that we are not true believers,

They have taught us that if we can’t afford the lavish things in life, that we are poor!

They have taught us that if we are less than them, because we don’t have the same desires as they do.

First of all Beauty is within… beauty is not a representation of what we look like or how much we weigh.

We appreciate the different colours, shapes and sizes of every other species, but our own? seriously??

What we believe in, and how we pray is a special unique bond between us an God, and what mere mortal thinks they have the audacity to judge that?

The material luxuries in life is not what makes you rich in life, and some people realize that way too late in life. Being poor is when you have everything imaginable and absolutely nobody to share that joy with. No sense of love or desire to share your life with somebody else.

Nobody is superior to another. Not by rank, or position, nor status, or culture,and certainly not race. Financial freedom does not automatically make you ‘above’ anyone else.

I started realizing that people have some kind of powerful persuasion technique where they make you feel bad about not having something, and they make it seem super important, but when you actually center your thoughts, you realize that you don’t even actually want that. For example, people can make you feel bad that you don’t have some fancy, expensive car when you’re complete happy with your little car and you’ve never actually even liked those fancy cars. Or they make you want to be sick-skinny.. but you actually like your curves so much better..

These are the best examples I could think of but it happens all the time and sometimes even something really small.

When you know yourself, trust yourself and believe in your true message and legacy you are building to leave behind, none of those really matter to you. They simply do not affect you.

I’ve learnt that people are also somewhat afraid of people like me. I am present, and aware of those ‘normal’ feelings when they are trying to portray an extraordinary image. Those who know me well, know that I am not somebody who judges others, I truly believe that we are all different and that we all have our unique ideas about life and how we chose to live it. Also I feel inadequate to judge God’s creation. Only God can judge us.

But I’ve had times where people felt judged because they feel somewhat insecure about themselves. Not that I am this goodie-two-shoes girl that does no wrong… .but have you ever met his very conservative parents wearing a music festival-type outfit? It’s like you want your clothes to miraculously grow and cover you up entirely, or for the Earth to just consume you! I’m guessing that is what it feels like? Maybe the folks are actually digging your outfit ? Maybe they don’t? But my point is that we make up an image or judgement about somebody that they are some type of way just because they are ashamed of themselves and you are staying true to yourself?

Somebody once told me that I am intimidating not because of how I look or carry myself.. but because of how I make others feel. At first I felt offended.. but then the individual said that I possess a gift, that makes people feel like they can do absolutely anything, that they are powerful beyond measure and that I make people truly see themselves, in ways they have never before. With that, I felt confused, still stuck on the idea of making people feel insecure or intimidated. But then they asked ” Have you ever felt so powerful and limitless that it almost scared you?” and then I thought about it a little more..

I do every day. I believe in the possibility that we are capable of absolutely ANYTHING. I am so content in my being that basically nothing can affect me, unless I allow it to. I am not afraid of being myself and it’s as if I see truths in others. People are not always okay with the fact that you know them and ‘see’ pass their front. And that sense of freedom is what intimidates them.

Honestly, I still kinda don’t get it.. but I always strive to make others feel great about themselves. I never go out of my way to portray any image at all. I am a true hippie at heart and live by the mantra “Live, and let live”. I wish to share this “Gift” with you.

Maybe you can help me understand it a little bit more? Please share your thoughts and your own personal stories on the topics of this blog post. and remember…

The greatest prison people live in, is the fear of what other people think.