I am a mom to two teenage girls. I see it in a new perspective. There is so much pressure for my girls to fit in. Before social media, the only place we needed to “fit” was in our social circle.
The people with whom we attended school/college, co-workers and our immediate community. Now, we literally have the whole world at our fingertips.
We hide our true self to become what we think other people want to see.
I remember attending a local MOPs (Moms of Preschoolers) meeting when my first born was a baby.
I was tired, alone and anxious.
I went to the first meeting and listened to the women in my group talk about how wonderful being a mom was.
They talked about their daily routines and the amazing gift of motherhood. Blah, blah, blah. It all sounded like a fairy tale.
Finally, it was my turn. I wasn’t complaining, I just wanted to be real.
I talked about how tired I was, how I missed time with my husband and how overwhelmed I felt at times.
You could hear the exhales across the table. Their physiological stature changed too.
All at once, we connected.
Even though motherhood is a gift, for many it is also an adjustment and transition.
Being authentic opened conversations.
We shared our triumphs and struggles.
It was the start of a journey lived in truth, and it was a comfort. If that change hadn’t occurred, I would have never returned.
Being vulnerable opened my whole world. It changed the course of our group.
Now we had each other.
I am not an expert when it comes to psychology or statistics.
However, I have worked with teens and college students over the past several years.
What I am seeing is kids trying to be perfect instead of real. It has left many feeling lonely, anxious and lost.
Are we so hungry to be liked and accepted, that we don’t even give people a chance to get to know the real person?
What is it that we are trying to obtain?
It seems that in the process of trying to be something we are not, trying to be loved and accepted, we’ve never felt so alone, exhausted, overwhelmed and underwhelmed.
So…
Don’t listen to the lies.
Seek the TRUTH.
Our self-talk can be the most edifying or most debilitating voice we hear.
If you want to change your life, change your message.
Create a new habit.
Let go of the negative so you can live on in growth.
Forgive.
Give grace.
Take captive those thoughts that paralyze you.
Instead, meditate on whatever is true, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, worthy of praise.
What would it feel like, if you woke each day and said, “Good morning world, today I choose to know I am loved.”
- You are amazing.
- You are enough.
- You are worthy
- You are a wonderful creation.
- You are beautiful.
God created you on purpose and with purpose.
Be YOU.
TNRP LAEP
When you want to take captive those thoughts that keep you from authenticity, you can practice this acronym.
It comes from Philippians 4:8-9.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
