Let’s be real, a lingering phrase that has been floating around in my head for quite a while. I feel I am constantly catching myself thinking about how fake and real we as humans can be, especially when it comes to social media. I feel unfortunately at times social media has become a platform to show the highlight reel of our lives, but not the behind the scenes. And if it is the behind the scenes, most of the time it is filtered out, so no feathers are ruffled in the process. If feathers are ruffled, people seem to jump to conclusions, at times not asking any questions as they fly away in their thoughts with assumptions about a situation or a person. Truly when we will as humans, just be real, be real about how we are really doing, what the mundaneness of our lives are in actuality, and why we seem to perpetuate a narrative that we feel most will read???

I know I am not the only one who thinks this when I read another Facebook and Instagram post chronicling some life moment, and know most of the time that person is looking for validation in likes, comments or views. Don’t feel guilty if you do this, we all do this in our daily lives, whether it is in work, school, loved ones or friends.

I wonder if the things we posted were actual conversations we had in real life, not just in our heads or with our virtual Facebook friends or Instagram followers. I am not saying do not share your life on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or Instagram, but maybe challenging yourself to truly share your life with the world. I know many of us hide behind filters, tailoring a story we feel someone will want to read or care about, but I feel living your life authentically, sharing maybe the low lights of your life, the right in the middle moments could create more authentic connections. I noticed the less I have posted and shared, the lot happier I have been, I only choose to share when I feel it is authentic to what I want to put out into the world.

So at the end of the day, when did we start filtering ourselves through social media, and what story will you tell the world, one that is completely unrealistic or one where someone felt connected and understood in the ups and downs of life. Life is a rollercoaster, not a picture perfect post taken at the ultimate highs of the ride. Feeling low, share your struggles, you may help someone feel less alone. Feeling meh, speak with someone, they may connect or empathize with what you are experiencing. Feeling amazing, celebrate the small & big wins, life is not an all or nothing game, you are not a sum of just your wins, but your losses too. Don’t get too tied up in all of it, you are trendsetter, not just another person following the next trend or trending topic on your feed.

Let’s be real, with ourselves and one another, deep down we each know we are dealing with a silent struggle we never share or speak about, but don’t allow social media to steal your joy, play into the ever comparison game it wants us to win or loose at, be real about all, not just the spectacular somethings. You are someone whose presence is present beyond the intent of a platform. Challenge yourself to be real, feel all you are feeling, being an ear to listen and a mind to be open to all what and who makes up your life and this world.

PS Let’s be real with ourselves and one another!