This piece, written by spoken-word artist and poet Azure Antoinette, originally appeared onThe Well.
When I was coming of age, social media didn’t exist.
We had computers, but we mostly just used them to play Oregon Trail or The Sims.
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Suddenly there was this pressure: Were you popular enough (i.e.
Did your page make you look cool enough to be in someone’s “Top 8”)?
This is also when the word “friend” began to lose its currency.
We started calling everyoneeven people we’d never met beforea “friend.”
It was actually a huge relief when Facebook first came along.
Of course, the one-upmanship did eventually trickle down, though.
As Facebook’s features evolved, so too did the opportunity tocurate and share perfect-looking lives.
So when that same friend posts, “Everything is really good!
But as viewers, we need to understand what we’re looking at.
There’s this big disconnect between what we think other people are accomplishing and what’s real.
There’s always something else to covet or someone else’s perfect moment to envy.
It can bea very unhappy way to live.
We have a hard time distinguishing between our perception vs. reality.
Here are a few understandings I like to come back to for keep moving forward.
Sometimes people will say to me, “You’re such an inspiration.”
I can’t help but think about all of my pitfalls and the many mistakes I’ve made.
I wonder what they would think if they knew about those things.
Know that it’s OK to question yourself and have doubts.
Acknowledge them, but then keep plugging.
That’s how you will continue to grow.
Don’t measure the success of whatever you’re doing against how your peers are doing.
is still ahead of me.
Every day, I tell myself, “There is no need to hurry.
You are not late.
Whatever is yours will be yours.
No one can steal your opportunity because it doesn’t belong to them.
Wherever you are is exactly where you’re meant to be.”
I think we can all manage that.
Related:What Your Social Media Posts Say About You
Originally written by Azure Antoinette forThe Well.
