I’m nearly finished with a book titled “The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter – And How to Make the Most of Them Now.” I have mixed feelings on the book overall, but it touches on some definite twenty-something truths. Twenty-something’s can feel lost, or go through a “quarter-life crisis”, caught between college and feeling dazed about post-graduation existence and the expectations that we should always be happy.
Why do you think millennials are the most stressed out generation, feeling like we need to strive for perfection? We are constantly exposed to social media, with friends, bloggers, peers, showcasing a perfectly curated life on Facebook that appears euphoric. I suspect that that these “perfect” lives many not be what we think they are.
I read plenty of blogs, follow my favorite bloggers on Instagram and Twitter, however I’ve recently stopped reading some that I feel are not keeping it real. It just seems like their lives, or the content they choose to share, are too perfect and not organic. And I was starting to compare myself to them and feel bad about myself. Not cool.
I recognize you may not want me to share a photo on Instagram of a new zit that popped up on my forehead, but I do try to keep it real. Perfection is enemy of great. And happy. I would rather be happy than perfect. And I don’t want to pretend that I’m perfect either. So that’s all, just trying to keep it real.
I really do think it’s easy to get caught up in that crazy world of comparisons, no matter what your age, but it’s so much better to just be happy being the real you! 🙂
Thanks for keeping it real. You are so right. There are some bloggers that seem to be way too perfect and they are not relatable. I enjoy your blog and I am 45 well past my twenties but I can appreciate your style and enjoy your blog! Keep up the good work!
This is so true – I’m experiencing a lot of it right now since I’m in that post-graduation stage of trying to figure everything out. I’ve found myself putting pressure & thinking I need to have everything figured out already. I’m learning to enjoy the journey and that it’s okay to just let life happen sometimes. I also enjoy when bloggers dig a little deeper and show more than the “norm” so-to-speak. It’s more relatable and humanizing.
Keeping it real is always a good options. Blogging and following blogs can be so inspiring, but there are times when it becomes depressing whether it’s because of items you don’t have (that everyone else seems too), or an eschewed happiness that, let’s face it, isn’t always practical or real. I realized in the last six months that almost all of my mid-20s friends, regardless of their situation, are in the same boat as me – confused and frustrated at times about where we are and where we thought we’d be. Not sure how to fix this, but unfollowing blogs that aren’t doing it for me is a small step I try to take also!
Loved reading your post.
Luci’s Morsels – fashion. food. frivolity.
Couldn’t agree more. Blogs & social media can be a wonderful source of inspiration and give us the opportunity to connect with people we would have never met otherwise, but they can also so easily induce the feeling of needing to “keep up with the Joneses.” I love (and have on one of my own pinboards) the quote you posted – I also remind myself often that, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
xo from a fellow Akron chick! 😉
I completely agree — what a great reminder!
Dude. I concur! I’m so tired of everyone’s “perfect” lives and they only show the fabulous parts. We all have good days, but the hard ones are what makes those days so great! Yet, it’s hard for me to not want to go to beautiful, far away places for a vacation, or to crazy awesome events every week. But a lot of people also forget that living outside your means is not an attractive quality in the long run. I’m with ya girl, and us real-lifers have to support each other 🙂
xo Ashley
thetiniestfirecracker.com
Love your mantra… be yourself. No one is youer than you. Words that I try to live by too 🙂
Kristen
Radiating Splendor
WORD UP SISTER.
This is why you are my home girl.
-Becky
The Pumpkin Spot
Completely true!! After I had the same intervention with myself, I stopped comparing myself to the “perfectly curated” versions of people I see online. Nobody is perfect, and realizing this has helped me love myself just the way I am.