Today I posted a video, and the response made me take a step back and evaluate things. It was a simple video, one where I showed my inspirational fashion rack, which I consider my real-life mood board that I can change out with the seasons. The overwhelming response though, was people getting upset that I lead a seemingly perfect life.
“Do you ever have bad days? Do you ever cry?”
These comments break my heart. And so, I wanted to come on here to explain something.
I am not perfect. I have bad days. I cry. I get upset. I get emotional, and unmotivated, and sad. I’m human. But… I also have amazing days. Beautiful, inspiring, happy days. Days that make me think, “I am so lucky”. And it’s those days that I choose to hold on to and cherish, rather than to hold on to the bad ones.
I am lucky enough to be able to reach out through the internet and talk to lots and lots of people. And I choose, quite intentionally, to share positive and happy videos and ideas. Nothing would make me happier than knowing that I am doing what I can to make someones day a little more cheerful… so that’s what I do. It makes me happy to know I might be making someone else happy.
We are lucky enough to get to choose how we want to portray ourselves, and behave on the internet. I am a big believer in “Internet Karma”, and that if you spread happiness you will get it in return. If you spread hate… then that’s on you.
One of my best friends once taught me something. I was having a rough day, during my first year of college, and she explained to me her secret for happiness. She told me that the way she lives her life is this; that as long as she gets her work done, and cares for the people around her and herself, she does whatever she wants to, whenever she wants to. And it made me think… it seems like such an obvious piece of advice, but a lot of people do not take it. Think about it. Have you had days where you have completed your basic responsibilities, but you have 100 other “secondary” responsibilities that are stressing you out so badly that you can’t even think straight. And all you want to do is curl up in bed and read the new book you got. Most people wouldn’t even consider putting their secondary responsibilities on hold to curl up and read, thinking it lazy when you have other things to do, but that hour you would have spent reading might have enabled you to go about your day in a much happier way. It’s those little things that you let yourself do that can affect happiness long term.
So next time you want to read, or take a bubble bath, or go for a walk outside, or watch a movie, or hang out with a friend, but you say no to yourself because you have “to much to do” (granted, this doesn’t include your main responsibilities… you should do those), consider treating yourself. And then doing it again the next time. And the next.
I still think of Brittany every time I catch myself giving into a moment like that. That’s how she lives her life… and she is one happy girl :)
