The dynamics of the blogging world are very interesting to me. There are many good sides, as I have blogged about before, but there are some negative ones. I catch myself, on occasion, reading others' blogs and feeling like my house isn't decorated well enough, husbie and I don't make enough money, our cars aren't nice enough, we didn't get our kids enough toys for Christmas. The question is, what's enough? I find that blogging opens up a whole new dimension of Keeping Up With The Jones'. Now it isn't only our friends and neighbors we feel like we have to keep up with. It's people we have never met, yet compare ourselves against to and come out feeling dissatisfied.
I hear a lot about bloggers who receive nasty comments on their blog, and I can't help but think that they are from someone who is dissatisfied with their own life and tearing someone else down makes them feel better. I know, more often than not, the original intention of the blogger was not to make their readers feel bad about themselves or their lives. But, either unintentionally or intentionally, I feel like sometimes it is. Much in the same way people may tear others down via comments to boost their own self-esteem, I feel like some blog posts are engineered to be boastful and to show the world that their life/house/clothes/kid/car/etc are great enough. I am not in any way, shape, or form pointing fingers at anyone who is reading this post. I want to make that clear. This is freshman psych rearing its ugly head, if you will.
So, when I have caught myself feeling that fill in the blank isn't good enough. I try to remind myself that I have everything I dreamed of when I pictured what my life would be like. Healthy, sweet kids? Check. Caring, adorable, does the dishes a large portion of the time husbie? Check. Good job in my field of interest? Check. Safe, happy home? Check, check.
Could we have better jobs? Yes. Would I love to have my dream house on the pricey side of our neighborhood? Absolutely. Would I love to drop serious scrilla on designer labels for every occasion? Hell yes. Enter the piece of advice that my dad gave me in high school and I actually listened to:
There's always going to be someone smarter, someone richer, someone with a better house and nicer car, someone with the job that you dreamed of and the clothes you want, someone who is thinner and more beautiful. Be happy with what God gave you and what you worked your ass off for. At the end, it's not the stuff that you've accumulated that matters. It's not what everyone thinks of you and what you think of yourself as compared to others. Live a good life, love and provide for your family. That's what defines success.
15 comments:
awesome. well said! :)
So very true. All the material possessions in the world don't mean a thing without your family, friends and health. It can be easy to forget sometimes though when the "wants" take over. Thanks for the reminder. :)
Have a great weekend!
Totally agree! Very well said and I love your dads quote!
Tiff - VERY well written! Thank you for the 'down to Earth' reminder ... And the advice from your Dad - I love it and I think we all need to remember this!
Thank you!!!! :) Have a good weekend! Xo
Very well said. :)
Great post girl. And the truth of the matter is that, REAGARDLESS of what you have, it's never enough. As someone who went from having practically nothing to more than I ever imagined I would at my age, I can honestly say that contentment comes deep from within, NOT from what you have on the outside. It's good to have goals and dreams and things you're working towards, and it's good to be INSPIRED by others, but it's important to stay in the moment and make the choice to live each day in gratitude. I'm working on this too (*sigh*). :) Have a great week!!
Beautifully said! I couldn't agree more!
Your dad said it right! I had a girl here at work a couple years ago (before I was married) ragging on me... Look at the car you have, etc etc etc. I still lived at home at the time. I wanted a house. I wanted a husband (I was in an awful relationship), I wanted a family but I knew eventually my time would come. But she ragged and ragged on me. Finally I was like, look what you have, a house, a son, a husband, a nice car, and on and on. And then she continued to rag on me again. Ah!
Very well said! I get caught up in those feelings of "not good enough" a lot! Thanks for the reminder - I really do have everything I need and so much more!
I totally agree with this post. There are some bloggers out there that make their lives seem incrediably glamorous. I can tell you one thing though, don't always believe what you read. I've actually met some bloggers in real life and their lives aren't as glamorous as they portray them. It makes you take a step back and think how many other people out there are portraying themselves differently?!
Such a great post, Tiffany! I think it's completely natural to compare yourself to others and then to stop and remind yourself that your life is pretty awesome. No one is perfect, no life is perfect... but it's your life and it seems pretty awesome :-D Hope you had a great start to your week!
Aghhhh such GREAT advice! What a great perspective to have, Tiffany, I hope to hold the same whenever I see something I envy or covet ;)
Wonderful post! Its so important to appreciate what we have in life, rather than always comparing to someone else's bigger and better!
Also... thanks for the destination wedding thoughts, it sounds so wonderful, and stress-free, which is exactly what I am going for!
hey girl, where'd you go? I miss your updates!! is it still snowy and icy in the DWF area? Sorry to say California has maintained the lovely warm temperatures and sunny skies thing for a few weeks now. It's in the mid 60's this week, but this past weekend we had 70's, and it was delightful! Sending you some sunshine! Hope all is well!
xoxo
Adrian
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