I took A LOT of ridiculous pictures on New Year’s Eve. It started because I’m still trying to learn to create Instagram stories (can someone help me please?!) and somehow it ended with me using Facebook’s new filters on everyone at the party. Until someone stole my phone and used them on me.
#OhTheFunOf40Somethings!
It’s entirely fitting that earlier in the day, I was catching up on Jen Hatmaker’s For The Love podcast, listening in on her chat with Chrissy Kelly. They closed their time together talking about comparison. They talked about how easy it is to see other people’s success in life, especially their perfectly filtered social media feeds, and compare our current step #2 to their step #10. We think everyone else is more joyful, more peaceful or even just having more fun.
Newsflash: I don’t really have a knit beard.
See, I got you. Seriously though. All the stories we’re “seeing” look so fun and easy. But what we see from the outside is generally not a true representation of what is happening on the inside. We’re rushing through life “brightened” and “filtered” for all the world to see, and that makes it really hard to have the empathy and grace that we need for ourselves, and for others.
But it’s a trap.
It creates in us a hope and an expectation for a perfectly filtered life. We expect to have bright eyes, perky ears and a cute little dear nose, every time we look in that camera. And when we don’t? We’re disappointed. We’re disappointed with our real life. My favorite quote from the podcast was this:
“Let go of the story you were expecting and embrace the one you’ve been given.”
It’s good to enjoy the filters. They bring a dash of spice and fun to our lives. They are clearly more fun than some of us may have had for a while, it’s all good.
But make sure you’re also finding time to be unfiltered, with yourself and the ones you love, to sit with what is.
What’s the story you were expecting in 2017?
What’s the story you’ve been given going into 2018?
Are you willing to decide to embrace that?
I really want to know.
This is the starting point that will make all the difference.
to more love,
Crystal
P.S. Of course, we’re going there on Thursday night at GNO. We’re going to stop by the well of disappointment and throw a few heavy stones of expectation over the edge. Then we’ll be set to start 2018 with the story we’ve been given and create a vision board for where we want to go from here. Come join us at the Design Your Life Girls Night Out, tomorrow night.
