Escaping The Comparison Trap: Step 3

The last two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, but I'm sure I'll share more on that later. In the meantime, on to step 3 in Escaping the Comparison Trap.

Becka says:

Step 3. Take Twitter with a grain of salt. Everyone wants to appear happy and successful, so they will usually only share the best. Remind yourself that they have bad days/months/seasons, too.

I’ll be honest, I wish there was a way to apply Step 2 to Twitter because Twitter is even more dangerous. Some days it is just one big brag fest and a constant name drop. And everyone’s positivity when I’m having a bad day can be depressing. But Twitter is a necessary and wonderfully addictive evil in my life (kind of like ice cream), and I love that I can communicate with so many people. So I work Twitter to my advantage and filter what I read through the knowledge that everyone is trying to promote themselves in a positive way, just like I am.

This is by far the easiest step for me. I never got in to Twitter too much. To be honest I only created an account so I could be on Hashtags on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (it hasn't happened yet). But this general phenomena of portraying a perfect version of yourself online translates to facebook and blogs as well. This isn't new. People have been putting their best foot forward for years, but like everything else the internet amplifies it and makes it easier.

Transparency is the key. Other people need to see the good and bad in your life, and you need to see it in theirs. The crazy thing is when we see the bad in each others' lives it can actually ease the effects of the bad in our own lives. I know when I'm going through something(s) rough I am thoroughly convinced that I'm the only person in the entire world that this has happened to. Of course that's not the case and knowing that makes everything a little better.

Here are the first three posts in this series:
Escaping the Comparison Trap: Step 2
Escaping the Comparison Trap: Step 1
Internet Envy

Get It Together

Last night as I was driving home from a lovely bible study time with friends, I glanced at my passenger seat and noticed the check I needed to mail to the Oklahoma Tax Commission, a netflix dvd I've had for three weeks, and a doctor's bill that was just slightly overdue. No one will ever mistake me for the "got it together" girl. However, I shrugged it off and decided not to worry about it, per usual.

This morning as I was driving to work I was listening to a song and immediately started crying, but I was slowly composing myself and felt better. Then I got pulled over by a highway patrol officer. I genuinely did not know why (for once I was not speeding). So he tells me my tag is expired. I hand him my license and insurance. My insurance card expired last month. He asks me if the address on my license is correct. No, it's not. I may not be the girl who has it all together, but it's definitely time to start trying. I am going to attempt to remedy all this today and go vote!

So this week (day and a quarter) has been not so stellar, but yesterday this video made it all better. Enjoy!

Today's My Friday

This never gets old.