To Hype or Not to Hype?
Do you ever feel like you’re being fed a watered-down, bland version of life just to make it easier for you? Is there anything worse than seeing a group of happy people on Instagram and know that they’ve had the best day ever while your crappy day might be followed by another line in your suicide note? It seems like everywhere we turn, people are finding ways to hype up their lives – with the help of filters and apps. I went to a women’s conference a few weeks ago and they were talking endlessly about the “love languages” that you should listen to in order to find your soul-mate. They suggested using it as a tool to communicate with your significant other, but I think it could be used (and should be) much more broadly. They also told the story of failing 29 times before finally discovering her “love language” was receiving gifts. That blew my mind because, just like Netflix and chill, I thought love languages were just a made-up thing that helped us talk about our relationship problems. I’m not saying my life is perfect – and it’s definitely not all rosy rainbows like some people make it look on Instagram – but I do think there is a line between living a life worth living and living a life that is just mediocre enough to be considered good.
The other day at work, two non-powered by females I work with were talking about how hard it was to get out of bed in the morning. They said it was hard to get motivated, they're time was limited and they didn't know how to create a life worth living. I thought about that for a minute and I actually told them to stop trying so hard. They tried working out, started meditating and watched their meals more carefully with the hopes of losing weight but found it difficult to find the motivation. It's like there's no end in sight when you're constantly being told that you're not doing enough. I told them to stop trying to find the right answers, because the right answer doesn't exist – it only exists in your head. I suggested they just focus on enjoying life, instead of creating a life that is worth living. They told me they weren't sure how to do this though.
"We need to be able to distinguish between hype and truth."
~ The Alchemist
It's important to remember that people are constantly making up their own reality. When you're constantly told you're not doing enough, it can become difficult for you to figure out what real success looks like and how you can get there from here. If all you get is information that tells you how to reach some goal, or if your goals are constantly changing as you adjust to the new way of living, it can be easy to wonder where the line between hype and truth lies. That's why it's important for us to develop our own life philosophies.
The truth is, there is no line that separates real from fake in life. The only thing that separates them is our perception of reality and our willingness to accept things for what they are – and not what we want them to be. This means, without even realizing it, we can choose to believe a certain situation should be considered good when it actually sucks and view a bad situation as amazing when really it's just fine. Even more importantly, you can decide to accept the reality of an event and just move on with your life – without letting it get in your way.
When I was younger, my parents had a computer on which they'd keep track of what I was doing. They'd print out my Facebook statuses, send me emails they found questionable, and even pull up my chats from AIM. No matter what I did though - good or bad - they never really seemed to care. I was constantly told I wasn't working hard enough or making the right decisions, but when I did work hard or make a good decision, I never got the recognition I deserved. It seemed like no matter what I did, it was always more than what they expected.
The reason this bothered me was because I'd internalized all of the hype that society bombarded me with. It made associating with people difficult because all I wanted to do was find someone who could validate my life and tell me how amazing things really were for me. No matter where though – in real life or on the internet – things were always just a little bit off. I felt like I was constantly jumping from hyperbole to exaggeration and back again.
You're always going to have great days and bad days, so don't let anyone tell you that the good things you're experiencing are just a freak of nature or that you should be grateful for the crappy moments in your life. When you can accept both the highs and lows of your life as part of the process of being human, it becomes much easier for you to cultivate a positive relationship with yourself. The more honest you can be about what's going on in your life, the quicker it will become an issue that no one needs to talk about.
I think of the life I'm living. I try to focus on what's directly in front of me, things that I can do right now, and appreciate them for who they are rather than what they could be. I imagine my future self and how happy she is, despite whatever may or may not happen in her past. She thanks her past self for all of the experiences she has had and all of the lessons she has learned. She says goodbye to all of the people that have impacted her life in a positive way and take a moment to smile at those that made her angry. She continues on into the future with clarity of thought and vision so that she can make good decisions without worrying what others might think about her decision.
I realize this may sound like a completely new way of thinking and you might be a little confused by it. That's okay. I'm not asking you to believe me, I'm just asking you to think for yourself. Take in what’s going on around you and make decisions based on the information at hand. You'll feel better about yourself and your life when you can live authentically; when your life is truly worth living.
My name is Jenna Harner . You can find me on Facebook , Twitter , Tumblr and Instagram . This was originally posted on the orca media network here .
Post written by Jenna Harner-Kirwan Find her at: http://www.
Conclusion
What you think of when you hear "success" or "motivation" is up to you. The paths that lead to success often differ in the long run, but the first thing you need to be successful is your own thoughts. You need to be clear about what success means to you and what your goals are before seeking help along the way. You also need to develop a life philosophy that allows you pursue these goals in a successful way.
In my experience, a good philosophy allows us to take responsibility for our actions, both good and bad, while being able to make decisions without having them questioned by others. It allows us defend our choices with integrity and honor the decisions of others at the same time.
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To Hype or Not to Hype?