How many times have you looked at someone’s social media page and thought, “Wow, they are doing so well — my life doesn’t even compare”? Maybe they were ringing the bell at the NYSE, checking in at the Ritz Carlton, or becoming Global Vice President of….
I have found myself doing that at times. Several years ago, my wife, two boys, and I traveled around the world for a year. We went on safaris in Africa, sailed the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, parasailed in Peru, swam with dolphins in Israel, stood at the pyramids in Egypt, river rafted in Guatemala, and ate an unhealthy amount of ice cream everywhere. It was amazing and I regularly posted on Facebook.
When we came back, I followed other families doing something similar. They would post a picture about some cool adventure and I would think, “Wow, they are so cool, why didn’t we do that?” And I’d feel disappointed thinking we didn’t do enough.
I kept reminding myself that we did a lot. And that often people post only their Best Of pictures and only when everything is going well. Rarely do you see when they didn’t get the promotion or failed at a project. But, it happens to all of us. Well, it’s happened to me.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter often represent a person’s Highlight Reel. So instead of comparing yourself to someone else’s highlight reel and feeling depressed, try to celebrate their accomplishment then ask yourself if that is something you want to accomplish. Then figure out how.
My Highlight Real looks pretty good but it is a very small part of the whole story. Very Small. If I posted what this weekend actually looked like, you would see a picture of my youngest son not talking to me because he thought I was the worst dad in the world. Apparently, he didn’t agree with my parenting techniques.
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