So I was teaching an empowerment workshop last week to a group of dynamic teenage girls and I admitted to them that I would not want to be in their shoes. Why? Because when I was 16 years old, there wasn’t a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, heck, we were lucky if we had dial-up or AOL Instant Messenger.
I said that because I remember it being hard enough trying to find my identity, my worth and confidence without all the distractions and pressures of social media. I commended these girls because they are indeed a breakthrough generation, in which they are the first generation to grow up from adolescent to adulthood in the digital age of social media.
Let’s face it, we are constantly bombarded with images, content, opinions, media, advertisements and all else in between on a daily basis and at such a rapid pace. I know that many people are simply addicted to scrolling through images and digital content perhaps thinking that they will miss out on something or they feel the need to see what everyone else is doing. However, I know that social media is starting to play a significant role in our self-confidence (even though it should not) or in our envy of one another.
You know what I’m talking about.
You see other people succeeding and you feel like you’re just not matching up. Or you see other people commenting, sharing their thoughts on anything from the latest celebrity gossip or YouTube sensation and you may look at your News Feed with the sense of, “Really? Is this what we’re talking about today?”
I know that oftentimes I feel like an outcast because truth be told, there are things that matter to the world (especially in this celebrity driven culture) that really do not matter to me. I would rather read a Jim Rohn book or watch a Terri Savelle Foy video and share my thoughts on inspirational content like these two but I will be first to say that I have caught myself not sharing as much as I would like to in fear of “coming off too snobby” or hearing things like “all she talks about is success.” To the point that I have caught myself dimming my light in the presence of others because I feared their rejection.
Nevertheless, I have made the conscious decision to embrace what it is that makes me – me and I refuse to dim my light in fear of the opinions of others. Their opinion of me should not change my opinion of myself. The opinion that matters most is the one that I have of me. And that is exactly what I am encouraging you to do.
Sometimes we may put on a mask to conceal who we really are. Women, especially, feel the need to dim their light in order to fit it and gain approval whether it is in the workplace or social circles. I am someone who has always wanted greatness for my life, and it can be difficult to be a big thinker in an environment that enables small thinking. When you are a big thinker, people look at you like you are insane, as if something were wrong with you for having the audacity to dream that big and not only dream but to manifest that dream. Listen, I know that when we are manifesting our dreams, it is natural to want others around us to join the ride, but we have to remember that not everyone has the same capacity level that we attain.
If you ever feel like you’re alone or that you are crazy for birthing your dreams, please know that you are not alone. If you feel like you are different from everyone else around you, embrace whatever those things are that make you distinctive. The world needs you to be you. The next time you get on your social media, and the lies tell you that you do not measure up then speak back to those lies. You are on your own trajectory of success. If no one around you understands you, then start to develop fresh relationships with people who do. If you are the smartest one in your circle then your circle is too small.
Do not allow the limited thinking of others to hinder you from embracing your dreams and daring to go after them. It’s time for you to set the atmosphere instead of allowing the atmosphere to set you!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy