Cut the Noise

4 Perfection: Real is better than perfect

In today’s world we are perpetually hammered with the idea that we have to be perfect. It is not a useful message.

Advertising tells us the sort of body we should have, products we should own and experiences we should be brave enough to embrace. It would be easy to say that it has always been like this. There have always been beautiful people, products and lifestyles that were widely envied but virtually unattainable for the majority.

The difference today is we get a chance to do our own advertising. Social media has given everyone the opportunity to broadcast their life to the world. This is exciting, because we can share our greatest moments and get direct feedback on them. We can snap and upload holiday pictures of our pool view, cocktail, beautiful meal and beach walk, just like celebrities.

I have to say that I really enjoy most of it. It’s fun to see what the people we care about in the world are doing. I live in Australia, and my mum can instantly see the pictures of our Thailand holiday from her home in Colorado. So it’s mostly really cool.

There are two things to be aware of, however:

1. Needing your life to be perfect creates a massive amount of anxiety.
2. Comparing yourself to others creates a massive amount of anxiety.

Cut the noise. Double and triple check with yourself that your self-esteem is not completely attached to the number of ‘likes’ you get on social media. None of us are perfect, and in fact perceived perfection ...