Sunday Musings: Fears vs Dreams

I’ve decided to try something a little different on the blog.  During the week I blog about my adventures and encourage you to try new things, explore new places, and meet new people.  But sometimes I have other thoughts I want to share that don’t really fit in with my regular posts…and so Sunday Musings was born.  This will probably not be a weekly feature but rather a space for me to share what’s going on in my heart and mind as it comes up.

Hanging by my desk I have a little sign reminding me that, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” The sign hangs there because this is something I struggle with more often than I care to admit. It can happen when I log in to Facebook and wish that my life looked like the pictures and statuses I see in my newsfeed. It can happen when I read updates and announcements for my business and wish that my business was further along or more successful. It can happen in social settings when I wish that I had a different answer during the, “What’s new in your life?” conversations.

It frustrates me that I am not stronger to stand up against this struggle because it seems like nothing good can come from these comparisons.  And so lately I’ve started questioning why I allow myself to get pulled into comparing myself to others. And then it hit me…I compare myself to others because so much of what I see on social media, in quick conversations, and business updates looks like a very ideal life. A life that I wish was mine.

But here’s what I’m realizing…I don’t think the picture being portrayed is necessarily an accurate representation of life. I am not suggesting that people are lying. I am simply proposing that we consider that there might be more to the story. They might have a picture of the perfect dinner but what’s cropped out of the shot are the piles of laundry and messy house.  They might have a status update about the fabulous new job they just landed have but what’s left out is that they come home every day from that job and feel alone.  Effectively, I’m comparing their highlight reels to my inner hurts and struggles…and then I feel like I’m coming up short.

What would happen if instead of only presenting the best parts of our lives to the world, we also shared our inner hurts and struggles?  I’ll be really honest, that scares me!  People might think less of me. People might judge me. People might not want to be friends with me.

And then I came across the Fears vs Dreams campaign from TWLOHA (To Write Love on Her Arms…a new-to-me organization that I could write an entire post about, but I will save that for another day!) and it hit me…What if I was real with my inner struggles and dreams and through sharing those I discovered that I wasn’t alone?   What if I discovered that we share the same hopes and hurts and through those we are able to connect with each other, learn from others, and grow together?

And so today I want to begin a conversation with the two questions from the Fears vs Dreams campaign in the hopes of inspiring you to do the same. I truly believe that, in the words of the Fears vs Dreams campaign…

By adding your words to the mix, we hope you feel less alone in reading the words of others.
We hope to remind you that you’re living a story.
The story is yours, and it’s entirely unique.
Please don’t give up. You matter very much.

What’s your biggest fear?

My biggest fear is that the real me isn’t good enough to deserve my greatest dreams.

What’s your greatest dream?

My greatest dream is to have my own family that impacts the world around us in big ways.

Let’s start a conversation so that we can connect with each other, learn from others, and grow together?

What’s your biggest fear?

What’s your greatest dream?