Under Pressure

I find that we all put so much pressure on ourselves.  Pressure in so many facets; to be the best employee, parent, student, have the most likes, be the best dressed, have the best hair, be the toughest man, the most ladylike woman, the strong one, the pretty one, or just needing to be noticed.  We often feel the pressure to be perfect.  

Society has ingrained such high expectations of us as humans, and if we fall short of these expectations, are we failures?  If I don't fit the mold of what makes a 'woman' or a 'man', am I any less of a man/woman?  If I make a mistake on the job, does that make me incompetent?  If I have a stain on a shirt, am I a slob?  If I eat that doughnut, is it going right to my hips?  If I speak up, and I'm a woman, am I bitch?

It pains me when I see a world surrounded by unrealistic expectations of a 'good body', fabricated or exaggerated stories to make us feel worthless, 

What if we all just were ourselves, what if we are just enough, just the way we are? What if we paid more attention to what our loved ones thought of us?  Or better yet, what you think of YOU!  If you see something inhumane, speak up.  If you want to eat a doughnut, eat it!  If you want to cry, let it out.  What if we focus on one day at a time?  What if today you are enough? 

Fill yourself up every day with joy and self-respect.  Fill up others with compassion to the best of your ability.  Do the best you can.  If you can lay your head down at the end of the day and feel good about what you've done and said, then you can take breathe easy.  If you can find a moment of joy in each day, even if it's just a sliver of happiness then you've been successful.

We all make mistakes, and we will all falter.  Screw societies standards; nothing and no one is perfect.




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