On the internet, you can be anything you want to be. It’s exactly what makes Brad Paisley’s song “Online” so humorous and true. I could tell everyone that I make thousands of dollars from home, have a weekend cabin in the mountains, and my husband works for Britney Spears.
However, NONE of these things are true.
As I skim through web-sites of various people, I find myself wondering on occasion how truthful are the things I am reading. Especially when the site is void of direct links or photos of the claims. Claims such as being published in countless magazines and on countless sites. Claims of meeting and interviewing celebrities. Claims of making thousands of dollars without even trying.
I ultimately wonder if the person is claiming to be more than they truly are. Many of the claims are laughable enough that you know inherently they are not true. However, in this more-is-better world, I also wonder if exaggerating claims is the only way people can be taken seriously. Its something that perpetuates and justifies the lies told in flashy sites and pretty words.
This leaves me overwhelmed and confused on how to proceed for myself. I never want to be anything but truthful in all of my endeavors. I fear sometimes the truth could end up undercutting my potential, because the truth is so often black and white, with no shades of gray. Then I remember:
I am more than I think I am.
I am the sum of my successes and my failures. I am my family and my friends. I am my experiences, my beliefs and my faith. I am honest. I am confident. I am scared. I have a lot to give, and I’m working to make my own opportunities to do just that.
So what if on paper, in black and white, I haven’t had anything published in a few years. It doesn’t make me any less qualified to be a writer. So what if I don’t hold a degree in graphic arts or creative writing or web design. It doesn’t make me any less capable of experimenting in all of these categories. So what if I never took a photography class. I have a Flickr account full of good photos that I’m proud to share with others.
July has been a rough month for me, and we’re not even half-way through it. I’ve lost a beloved pet, and a couple years of financial stress has finally caught up with me tenfold. Its all left me with a few cracks in my confidence of self, but my determination has doubled. Something that I think will carry me through. Something I KNOW will carry me through.
I’ve never been someone who gets knocked down for long. I assess a situation and proceed in ways I feel to be most logical and that will provide the greatest success rate. I’m not afraid to work. Just the opposite. I like to work. I just firmly believe you should always try to work smarter.
Life’s not black and white; there’s always more to the story. It’s precisely what I love about writing — finding the story behind the cold hard facts. I’ve been giving myself pep-talks the last couple of days, reminding myself there’s more to my own story…
There’s more to everyone’s story, and there’s no need to embellish it. Just be honest with yourself and your peers. Believe in yourself, and your success will happen.
Despite any circumstances that come our way, our attitude and perspective will dictate how we handle it, and if we conquer it. It seems that your attitude is poised to do just that.
Successful people always say, that their attitude was the driving force behind their success.
Thank you! My mom is one who has always told me how much attitude can affect your successes. I’ve read and heard it for myself many times as well. We all have our days, I think, in which we get down. Question ourselves. Question everything around us. I call those my down days. I allow myself a few of those here and there. I think they’re good to help check yourself and your path. Every time I do, though, I end up giving myself an awesome pep talk and plowing forward again with even more determination. I’m too determined to succeed to fail!
Being true to yourself will always result in a win. I am also truthful, and I think because I am it does sometimes count against me – especially in business. But at least I can sleep at night and I don’t have to keep track of my “embellishments”! :P
Hang it there, it will get better.
Thanks so much… my husband and I live by the belief that everything works out in the end. And I cling to that belief tightly and with a fierce determination.
I whole heartedly agree that I’d rather be able to sleep at night knowing I was true to myself and true to others than to ever have to keep track of “embellishments” — its not worth it for my own health and mental state!
Sometimes the joy of the Internet is taking a moment to be someone else for a little while. And sometimes it is the chance to bare your soul and show exactly who you are.
VERY well put!
I agree Jack. Someday’s I love the chance to take a break from being the Wife, Mom, Maid, and Miss Fix it. Some times it’s nice just to be able to vent on in my blog or let the emoations fly at will in my journal. Those are the times that I feel like my old self the most. =)
There is a safety and security in venting to a blog or journal… and also SO therapeutic.
I love this post.
I love it because it’s truthful and because it really tells it like it is. In this world of the internet, there are so many embellishments and blatant lies. Unfortunately, the people who stretch the truth and are someone they’re not, they succeed. Though, karma is a bitch and eventually comes back around to bite you. Of course I’m angry that the liars are getting attention, but that’s what they want and ultimately, what they need for some reason. Hopefully, they get the attention that they crave and then back off so those who are truthful can finally shine through. :)
http://theartsymom.tk
Thanks so very much!
My husband, as a musician, said that you just have to put your head down and do your job. The cream will always rise to the top no matter how many embellishments or lies others may try to sell. Those that matter see the true talent and the true drive and want in people. I like to believe that that applies in other fields as well… I sure hope it does, at least!