Society has set standards and these standards though not written in stone have been embelished in the constitution of our minds. But what happens when we fall short of society’s expectations, does that mean we are not good enough or we need to work harder.
Christianity makes us believe that we are all created in the image of a perfect God, if this is true then how can come we label others as being flawed? The standard set by society makes it seem like some people are better than others. No doubt that society can sometimes be unfair, but you owe it to yourself to rise above the labels placed on you by society. The essence of this article is to come to a middle ground between society’s acceptable standards and standards which should be acceptable.
There are things about yourself that you cannot change yourself, these things come embedded in your DNA. Take for instance a short person, he/she might wish to be taller, if the society treats tall people better. In this case viewing their trait as a deficiency will not be beneficial for such people in the long run, if such a mindset is acquired during childhood and nurtured into adulthood such individuals will grow up lacking self-confidence. In some cases they might have a natural attraction towards tall people because they feel it helps them to over compensate for their deficiency. Another common example is skin color, in our society girls who have light skin are tend to get more attention from the opposite sex, and this has made some other girls indulge in bleaching their skin, which is very dangerous in the long run.
In my own opinion I think this deficiencies only exist in our minds. They are monsters people created to help exalt one group and put down another. If we can learn to look beyond the labels we place on others then society would be a much better place. Some people live in a mental prison created by society simply because they don’t meet the standards set by society. The fashion industry for instance prefers to use tall and skinny models for its billboard and runway fashion shows and this has made a lot of girls become obsessed with eating less and losing weight just because they want to look skinny.
However, there are times you need to change certain things about yourself. You need to be honest about what is wrong in your life and make appropriate changes so that you can live your best life. For example if you are overweight due to over eating and it is impacting your health negatively, you need to eat healthy, and workout to burn excess fat. Don’t lie to yourself that all is well when it is not, make the changes that are necessary for you to be happy.
Accepting who you are gives you peace of mind and self-confidence, you must know that comparing yourself with others is not a good way of motivating yourself to become a better person, this would only leave you frustrated when you cannot achieve the desired goal. On the other hand you must also recognize when your personality is getting in the way of your progress in life, in this case you must honest enough to admit your flaws, and strong enough to make the needed change.
Constantly comparing yourself to others is the recipe for unhappiness.
Constantly judging others is the recipe for loneliness.
Being aware about yourself, your positive and negative aspects and learning to live in peace is the recipe for happiness.
Sadly, a lot of people get judged, others compare themselves too much and get disappointed, when in reality they should appreciate what they have and try to help others.
Being self-aware requires a lot of inner mental resource and outside support from family and friends.
Sometimes we never reach this goal..
Thanks for you honest comments. A lot of people spend time wishing they were someone else, this article is for them. The first three (3) paragraph of your comment can be summed up as
love yourself.