For the most part, media, magazines, TV shows and social media have done a shallow job at setting a healthy example of what is authentic, beautiful, attainable and realistic.

We all desire to improve things about ourselves and our lives. Then, when those goals are achieved, we always find more things to want to change and improve. Constant change, growth and improvement is crucial for self-development and continual growth, but there is a fine line between healthy vs. unrealistic expectations.

It’s when we start to get sucked into what is all around us and in everything we see.

What are we allowing to affect us?

While peacefully sitting at home, glancing through a magazine, every other page is beautiful celebrities who (appear to) have flawless skin, perfect bodies, amazing hair, expensive clothes and jewelry. These are the ‘things’ too often being portrayed as to what is important in life.

This can now influence our idea of what beautiful is and should be. Over time, it becomes a struggle in the mind to not compare ourselves to the certain “normal” that is being displayed and embedded in our daily life. Yet, no matter how hard we try to not compare ourselves, our subconscious can go into overdrive & do exactly that…

We start comparing what we’re seeing in a magazine to what we see in the mirror.

Now, when it’s time to get out of the house… We hop in the car, cruise off to the store, only to see billboards along the way, plastered with big, buff, strong, 6-pack- ab-looking guys… Then there’s the thin, airbrushed, glowing, perfectly contoured face and flawlessly looking women… All while listening to ads on the radio; from ads about how to better your appearance, what’s ‘hot’ and often times making fun of people.

Inside stores we are surrounded and bombarded with unattainable, airbrushed and photo shopped images on everything from makeup, shampoo, hair accessories, drinks, dangerous diet pills and even food. It’s not only everywhere we look, but on everything we consume, buy and see.

We know and acknowledge that ads, pictures, brand representations and many things on media are edited and altered… but that doesn’t stop us from comparing ourselves and wishing we looked like ‘that’ image we are seeing.

‘That’ image isn’t real. It took hours to make it look like ‘that’.

It seems forgotten that these people we see in the media, don’t even always look like that in real life. Some of these people have hair and makeup teams at their every call, with the best editors on hand for every picture being posted.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have- we are all living in a real, authentic life.

Photo-shopped magazines, edited social media pictures, ads and posts are not always displaying life authentically.

Media shows you what they want you to see.

You choose what you accept to see.

You are beautiful, handsome, strong and courageous the way you are, right now.

After all this media mind- flutter, it’s often nice to just be home and get a break from all the shallowness and pressure surrounding daily life.

When it’s finally time to chill and watch some TV, so many channels are flooded with talking about worthless ‘news’ that has no meaning, value or substance. I see more news about celebrities, than about what is actually going on in the world or how we we can change it and all come together, to be better.

I don’t care that a celebrity drank a Starbucks, ate a kale salad, did a colonic & had Botox on a Tuesday…

How does that impact our lives? It doesn’t. Unfortunately, since we do not control the media… There is one option and one option only… Change what we choose to see. Change the way we see ourselves. We have to make a conscious choice not to allow ourselves to compare our reality to what we think may be someone else’s.

Media in general can really suck. It may even be that way forever. It would be nice to think it can get better, but I would also like to think that it is easier to change the way we view ourselves; over convincing all media to change the way they portray and display things.

We are all different, as we were born to be that way.

We all have different tastes, styles, ideas of fun… We have different goals, dreams, desires, likes and dislikes. There is more than enough happiness, health and wealth for everyone.

Take a stand for yourself. Don’t fall in the media trap. And if you do fall, get yourself up quickly.

You are you, and you are the only one.

Embrace YOU. Media sucks, not you.

-A. URFAB