Social media is a lot of things but to me, it’s a platform that can be used for good. It’s funny, really, how positive of a reaction I got from such a “non-beautiful” photo. You see, social media is a lot of things, but one of those things is that it’s a veil. It offers to hide our insecurities, cover up the mess, and mask the yuck in our lives. With social media we can let our highlight reel shine bright and help the world think we’ve got it all together. The funny thing is, I wish it wasn’t that way. Each and every day I waste minutes (ahem, hours) just scrolling through peoples highlight reels. I see perfectly foamed lattes, deliciously sprinkled donuts, perfectly paired outfits, and beautifully made up people. I see success stories and celebrations and happy hours and success, so much success. As I scrolled through one morning, I started to look around me and my life felt so ugly and messy. I saw my suitcase waiting to be unpacked, my pile of laundry in the corner, I saw the zits on my face, the weight on my thighs, and the mismatched dirty clothes that hung on my body. I looked around and suddenly what I had was not enough and that scared me.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough and I snapped myself out of that “not enough” rabbit hole and decided to make a change. Here’s the thing, social media is a staged representation of the lives we want people to think we are living. We intentionally let others fill in the blanks and imagine all of the good we must have going on and in the end, they probably never see the ugly or the mess. It’s easy to post the good, it feels good, and it’s great to read the good, but sometimes we need to post the real: the struggle, the trial, the reality, the mess… sometimes, just sometimes, people need to look behind that veil and see the human being who is simply doing the very best they can! Here’s the thing, I’m not one to air my dirty laundry on social media but I am one to let others know that who they are is enough, that if they have cellulite, they are beautiful, and that if they are out there being the best version of themselves, they rock. Don’t hide behind the veil of social media, don’t hide your heart, don’t stifle your calling, if I can make one person feel a little more empowered in their own skin, then keeping it real is worth it, every single time.

So after I got out of my “not enough” funk and looked around me and started seeing the blessings, I wanted to share the reality of what my life looks like on the daily. It isn’t jeans, it’s definitely not make up, it doesn’t happen in a perfect office, there are zero foamed lattes present, but the fact that I am doing what I love and I am happy means it’s a highlight (no make up and all!) I sat at my table, post workout in a dirty sweater (no bra) and I figured I might not be the only one feeling this way so here I am: not retouched, not a stitch of makeup, post workout, unshowered, and about to tackle some emails and editing. This is the real me, this is my life, and it’s beautiful just the way it is.

 If you want to follow along my imperfect journey, click here: @jennakutcher 

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