Honestly. These pictures are two completely different people.
And not ‘the glow up is real’ kind of different. I mean not ONE fibre of my being is the same.
I’ve been thinking so much about this whole 10 year throwback thing. I wasn’t really sure if I even wanted to take part.
But then I decided to do what I always to, take to the internet and tell the truth.
This post was adapted from my instagram page, but this was my original writing before I needed to make cuts to fit it in 2200 characters. ha.
So, here it is.
10 year throwback: TRUTH TELLERS EDITION.
NYE 2009 vs. NYE 2019.
Here’s the thing:
The girl on the left had a life that was full of friends and fun and socializing. It was fun and spontaneous and care-free. She was a connector. She brought everyone together. She was the life of the party. Sometimes too much. To her own detriment. Too much alcohol or drugs or extreme dieting. She was focused on the small things in life. The things that are all consuming. Like body image and what others thought and the latest drama in the friend group.
But she dreamed of owning an incredible abundant business, she dreamed of being in a healthy loving partnership, she dreamed of not needing to bartend to pay bills, she dreamed of being a home owner.
Even though she was always surrounded by friends, she had no one to lean on. Every bill or responsibility or commitment felt like the weight of the world and she couldn’t see an end in sight. She was anxious and felt lost and alone. She craved routine and stability and structure.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The girl on the right has everything that girl dreamed of.
BUT oh my goodness nothing is the same!!
The woman a decade later has been through loss to a level most humans will never experience. She has lost jobs. She has last businesses. She has lost babies. She has lost people she thought would be in her life forever. She lost her entire identity. She lost life as she knew it. Her soul has been broken 1000 times over in the ten years.
And yet she finally found herself.
She found her passion and the career she was meant to step into. She married the love of her life, which was also the first healthy, loving partnership she had ever been in. She owns multiple homes. She has spent years in therapy healing her wounds. Her career excites her every day. She lives her life thinking about how she help others thrive. Nothing brings her greater joy than helping others succeed. She is learning to forgive. Her life is free of drama and while she loves connecting with others, she loves to be alone even more.
But she feels misunderstood by most people. She’s so fixated on her new goals and the desire to become a mother, that she doesn’t often celebrate how far she’s come. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The moral of this story: Life is complicated and not linear. If these 10 year challenges have been making you feel like crap — don’t worry!!
People aren’t posting their failures there too. People aren’t posting their losses or heartbreaks. The shiny side is wonderful and so important to celebrate. But please, please don’t compare yourself to someones ‘after’ – because you have no idea what it took to get there. And I promise you, it was a lot.
Happy new year loves. Here is to a decade of celebrating our wins, being grateful for what we do have and trusting in a plan bigger than our own.
Everything you desire is on it’s way, even if it doesn’t look like it does for everyone else!!
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