Why are we impulsive?

Why are we manipulative?

Why are we depressed?

Why are we fighting for things which we don't really need?

Why do we put up with things we don't deserve and continue to get upset about them?

Why do we complicate situations?

Why do we argue and fight?

Why do we smile and cheer?

Why are we addicts?

Why are we compassionate?

The answer is… because we are human.

You know when you read this list the first time you will most likely think that it doesn't concern you. That you are this prized human being who has escaped the hard hits that the world throws at you and that you are not an addict or obsessive and compulsive. You may know that there are flaws or cravings, but it is nothing compared to what you see other people deal with, right? Wrong. We ALL have our addictions whether it be your phone, a substance, to love and be loved, to success. It is a weakness because it pulls you away from things that should be focused on, like self-love.

We are so wrapped up in approval that we forget to receive our own. To post an Instagram picture you probably send a couple to your friends and then brainstorm caption ideas and 3 hours later you have the perfect post… which 5 minutes after you post it you see something wrong with your eyes or the way your hair looks. You took all that effort and the critiques from others that you forgot to look at it yourself and you will point out every flaw as if it will ruin your existence. Then you go along with your day constantly checking the number of likes and who has commented. You check to see if a special someone has double tapped and proceed to stalk their social media. You go look through your feed and see all the other posts about vacations and think that your life couldn't be any more boring. Wait a second? Aren't you an addict? Aren't you obsessive? Aren't you trying to get attention?

It is the world we live in today where we crave others approval and mock our own. Heck I can't buy a pair of sandals alone, so I drag my boyfriend from store to store just to hear him say "babe that looks just as good as the last one" 20 times until I hear that little voice in my head say it. But that little voice has been silenced. It isn't the fault of anyone else, not even of ourselves. We cannot make decisions anymore because we are no longer living the best life for ourselves… we are living the best life based on 500 opinions and then hating that we can't form our own insight on what we want to do.

I challenge you to go a single week figuring it out on your own. No more opinions from others or questioning your every move. Trust your gut instincts and know that if you want those shoes then get those shoes. If you want to post that picture, then post that picture. It is okay to get help, but it isn't okay to forget to help yourself while you go through the motions of life.

You are your best critique but only you can design your ideal future.