[10 Days of Real]

I couldn't sleep last night so I thought I would write one of these.

Icebergs. I was watching a show on icebergs a few days ago and they are fascinating. Did you know that 7/8ths of their mass is below the surface? It's called the Keel. It got me thinking about how similar we humans are to icebergs. The majority of who we are is under the surface, it's that which is not visible to the eye, but still we spend so much energy and time trying to make that 1/8th look perfect, look fine, fit in, when in reality we are in desperate need of a friend or someone to tell us that everything will be all right and we can be honest with ourselves about where we are at.

Facebook is so corny. Facebook is so fake. It is everyone putting on their best face and making things seem like they are perfect. In reality we all end up losing in this game because we keep striving to upkeep this manipulated version of ourselves that is always doing fine and then on top of that we see other people who are "always doing fine" and their lives, jobs, marriages, travel experiences, engagements all seem to be flawless. Here's a secret that I'm gonna blow. No one is actually at this place. We all have crap going on. We all are hurting. And we all can't do it on our own.

As the Millennial generation we are so desperate for "Real". We are actually STARVING for Real. We want it so bad that just at the sight of it everyone else watching exhales and says to each other "Wow, really? You can actually do that? You can be Real, you can be vulnerable and things will work out ok? People will still accept and love you?" Yes. At least the people that matter in your life. The others, frankly you shouldn't have been wasting your time with them in the first place.

We care so much about what other people think that we determine our self worth based upon their opinion of us. That is a horrible foundation to base our lives upon. Peoples' opinions are subject to change which means that our value is bound to change depending on someone else's mood. All the while you are loved by a kind God who intricately designed you and wants you to know Him so that you understand how important and how irreplaceable you are. You are significant. And you have inherent value independent of your past, your current circumstances, your looks, your capabilities, your broken relationships, etc. And you were born to be a conqueror! To thrive at life, not just survive.

"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do" -Eleanor Roosevelt. Thanks Ellen. We all needed to hear that.

So this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna spend the next 10 days posting things about Real life. Of not just the highs or things that make me look like I have it all together but also the lows and the in betweens. I challenge you to do this as well, to reevaluate how you are presenting yourself and to come to this realization of "I can be Real, I can be myself and people will not only be ok with that but they may be inspired and encouraged to be themselves as well". It is exhausting trying to be someone else when you were created to only be you. And no matter how hard you try to be someone else you can't be them because they are already taken! So be you, and be real. Alright, here it goes.. Ten days of Real. This might get messy.

-Joey