Affirmation

Too often, it seems, so many of us focus on the things we aren't: pretty, successful, slim, confident, popular, erudite, bold. We hold ourselves up to amorphous and unattainable standards, and use these as a stick to flagellate ourselves, as if that will somehow spur us to attain greatness. We do not live for ourselves, but live for how we believe others see us, always wondering how to alter ourselves to match the expectations of a larger society that treats people like a fungible commodity. This yolk upon our soul drags us down, makes us believe that our worth is measured in pennies, not as the priceless thing it is. We willingly buy into this, assuming that this is how it is meant to be or just how it is.

This, of course, is nonsense.