4 Ideas I Won’t Subscribe To
2020 was an interesting year to say the very least.
With everyone having spent so much time in isolation, there was way more time spent on social media and enveloped in the internet. I've seen a lot of people who I love deeply fall into ideas and mindsets that are really unhealthy. It's easy to “subscribe” and tune into ideas and mindsets, usually from influencers, when you're consuming their content 24/7. The things I'm going to share are pretty personal to each person and how they choose to live their lives, but I encourage you to hear me out.
4 Ideas I Won't Subscribe To:
1. You need the new, the best & the brightest.
Sure, like everyone, the new iPhones have gotten me a few times but I've never been one to obsess over new things. I love thrifted clothes, I love old furniture and old houses and repurposing items. I have never been one to need to go get new clothes. I enjoyed it on occasion, because I did live off of a lot of hand-me-downs growing up- which were extremely exciting upon receiving them, but sometimes it's nice to get something new. But the idea that you have to have the new phone every year, the newest car, the new build, the new clothes for every occasion, new decor every year- it's just not me. I think that you can have a healthy relationship with purchases and enjoy it in moderation, but as soon as it starts affecting your mindset, your finances and you start to look down on others who don't have the newest or who don't buy a new outfit for every event, it's becoming a toxic habit. America especially is so obsessed with consumerism. Our world revolves around the biggest sales of the year, holidays are no longer opportunities to get together with family, it's just a chance to get things half priced. We live for the yearly release of new Apple products and the unveiling of new cars that we'll spend more than our house payment on. It's ridiculous. I'm personally glad that I grew up on the “poorer” end of the spectrum- I say that but we were still always provided for and incredibly blessed. But I'm glad because I actually have learned to appreciate time spent with people and the things I do have much more than the majority of Americans. It's also way better on my wallet. Sure, if I go into Target, I want it all and there's been times where I did lose control and walked out spending $200 on a bunch of crap I didn't need, but I now have the self control to leave there without a cart full every time. It's a learning process but I encourage you to re-evaluate your relationship with “stuff” and see how better your money and time can be invested and spent.
2. The body positivity movement.
I've talked about this in depth before, but I will never stop shouting from the rooftops that the body positivity movement is TOXIC. Is it good that we are finally talking about our bodies and such? Yes. But it is not encouraging us in a healthy way whatsoever. On one end of the spectrum we are being told that we need to accept our bodies as is, no matter how unhealthy we are and on the other end we are being told if we aren't working out 2x a day and eating perfectly that we may as well sign our death certificate. It's actually ridiculous and it's really horrible for our mental health. Rather than putting an emphasis on balance and finding what works for ourselves as individuals with different genetic makeups, we are dying to just have a label slapped on us and call it a day. I heavily believe that we need to find a balance of taking care of our bodies and our mental health, they actually go hand in hand. How you fuel your body has a lot to do with your mental state. I don't believe in complacency but I also believe that you shouldn't idolize how you look and that you need to honor the stages that your body goes through. Our bodies are amazing and they were created to go through so many things and withstand hard times. But even after all of that, our bodies do not define us. Our worth is not dependent on how we look or how we don't look, how we eat or how we don't eat. Our worth is based on who we were created in the image of and who we were created to be in relation to Him. So yeah, I'm going to unsubscribe very quickly to the “body positivity” culture because it's incredibly fake and the furthest thing from positive.
3. Telling people you disagree with them.
This one may sound silly, because it is. Especially in the era of social media where we are easily able to share our opinions there are many people who find it their personal responsibility to tell us when we're wrong. Now look, I'm all for healthy conversations and occasionally a good debate, but more times than not when you're being approached by someone who thinks you're wrong they have zero intentions of hearing your side, they just want you to know that they think you're wrong and that they're right. Now what is the point of that? What if instead of channeling so much energy into telling people that they are “misinformed”, “uneducated”, “wrong” or “ignorant” that we just simply walk away from those situations and mind our own business. I'm not going to change your opinion and you're not going to change mine, especially not in a confrontational conversation. Sharing ideas so that others can observe them and look deeper, that's the way that they may change their mind, but you telling them that they are wrong is not going to do the trick. Learn to bite your tongue and walk away, life is too short to constantly be arguing with people and letting bitterness sit on your tongue.
4. You need to hustle or you won't succeed.
Rest is for the dead is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Rest is good. Rest is necessary and if we don't slow down we will find ourselves miserable, sick, depleted and alone- but hey, at least we'll have money! Except, let's stop and think for a second- you're not guaranteed that if you hustle you'll be rich and successful. In fact if you never stop going, you may just find that you blew right past strategy and you're doing an endless amount of tasks that really aren't moving you anywhere. I think of hustle culture like putting on a blindfold and walking only to look down at some point and realize that you were walking on a treadmill the whole time and although you made it 4 miles, you're still right where you started with nothing to show except sweat stains. Maybe that's a dumb analogy but seriously, hustle culture tells us that if we slow down we'll fall behind. But God tells us that if we slow down and rest in Him, we'll find peace that surpasses all understanding. Hard work is good, we need hard work, but balance is necessary for us to live and thrive.
All of these ideas are a bit controversial, so take them as you will, but I hope that I can open your mind up and maybe help you realize that you don't have to do all of the things, all of the time.