I've started to believe that we all go through life with these ideas of who we are, or who we should be. Whether it's seeing a character on screen, in a book or a combination of celebrated personalities, we all look for something different.
Something we don't usually see in ourselves.
Someone with dreams to be a doctor, a lawyer or a profession centred around academia looks on and admires the "freedom" those in entertainment careers have.
A housewife, who manages a working family day-in/day-out looks at younger, single women on TV in awe, as if all her time in the world no longer belongs to her.
Teenagers all suffer from a little social anxiety because they don't look a certain way, or their bodies don't resemble the bodies of those they see on social media. Or maybe, not enough followers. Something that seems trivial to a past generation, but to the present, it makes or breaks you.
Wouldn't it be nice to wake up one morning and accept yourself for yourself. To start looking as yourself as a human with feelings, not a mannequin of commerce. For myself, I always notice that when I'm pulled out of my environment, like on a quiet holiday, I begin to remember who I am. My childhood memories, the small things I like, the things that make me truly happy.
They say being healthy on the outside is the result of working your way inside out. I believe that. The happier you are, the better you are at everything, including the things you don't enjoy.
So, take this and change one small thing in your day, every day for a week and see if it makes a difference. Something as small as walking instead of catching the bus, waking up slightly earlier to clear your mind or enjoy a breakfast you've always told yourself you're too busy to have.
One small step for inner happiness.