Photo by: Canva
According to their homepage, Instagram says that the app allows you to "experience moments in your friends' lives through pictures as they happen."
Of course, we know that isn't exactly the case. Instagram allows us to create carefully cropped, manicured, and filtered moments as we want people to see them.
Let's be honest. We're all guilty of filtering the crap out of our pics to present the precise image that we want to project to the world (follow me @CSCDanMason for an ongoing tutorial on how to use the Hefe filter to make your pasty complexion look vibrant and sun-kissed).
We are adept at using the contrast and the tilt-shift to minimize our perceived flaws and imperfections. We know how to give the "sorority arm" pose to make us look thinner. We use the saturation tool to make those oceanfront vacation photos seem that much more cinematic. We carefully stage the photo of the mimosa toast at brunch with our partner, while making sure not to post pics of us at our smallest, saddest, and most insecure.
And yet, in a world of enhanced social media moments, we lose sight of one important concept.
We don't need an app to alter our "reality". We can consciously choose to mentally filter our world and find beauty every single day.
All it takes is a commitment to shift our perceptions.
What is the filter through which you view your life? What are the beliefs you carry that color the way you perceive the world?
For instance, if you believe life is a "test", it's likely that you worry obsessively over every single decision, fearing that you didn't study hard enough and that you might "fail".
If you believe that life is a "battle", that filter will lead you to look for conflict in your day-to-day interactions. You might feel as if every person is out to attack you or take what is rightfully yours.
But what if you changed your thinking and picked a more empowering filter?
How would you view the world differently if you believed that life was a symphony? Would you feel like you are part of a larger community where every person had value? That each person had a unique and important role to play? Would you feel like your mission is to work precisely and collaboratively with others to create something beautiful?
What if you your filter was to view life as a blank canvas? Would you be less apt to blame others for the picture that you see and take more ownership of your life? Would you wake up each day excited to create something vibrant that brings you joy?
In choosing a new filter, you are really just choosing to find a new, empowering meaning to your challenges. These choice can create an immediate, radical shift in your life.
The parent who abandoned you as a child could be the reason you can't maintain a successful adult relationship. Or they could be an important teacher whose purpose was to make your more self-reliant.
The ex who cheated on you could very well be the miserable, awful, soulless person who set out to destroy you. Or perhaps they could be the reason you learned the importance of following your intuition and being mindful of red flags.
The job that laid you off could be the result of a terrible economy and a broken system designed to benefit the rich. Or it could be the universe guiding you on a new path that will lead you closer to fulfilling your purpose.
The good news is, whichever filter you choose, you will be right!
As one client said to me this week, "I truly never believed that being happy was a choice until I set a daily intention to be happy. It' crazy how different I already feel".
Is it time for you to change your filter and find a deeper sense of purpose in your life? I've helped clients all over the globe find a life of joy, fulfillment, and love. I'd love to do the same for you! I'm offering a FREE, 25-minute Discover Your Strengths Clarity session to the first 10 HuffPost readers who email me at dan@creativesoulcoaching.net.