I used to care so much about the way I was perceived by others. I was afraid to show my depth and share my thoughts unless it was through music. Music was my safe place where I was allowed to be fully myself and not hold back. Social media has forced me to come out of my shell and show who I truly am outside of music and it has been a challenge for me. I think the most vulnerable parts of ourselves are the toughest to share, yet the most valuable parts we have to give.
When I first started using social media, I started realizing how much of a perfectionist I was. I didn’t want to share anything that I thought other people wouldn’t like or agree with. Nothing that I made was good enough, I never looked pretty enough, and I felt stupid for promoting myself. I wondered why none of my content was resonating with people until I realized that it was because I had my guard up and was afraid to let people get to know me. My ego was talking and not my heart and soul. People come on social media in search of connection, not perfection.
In the past few years, I have realized how little my purpose in life has to do with me. Fame is about getting everybody to like you and I’m not really interested in that. I just wanna find people who are like me and add value to their lives. I am never going to be able to do that if I am afraid to show who I really am or hiding parts of myself to try and please everybody.
The truth is no one really cares how you look, what you wear, or what you talk about; they only care how it makes them feel about themselves. Sure it’s an ego-boost to be liked, admired, or envied. But I am much more interested in being loved, appreciated, and seen for who I really am. I hope that by showing up fully as my authentic self, I can encourage others to do the same. Life’s too short to waste it and you’re too special not to embrace it.
-Baker Grace