D๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ผ๐˜…๐—ถ๐—ฐ #๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†?

A person in a suit holds a white mask in an office setting, embodying the mantra "Fake It Til You Make It." The image subtly critiques toxic positivity with words overlaid diagonally across it.

Perfection is Everywhere

A background of numerous scattered question mark cards with a large, bold red "PERFECT" overlaid. A red "A+" is positioned at an angle above "PERFECT," suggesting a theme of excellence or achievement.
A background of numerous scattered question mark cards with a large bold red PERFECT overlaid A red A+ is positioned at an angle above PERFECT suggesting a theme of excellence or achievement

In this age of social media, where every post seems to be a reminder of someone’s ideal, Instagram-filtered life, it’s easy to feel the pressure.

But let’s be realโ€”how often do we scroll through LinkedIn, stumbling upon posts that paint a picture of unending professional bliss? Perfect companies. Perfect jobs. Perfect lives.

Other folks seem to be absolutely *crushing it* every day. ๐Ÿš€

โšกNEWS FLASH: ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜†’๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜. โšก

What’s Really Happening

What youโ€™re seeing is a carefully edited highlight reel. Trust me, behind those glossy updates are struggles, frustrations, and a whole lot of unglamorous moments.

The truth is that everyone is battling something but often theyโ€™re afraid to show a crack, for fear of being judged.

When we slap on a fake smile ๐Ÿ˜Š and pretend all is well, we inadvertently pile on the pressure for everyone around us.

But What About “Fake It Til You Make It?”

But wait, isnโ€™t positivity a good thing? Shouldn’t we see the glass as half-full? Isnโ€™t that the key to happiness?

Absolutely! But there’s a fine line between healthy optimism and toxic positivity.


How to Know If You’re Engaging in Toxic Positivity or Healthy Optimism

Here’s a simple litmus test I use:

๐—–๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป. ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€’ ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น, ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ณ-๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ณ?

Positivity is wonderful, but when admitting that life is tough feels like a risk, it turns into something harmful.

Itโ€™s all about balance. โš–๏ธ Recognizing challenges doesnโ€™t mean wallowing in negativity; itโ€™s about being real, acknowledging struggles, and seeing them as stepping-stones to growth.

Overcoming Challenge is Inspiring


Too often, in our race to showcase success, we skip over the most compelling part of the story.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ, ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜€๐˜๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด, ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐—น๐˜† ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฑโ€”๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐˜‚๐˜€.

We need spaces where it’s safe to voice what isn’t working, to be vulnerable without fearing judgment.

True growth comes from facing reality head on, not from hiding behind a facade of unwarranted positivity. So yes, celebrate your victories, but donโ€™t shy away from your truths.

Let’s develop a culture where itโ€™s okay to not always be okay. Where real support triumphs over the illusion of perfection.


Have a particular challenge you’d like to work through?


Additional reading on #toxic positivity:

The Dangers of Toxic Positivity, Part 1 of 2 – Brenรฉ Brown

The Dangers of Toxic Positivity, Part 2 of 2 – Brenรฉ Brown



#positivity #authenticity #vulnerability #inspiration

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