Dear Jessica Brennan,
People lie in plain sight all the time. Here are some of my favourite lies.
The Committee Lie:
Sometimes a group will form a committee to give the impression that they are looking for input, but when you form a committee to make a decision that is dead obvious, you are simply killing time. Yes, killing it. Think about that.
The Photoshop Lie:
If I were on the front of Vogue magazine, I would definitely insist on being photo-shopped. Why not? But don’t buy into the “Do you think she was photo-shopped?” conversation. Of course, she was; it’s a magazine. It’s not about her, or whether she needs it, or whether it’s right or wrong. It’s about selling stuff. Magazines are about selling magazines and products in magazines. That’s it. Tell your daughters and sons.
The Grateful and Blessed Lie:
I’ve talked about this before. I don’t trust anyone who uses the word grateful or blessed in every other sentence. Little Bobby learning to walk on his first birthday is nature taking its course. You haven’t been blessed, and you don’t need to be grateful. Be excited, be happy, be proud, but don’t turn it into some divine event. Puke.
The Happily Ever After Lie:
Happily-Ever-Afters are created by tenacity, hard work and commitment, not by firework romances. Love helps, but if the work and attention aren’t there, love is not enough.
The Job Posting Lie:
If you post for jobs at your company when you already know who you are going to hire, just to make the process look fair, that isn’t fair. It is actually about as unfair as it gets and also a huge time-waster and stress-inducer for all involved.
The Selfie Lie:
When you try to make your life look way larger than life on social media by posting endless big grinning, perfect pictures, you are doing two things. You’re making one group of people feel inferior and sad because their life isn’t perfect like yours. But you’re also tipping off another group of more intuitive people that you aren’t very happy. Life can suck. It’s okay. Be real.
The You Can Be Whatever You Put Your Mind To Lie:
Oh yeah, this is my favourite lie of them all. We tell our kids this, and sorry, but it’s abusive. I could have poured my entire heart and soul into being a rocket scientist, and guess what. No. Everyone cannot be prime minister, or Wayne Gretzky or David Suzuki. They just can’t. David Suzuki couldn’t be Wayne Gretzky either. We can all just be who we are, so the best and most truthful advice is, “You can be the best you. Figure out what that is and be it.”
Love,
Mum xo
