Tell Your Whole Story

It’s time that we tell our whole story.

After reading Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, and listening to her speak a few months ago, this phrase has really stuck in my head. “Your story is what you have, what you will always have.  It is something to own. Tell your whole story”.

Social media really drives me crazy.  It is the fairy tale photos that people showcase by applying the right filter and the right angle to get the perfect image.  Or, people are showing videos of how wonderful their life is and if you don’t look, dress or be a certain way, then there must be something wrong with you and you need to change it.

I’m calling people out on their Bullshit.  It’s time that we tell our WHOLE story. Being open and honest about the ups and downs that are going on in our lives.  To share real life situations with other women and moms, because we are not alone.

I am not perfect either.  I have posted those photos.  I have put on the face of being that mom where everything is perfect and I have my shit together 24/7.  I did this more after having my first daughter, where my expectations were higher, and I needed to excel at my job at being a mom, wife, friend and business owner.

Then I soon realized that I was not happy and I needed to ask myself why. Why was I acting this way? Who was I trying to impress? It came down to being constantly surrounded by a society where we compare everything.  Breast feeding to bottle. Baby wearing or not. Cloth diapers or disposable.  The best stroller, crib, high chair, vehicle.  Organic food or not.  Making your own baby food or buying it from the store.  Losing your baby weight in 3 months postpartum or not.  Wearing a 2 piece bathing suite or 1 (or never again).  It was all driving me crazy!  I had to let these thoughts go (and they creep up on me every now and then).  I didn’t have time to care as much about other people’s drama when I had my twins, because I was now caring for 3 kids under the age of 2 and still operating my business.  I needed to be present in my daughter’s life as much as possible vs stressing out that my house wasn’t picture perfect clean and organized.  This is also why I don’t watch a lot of TV, especially those drama shows.  I couldn’t be bothered to waste my time watching someone else’s chaos!

I feel like I’ve been pretty open and honest after I had my twins and have shared my stories of hardships of being a mom with friends, family and clients.   When people ask me how my day is going, I will say when I’m having a crappy day and not put up a happy front, when inside, I am not feeling that way.  It is just more exhausting to pretend, then to actually express what is going on in real life.  I have been open about my thyroid issues and how it has impacted my life the past 2 years. I have been honest about breast feeding and how I hated it and was so relieved when I fully bottle and formula fed my children.  I have been honest about how exhausted I am most days being a solo parent (my husband works long hours and trying to deal with parenting and running my company.

Every day,  I can tell when my clients walk in my studio how their day has been. When I ask them how they are , they know to tell the truth and be honest with me because I will call them out on it and they have realized that it is exhausting to hide their true feelings. This is why I love providing a safe place for moms and women to share their story.  To be open and upfront with what’s truly going on in their life … because mom life is hard and no one warns you about the emotional roller coaster that you will experience every dam day!

So to all the moms and women out there, share your story.  Tell the whole truth about your life and don’t hide the stories or parts of your life that you think people will judge you.  Own it. Or like Michelle Obama said, people will just make up stories about you, that will be false and hurtful. Don’t let them.