No Filter

Hello beautiful friends,

She’s back. I’ve missed you. Welcome old and new friends. We’ll chat in other blogs about all of the life things, but I thought it very fitting to kick this Unfiltered Womanhood rebrand off, by removing the filters.

Filters are not reality. In the world we live in today, it’s so easy for women to feel like we have to conform to certain standards in order to be considered beautiful, successful, or even worthy. The unrealistic expectations set, often lead to fabricated “results”, and the current widespread and highly filtered epidemic. The filtered epidemic has an underlying message that simply states, you are not enough.

Well, I’m here today to share with you, we’re not doing that. Right now, in this moment, I need for you to mentally unsubscribe from all of the lies society has told us. Perfection does not exist in human form, unless we’re talking about Jesus. I’d be glad to talk more about Jesus to anyone who’d be open to listening, but for now, I’m going to talk about perfection as it relates to you, me, or anyone we may know, that doesn’t exist. Are you okay with that? Because let me tell you, being okay with that is one of the most liberating truths you’ll ever experience. When you accept that truth you can then learn to love yourself, like really love yourself, who you are right now, right where you are.

Unfiltered womanhood is about being unapologetically, you. It’s about celebrating your body, your mind, and your soul just as you are, while in the process of becoming who it is you’re destined to be. It’s not always easy, it certainly doesn’t happen overnight, and it will require so much grace. But take it from someone whose been on this unfiltered womanhood journey for quite a while now, I can assure you, it’s worth it. Maybe you’ve already been thinking about how to become more of yourself and live a more authentic life? Or perhaps you’ve already started your journey and are looking for a sisterhood or community? I’m so happy to share parts of my life with you to support you on your unfiltered journey and provide a space for us to learn, grow, commune, and have fun.  

Together, I’m certain, we can create a world where we are all free to be our authentic selves.

Below are some tips on removing the filters and living your best unfiltered life:

Be Yourself. The quote “Be yourself because everyone else is taken” is one of my favs. You are literally one of one. If that’s not a flex, I don’t know what is. The fact that God only made one of you, and placed certain thoughts and gifts inside of you that he didn’t give to anyone else, makes you irreplaceable in God’s plan. We cannot tap into what God has placed inside of us, if we’re preoccupied trying to be someone else.

Embrace your imperfections.  We all have them. Trying to fix every single imperfection is a losing game, so instead embrace yourself, love on you, that’s how you win. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t change things about yourself in a healthy and safe way if that’s what you choose to do, but you have to make a plan to do so, and make sure you’re doing it for yourself and no one else.

Be Honest. Honesty is indeed the best policy, especially when it comes to the lives we live. Being honest with yourself gives you a clear starting point. Too often we set ourselves up to lose before we begin, because we don’t know where to start. Start with honesty.

Celebrate your body, whether you’re on day 1 or 1000 of a fitness or healthier lifestyle journey, or maybe you haven’t started yet. Your body is worthy of your love regardless of the size, shape, or shade. Our bodies are used to experience the world around us, as well as connect with other humans, and they operate as machines for us and work nonstop to keep us alive. That’s worthy of some TLC in my opinion.

Forge your own path, what works for one, might not work for two, and what works for two, might not work for three… same can be said for you and me.(I will not miss an opportunity to rhyme-ever) Anyway, forging your own path sometimes means doing things differently. Don’t be afraid to do something outside of the box, out of the fear of deviating from the norm. Your people will always accept you, and if they don’t accept you, then they are not your people. That’s fine. Go where you’re accepted and celebrated.       

And last but certainly not the least, stop being in secret competitions and comparing yourself to others. I know in this digital age, with the instant access to the lives of those you know and don’t know at your fingertips, this can be challenging. But ‘comparison is not only the thief of joy’, and it is also a one-way ticket to misery. What someone else has or does, does not take anything away from what you have or what you do. The accomplishments of others don’t cancel yours out. Life is not a race and you are not behind.

Less filters and more authenticity.

-Shamira