Is Facebook making you depressed ?

Do you find looking at photos of your friends at facebook is depressing ?
especially when you have nothing to brag about ?
Yes they're your dear friends and you are happy for them, but looking at smiling pics of friends and their wives/husbands and kids abroad, in front of their big houses, etc and you look at yourself and you feel so left behind, so far behind.
You feel like a failure, the more you look at people's photos, the more you get depressed.

First, know this :
- Their lives are not yours
- What makes them happy might not make you happy
- What you think might make you happy, might not make you happy.
So why get depressed ?
Live in the now, be happy in the now, Keep trying to achieve your dreams. Be thankful, Cherish your Life and Don't care what you think others might think of you. They're too busy thinking what others might think of them.
Work on what you've got.... Keep at it.

Take myself for instance
Some people would think I'm a failure
yes I was.... see that... past tense.

I have a very easy life so I was wasting time all the time and not pursue my dreams because I think there's always tomorrow, but I'm awake now, I'm ready to live my life, I don't always succeed everyday, but I try to. I don't wanna throw my life away and live a useless life, I want to be someone, I want to live a meaningful Life.

I'm on the way to success now, even though you might still see me as a failure right now.
I'm going 30, I don't have a job and still single and I live with my parents.
There.... that's the perfect formula for destruction.
But I see it differently.

Different How ?

Here's How :
I search for my own happiness.
We are dictated of what a perfect life should be.
Married with kids, rich, big house, lots of cars, all smiles.
that's what we think is a perfect life.
Turns out, the Perfect Life differs for you and me.
It's different for everyone.

So....I'm 30 and single and live with my parents and I don't have a job.
Let's decipher that :

I live with my parents means I still spend a lot of times with my parents. I laugh with them, I argue with them, I eat with them, I see them everyday and I'm grateful for that.
I've lived in Australia, Milan, Paris alone, so the time that I now spend with parents, I cherish.
How many of the rich and successful end up regretfully saying "I wish I had spent more time with my parents" ?
Yes, You still live with your parents, so what ?
You don't need all that TV and movies and magazine to tell you that living with your parents is wrong.
It's wrong if you still need them to accompany you to work,
It's wrong if you still hold on to their shirt and won't let go.
It's wrong if you can't live far away from them because you need mom to make up your bed and do your laundry.
But if you're still living with your parents by choice because your parents are old and u need to take care of them or you're just beginning to start over, then Having the chance to still live with your parents is not something to be embarrassed about.
Culture also plays a role here, If you live in Asia or even in Italy, then it's totally ok for a grown-up to still live with his/her parents, but if you're living in North America, well...it's considered "unacceptable" by most.
But wherever you live or whatever your reasons are,
Make the most of your time living with your parents, make them happy, make them proud. Yes they will still piss you off and you will piss them off but there are definitely unbelievably good moments in between and that's priceless. You're still given the gift of time with your parents, how wonderful is that ? Cherish it.

I'm 30 and single means I still get to look for that "perfect-for-me" someone, and I don't have to take the kids to school and get worried sick whenever they fall ill.
I haven't found the one yet, so what ?
I'm still looking and that's fine.
There are of course the perfect married couple that are truly happy where they are right now and you just can't help but want that too.
But How many stories of married couples have you heard about silly little arguments that turn out into big fights ? or how selfish she/he is ?
I've heard stories from friends who told me that they regretted getting married to this guy/girl,
I've heard them say "You're so lucky you're still single"
"I wish I was still single"
"Don't get married just yet, enjoy your life"
"I'm bored of taking care of my family all the time"
I'm just glad I don't have to deal with those right now.
Of course I get lonely, of course I want someone in my life and have a perfect family of my own, I've even said to myself "I wish I was happily married" but it's just not here yet.
There's no point of being depressed over that, get out there and keep looking. Don't feel embarrassed and feel left out that you're still single, be Happy and be thankful in Life.
Nobody knows what others really feel, they may look perfectly happy but they're crying inside. What important is what you feel, if you're still single and you're totally fine with it, Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's your life, and your own perfect life is different from others.
If you want that special someone in your life, then look for him/her, but don't stress over it. Who cares if others judge you. Don't let others' judgments control you and how you feel. You should be able to enjoy the life you live.

I don't have a job means I have the time to make my dream job come true. I kept on wasting time before, but I'm changing, I'm starting to make my dream job and my dream life come true.
At this moment, I'm lucky to be able to work part time for my parents, and the free time I've got, I use to pursue my dream, it doesn't seem promising at the moment, but it is in progress and I'm doing my best and trusting it in His hands :)
So can you..... even if you already have a full time job, you can still pursue your dream job whenever you have a free time. But you need to start right now, not tomorrow.
How many people said "Boy I wish I had time to write more" but whenever he got some free time, he'd watch TV or websurf reading other people's success stories and be more depressed and wish for more free time to write.
Sound familiar ?
Use your time effectively, use it well.
What do you want to do ? What do you want to be ?
a writer ? an artist ? a singer ? a motivator ?
There are people who graduated from dentistry who become a marketing expert, or even start a small home catering business.
There are scientists who become artists and paints all day long in Europe. They realized what they truly want and made a career change and found Life !! Exciting, Amazing Life.
and it doesn't happen overnight, it took time, consistency, patience and hard work.

So what if I'm 30, single, still living with my parents and don't have a job. I'm being honest to you here, and I am starting my Life over, I'm making a lot of changes to my own life right now and I'm working to achieve my dream life.
and If you still think I'm a failure, then that's fine, it's your perception, and you're free to think anything you want.

Take a poor farmer for instance,
Who's to say that a poor farmer is not happy ?
I'm not saying all poor farmers are happy nor unhappy, but it's how we see things.
A farmer might not have much, but he's sincerely happy, he's able to laugh out loud often, sleeps well at night, have nothing to worry/stress about, he has enough in life, he can feed his family, he enjoys working in his field surrounded by nature's beauty all his life.
Why do we feel sorry for his super modest lifestyle ?
Why do we feel sorry for him being poor ?
He feels sorry for our tightly clenched jaws that don't laugh out loud often, He feels sorry for us stressing about work all the time, He feels sorry for us for always being in a hurry, He feels sorry for us for breathing polluted city air everyday. He feels sorry for us for not living and enjoying Life.

Another good illustration from an ad :
If you were a mom, Which do you choose ?
Proud of your son's rich and successful life but lonely
or Proud of your son's modest life but happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16PaWJvngBE

I have this friend on facebook who seems to have it all, and I envy her life sometimes.
She travels like 10 times a year, flying first class with her hubby & kid and shops a lot and "brag" about everything on facebook all the time. (yes with status updates and pics)
She seems to have it all, a healthy family, wealth, happiness, in short, the dream life, but there was this one time she updated her facebook status and she said "I don't know what to do with my life *sigh* It feels empty"
Wow right ?
The girl who I think has it all turn out to feel that way, the girl that I sometimes envy, can actually say something like that, it actually makes me feel sorry for her.
Maybe that's why she shops a lot, maybe that's why she "brags" about everything on facebook, because she feels empty.

So Don't feel jealous and get depressed by your friend's "happy photos" and their successes because you don't really know what they're really feeling inside.
and If they're really successful and happy, then be sincerely happy for them and aim to achieve better :)

Be happy with your current state no matter what.
Be happy with yourself regardless of what you think others think of you, you are just beginning, you're starting your Life, of course you are at point zero right now, the only way to go is up.
The secret is to Start your Life right now whatever your situation is, just Listen to your Heart, to the Voice within, then just start living your Life, start that determination, that hard work, start pursuing your dream.

The moment you want to change yourself is the moment you're on your way to success.
Never allow them to make you think of yourself as a failure, Always think yourself as a winner.
Now what you have to do is stay awake and start pursuing your dreams, yes there will be hard work, perseverance and patience, but they'll all be enjoyable because you're doing what you've always wanted. you're doing what you Love.
You're so close :)