About this photo: “My in-laws were in town, so naturally, I did my best to hide the mounds of laundry I had yet to get to. I tucked all the baskets away near my husband’s closet and shut the door. Low and behold, when playing hide and seek, my kids led my in-laws directly to said laundry pile. Kids are really good at taking your filter off!” —Katie Cress, writer for Grit and Grace Life

Being #filterless In Our Relationships

Relationships are tricky to navigate to begin with. But when we start piling on the expectations of others, we’re easily frustrated and disappointed when those expectations aren’t met.

Did you know that it’s not just others’ expectations we’re burdened with—it’s our own, too! Take the high school student that’s sacrificing sleep and running herself ragged to earn straight A’s. She wants to be at the top of her class, so she can be accepted to the college she’s always dreamed of attending. She can’t see a future for herself without snagging a degree from that university.

When we meet these expectations, we feel like we’re worthy. We are pleased to meet the standard—that imaginary goal post we decided would determine our worth: our intelligence; our ability to be a good mother; a perfect daughter; an employee deserving of a significant promotion. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t give our best at what we do. But if your goal is to always be the best, look the best, act the best—you’ll be disappointed.

Perfection isn’t a guarantee, nor is it a reality. The fact is that we will make mistakes and disappoint others from time to time. That’s a part of life. But with each mistake and disappointment, we learn and grow, and those are things to be treasured. If we give our best at what we do, we’re freed from the guilt of never having tried. And we’re real.