The 10 Year Challenge
I wasn’t going to do it. The #tenyearchallenge
I’ve scrolled the posts on my Facebook page, and though I stopped and appreciated the pictures I was seeing, I wasn’t participating – until today – I wasn’t sure what the point was.
It was one of this year’s most popular trends. It was big at the beginning of the year, and now that celebrities are jumping on board and sharing their pics, it’s picked up steam again.
The challenge has been brought back to life as the End of the Decade challenge after one Twitter user posted “Show me what you looked like at the beginning of the decade vs the end!”
The basics –
It goes by a few names – #HowHardDidAgingHitYou challenge, the #GlowUp challenge, and the #10yearchallenge.
How to play along – post two images – usually side by side – which were taken at least ten years apart.
Challenge accepted.
I had no expectations. Maybe some bad hair choices. 10 years doesn’t seem THAT long in the grand scheme of things.
Oh but it is.
I have to be honest. I felt a little sad looking at the girl in the picture on the left. The “10 years ago me”.
Smiling it’s true. But such a different person.
10 years ago I was working for a country radio station. I loved having the chance to meet the artists who played the music. But I valued work more than anything else. My kids were still so small. I was still learning and growing as a parent. I was still holding onto past hurts and disappointments and living life afraid. I was stuck comparing and trying to be/ look like someone else.
The girl on the left – put work first ahead of everything else. Got way too excited about meeting the artists. I was looking to prove myself somehow. If I met “famous” people I would be better somehow. Looking for validation. Looking for approval. Looking for identity. I didn’t love who I was or how I felt.
The girl on the left was timid and shy and unsure of herself in so many ways. Big bulky clothes. Hiding. I see a nervous person, hands folded, uncomfortable in her body.
The girl on the right? She is strong. She is a fighter. She has spent the last few years working on herself from the inside out. Growing in faith, working out, making better food choices and doing things that make her happy. She believes in herself even when she slips and falls. She stands taller. She smiles more. The girl on the right is not defined by what she does but who she is.
The girl on the right doesn’t need approval from anyone to believe she is worthy.
I thought it was another silly Facebook thing. But now I realize the power of looking back and looking at yourself through your own eyes.
And I realize that in ten years, I will do it again, and look for changes.
I know Facebook offers a ton of silly, time wasting, quizzes. I’ve done them.
But this latest trend, I kinda like it and I’m glad I did it. I feel kinda proud of who I am and how much I have grown and changed in the last ten years.
Your turn. Let’s see your pics! What have you learned, how have you grown, and changed in the last ten years?
I’m so thankful for the changes. 
