Passport photos never look good... right? I went to do mine today and I had my hair done - but it needs to be behind my ears so it went up in a clip. I tried to have a PLEASANT face without smiling, but I just look TIRED. And i’m gonna be stuck with this for the next TEN YEARS!! I told the woman taking the photo when she gave me a chance to approve how I looked: I just need it to pass. Because the truth is — it’s not a glamor shot. I don’t need to look my best. It just needs to look like me.

As author Brené Brown once said, “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” You don’t have to have everything perfectly together. You don’t have to be the polished version of yourself every day. 

Sometimes the most important thing you can do... is simply show up. Show up imperfect. Show up honest. Show up real. And when you “come as you are” you’re giving other people permission to be themselves too. Because the world doesn’t need a perfectly presented version of you — it just needs you.