Have you ever gotten your photo taken, be it a selfie, professionally, in a group photo, or by someone else, and thought, “I don’t look good”, and then instantly think of deleting that photo? STOP!!!!!

Don’t delete that photo. Just, don’t.

If you’re like me, you’re probably conscious about how you look towards yourself and think it’s best not to have these photos because - well, they don’t look good - but if you really are like me, you’ll revisit those photos when you’re feeling sentimental or want to take a trip down memory lane and start to feel somewhat sad or even regret that you’re not in any of the photos.

This was me. When I was younger, I was the one to take the photos and never be in it, and whenever a photo of me would be taken, I’d sneakily delete them. I’m also the one who keeps the photos and am very fond of looking through them every now and then. Back then I thought, “Phew, glad I deleted them” but as I kept revisiting them and got older, I started to feel sad that I couldn’t find myself anywhere, mostly because the memory in my head was fleeting and when I’d look through photos (at an older age) I couldn’t remember what happened in the photograph and would wonder what I was doing.

It’s not about vanity - it’s because memories are fleeting and more often than not, I was too critical of myself in the moment to think that maybe my older self would appreciate a photo of me; You know, to see my growth, the life I’ve lived, and be able to reflect how things are now versus how they’ve been.

So, since having kids, I told myself that no matter how bad the photo was (of me), I’d keep it; and I’m glad I did.

Just like the photo you see. When it was just taken, I thought “ugh, I look like I just woke up and this isn’t a good look” and wanted to delete it but I remembered why I shouldn’t (plus my daughter looks cute here, can’t delete that). This was taken in June of this year and I was reorganizing all the files I’ve transferred and came across this and now I think “I don’t look too bad”.

In the present moment, it can be hard to appreciate what’s going on, what you have, what you are. I’d like to believe that this thinking stems from the thought that we’re always a “work in progress” and so if I’m not at my “best” yet then I’m just not good enough. I did think that way, but having been able to slow down and being able to enjoy living in the present, now I truly understand the saying “It’s the journey, not the destination”. ‘Cause if I have to think about it too hard, the destination is me buried underground (when I die); I mean, that is the ultimate destination and that really shakes things up.

So dear reader, if you’re reading this and think about how bad you’ve got it right now, or how awful that photo looks, just remember - DON’T DELETE THAT PHOTO! Besides, it’s nice to see memories of your “work in progress” self :)