A New Post By Scott Bakken of GetRealLive

After all these years of standing in line at Subway and ordering those footlongs, it has finally been revealed to us by that these famous sandwiches fell short of what we had believed they were all these years. After an Australian teenagers photo went viral of him measuring the beloved footlong at one inch less than previously believed, the lid was lifted on this fast food giant. With the power of his measuring tape, the teenager answered the question no one was asking.

Yet we were all shocked at what was discovered. All of these years, no one complained, and everyone smiled as they enjoyed their self-designed masterpiece and Jared himself was singing Subways praises all the way to the bank.  Now, our world is disgruntled and shocked at this astounding news, or are they? How could we have been so fooled! First of all leave it to a man to actually measure and point out the issue that size does indeed matter. There have even been lawsuits against the fast food restaurant with some crying ‘fraud’.  Women don’t seem to be bothered by this ‘missing inch’.

If people get this upset over a sandwich, what about in real life! We all just want to measure up and somehow we think we do. Just when we think all is fine, someone comes along and points out our shortfall. Highlighting what no one was looking for in the first place only to disrupt our state of peace and tranquility.

One can only be left with the question, ‘what is the standard’? What is too nice, too thin, too fat, and too successful? Where do we get these ideals from and whom are we really trying to impress? And why in the world does someone else’s opinion even matter to us?

There is an epidemic in our society. It has been diagnosed as ‘the one inch shortfall’ syndrome.  Treated by wasting our money on expensive product to impress the neighbor, only to find out they don’t really care and we are the ones stuck with the debt of it.  We work at talents that are not anywhere within our gifting only to just to satisfy a parents dream. Adorned with all the latest gadgets, accessories and toys because we are on a mission to prove that we can indeed roll with the best of them.

While we are trying to please everyone around us, have lost sight of what pleases us? What makes us happy? Gives us peace and drives our purpose? Maybe these are the questions we should be asking. This is also the attitude we should reciprocate to those around us.  Most likely people won’t measure up to what we think they should be and the ability to be in peaceful relationship with others exists in one’s ability to reconcile to this.

So, for this young Aussie left disappointed, hopefully he finds that extra inch to make himself happy. To the rest of us, maybe we should put away the measuring sticks and just keep enjoying what we were already were in the first place.