There is a lot of unspoken pressure to stay the same; like the same things you’ve always liked, dress in the same style you always have, etc. “Being yourself” has slowly altered into “be what everyone knows you as”.

You should feel free to question what you believe in, because that is the only way you will learn and form your own opinions. If you make decisions and take actions based purely on what would make you happy, there will come a time when you are at peace with yourself.

Life is short and unexpected. No matter who you are, life doesn’t stop for anyone. There is no point in twiddling your thumbs and waiting for something to happen because “someday” does not exist; the power of the present-tense is stronger than anything else.

Moving beyond what you consider safe and familiar is essential for personal growth.  Each of us has our own “comfort zone” which defines the routine of our daily life. Creating a comfort zone is healthy in the sense that it keeps us relatively comfortable and calm, gives us a sense of security, and frees us from worrying to a certain degree. But it can be beneficial to step outside of your comfort zone when you decide it’s time for you to transition into a new stage of your life.

Any time is the right time to take a break and develop the person you want to be. You are more than capable of doing something great with your life. You just have to muster up the courage to take that first step past the dividing line between safety and success.

Sometimes we get too wrapped up in our own cocoon, staying warm and cozy within the boundaries we have set for ourselves. What we fear most about challenging ourselves is that we may fail during the process. Most of us have the ability to rise to the occasion, it’s only a matter of unlocking our full potential.

There comes a time where you have to give up worrying about everyone else’s expectations of who they want you to be. My whole life, I have always been at someone’s beck and call- not because they were demanding me to drop everything for them, but because I allowed them to use me for whatever they needed. Having a bad day? Let me clear my schedule for you. Need to rant about your ex-boyfriend? I’m all ears. It is very easy to be liked when you present yourself in such a way that people think you are emotionally available at any time of day. I became far too comfortable living my life without a backbone, the courage to say “no”, or self-respect. In a way, I thought I was helping myself by allowing others to walk all over me. Fortunately, after some time, I realized that wasn’t the case.

Recently, I came to the realization that I can be whoever I want to be. I can be the girl who turns off her phone so no one can get ahold of her just to get some peace and quiet; no one deserves my time and energy more than myself.

Personally, I have decided that this year is going to be a year of new experiences for me. I have always been afraid of change, and avoided it at all costs. The only way I am going to grow as an individual is if I open my eyes to the fact that life is always changing, and there is no need to fight it. Allowing myself the freedom to grow is much less exhausting than confining myself inside the idea that I must stay the same forever. No good can come from staying idle. After all, a car won’t go anywhere if it’s stuck in park.