It took me a long time to realize that you can do everything right and still end up unhappy. You can say all of the right things, do exactly as you are told, and follow in the footsteps of all the people who swore by their success and the strategy surrounding it, and you can still end up displaced — because you didn’t ever choose to listen to yourself simply.
The best thing I ever did for myself was listen to what I actually wanted. I drowned out the guidelines, the advice, the ‘shoulds.’ And I messed up. I made mistakes that I’ll never forget. I hurt people I loved, and I got hurt.
See, self-discovery isn’t this comfortable, miraculous thing. It can get ugly, it can get confusing. It’s gritty, it’s hard. It’s difficult to confront yourself sometimes. It’s difficult to be the person who does things differently, and who doesn’t settle.
But it’s the greatest gift you will ever give yourself. It will push you towards figuring out what your personal version of happiness looks like; and when you grow on your own terms, figure out what actually matters to you, and carve out your own path, you live on your own terms. You love on your own terms. You become the person you have always wanted to be rather than the person you were always told to be, which is beautiful. Because when it comes down to it, life is about making yourself proud on your own terms. It’s about finding happiness that works for you.