Sometimes You Need To Get Lost In Order To Find Yourself

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Since day one of 2018, I’ve been telling myself that this is going to be my year. I’ve repeated it countless times until I finally believed it. Nothing has quite gone the way I planned it, or the way I thought I wanted it to go. In the beginning that discouraged me, to be quite honest, I’d be lying if I said that because it didn’t discourage me, it flat out terrified me and pushed me to the point of losing all hope and sense of direction. But you know what? I didn’t let that stop me, I picked myself up, brushed myself off and moved on. I learned the most important lesson while doing that. I learned who I am, and I learned how to love myself by myself.

Sometimes you have to fall apart in order to put the pieces back together and create someone even stronger, better than before, like trial and error at becoming the person you want to be. Mistakes are only mistakes if you learn nothing from them, or sometimes you get comfortable in a way of life that’s alright, but isn’t quite up to the full potential you know you desire. Sometimes you know something isn’t the way it’s supposed to be, or know it isn’t right for you but you let yourself be convinced otherwise. It’s scary to walk away from something good, but I’ve learned that just because something is good doesn’t mean you should settle because you never know if something magnificent is out there waiting for you. Always do the things that scare you the most, they only scare you because you know the thought of achieving the better could change everything you know now. Why should that scare you at all, and why should you let it stop you? You shouldn’t because you deserve the best.

My motto for this year, what should be yours as well, is to do all the things that scare you, no matter how big or how small.

Move to that place, buy that plane ticket, dye your hair that color, quit your job for your dream job, meet new people or try a new hobby you’ve always been too afraid to try. In all honesty, what do you have to lose? Each day you live isn’t a promise, it’s a gift, and if today were to be your last day would really want to be replaying your life in your mind thinking, “what if?” The bottom line is that you are good enough, you’re more than enough. I personally know I wouldn’t and reflecting on these last two months, in addition to my entire life, I’ve had far too many moments thinking “what if”. My goal is to eliminate as many of those as I can, to conquer as many of my fears as I can, and to truly enjoy every second of it because you shouldn’t be waiting for everything to be perfect in your life before you chose to enjoy it. I’m done wanting to visit all of those beautiful places around the world, I’m going to see them. I’m done writing my “bucket list” and I’m going to begin living it, because you shouldn’t assume you have any set amount of time before you’ll need to use it. Most importantly, I’m done wondering what life would be like if I hadn’t been so comfortable and daunted, or chosen to stay in one place instead of following my hopes and dreams. It’s time to make those dreams a reality because the only thing holding you back is yourself.

You may not know what direction you’re heading, there may be challenges along the way, but wandering is never a reason to give up or lose hope. Sometimes you have to wander to find yourself, who you’re meant to be.

Always remember, “not all who wander are lost”. We each face our own challenges each day and throughout our lives, each of us are unique in our own ways and that’s the beauty of life. Occasionally we believe that we’re one person headed a specific direction and the crazy thing is that it’s not the true path we’re meant to stay on, that’s why setbacks pop up or life changing moments occur. They’re there to guide us to where and who we’re supposed to be, whether positive or negative, they happen for a reason.

I urge you to make this year, every year, your year. Do all of the things that scare you in any way, all of the things you’ve convinced yourself you couldn’t do, or all of the things that you’re saving for the “right time.”

There’s no such thing as the right time when you never know how much time that really is. The time is now. Ask yourself, would you be satisfied with the way you’ve lived your life if this was your last day? Would you be content with the effort you’ve made to do all you want to do? If you’re reading thing thinking “no”, I urge you to make the change at this moment. Believe in your dreams, believe in your hopes and most importantly believe in yourself and doing the best you can do accomplish all of your ambitions. You will not regret it.