I No Longer Want To Play It Safe

I no longer want to play by the rules.

I no longer want to be the bigger person all the time.

I no longer want to be the chill girl when it comes to something I’m passionate about.

I no longer want to pretend that I don’t care when I do and I no longer want to pretend that I care when I don’t.

I no longer want to say and do the right things all the time because I’m not afraid of failing, I’m not afraid of messing up, I’m not afraid of falling.

I no longer want to be miss perfect or miss know it all. I no longer want to try so hard to impress people.

I no longer want to stay broken. I no longer want to be defined by my heartbreak. I’m trying to heal, I’m trying to move on.

I no longer want to stay attached to all the things that bring me down.

I no longer want to stay quiet when it comes to things that matter. I’m no longer afraid of my own voice.

I don’t want to play it safe because playing it safe makes me not go after what I want. The satisfaction is short-lived until you realize the rest of your life is one big predictable cycle repeating itself year after year.

Until you realize that playing it safe is not fun. It’s not exciting. It’s not invigorating.

I no longer want to be part of this game. I no longer want to play the game most people are playing and winning. I want a challenge. I want a game where you’re more likely to lose but if you win, you win big. If you win, you could change your life.

I no longer want to play it safe when it comes to love, because if I want the big love that fairytales are made of, I can’t play it safe, I can’t stay complacent and not go after it with all I’ve got. I can’t stand still without fighting for it and expect it to come fighting for me when I need it.

I no longer want to live a life that keeps draining me because I’m not trying hard enough for the things that I want, I’m not going on more daring adventures, I’m not making my journey a story worth telling because the best stories are full of ups and downs and plot twists. The best stories are full of mistakes and downfalls and rising back up again. The best stories have big risks and jaw dropping moments. The best stories don’t happen when you play it safe. They happen when you break free and break the rules.

Rania Naim is a poet and author of the new book All The Words I Should Have Said, available here.