You are given one life, and how you will spend it; it's up to you. We can't refuse that most of the time in our life, we have to follow whatever others do or think that we consider it will be the things that most people are supposed to do.
We have learned to follow social norms, and if we don't obey these rules, we will not fit in. And we think whoever does not fit in will be judged by others.
We do care so much about what others will think about us! And we always seek approval and validation from others. Living this way won't make us happy because we do not follow our truth.
Trying to please others and trying to fit in somewhere you do not belong will not make you any better. But what will make you better is being you, follow your passion, and follow your truth.
Even though it may seem hard to start, the more you spend time to know yourself, the more you will finally connect with your inner and find your truth.
When you no longer care about what others think or talk about you. You will no longer seek approval and validation. Because you know you are the one who knows most about you.
"Don't let people make you feel bad or guilty for living your life. It's your life. Live it the way you want.
-Unknown
"Become so confident in who you are that no one's opinion, rejection, or behavior can rock you."
-Unknown
This quote hits me hard. I believe confidence in ourselves is vital because it will lead us to any opportunity in our lives.
When we are confident in ourselves, we will believe in ourselves because we see our worth, so we don't look for anyone to approve or validate us.
Being confident doesn't mean that we see ourselves better than others or are superior, but we don't compare ourselves to others.
We have confidence because we know who we are, and it doesn't matter if others don't like us. Or they may even judge us!
Being confident in yourself, you don't need to be a very successful or high profile person. And there is nothing to do with external factors, but it is something you see yourself from within.
If you love yourself and know your worth, you will get through any situation. Because when you acknowledge your self-worth and love yourself enough, you will stop seeking love and validation from others.
You know that your love is from within, and you don't rely on others to love you. You don't need to find others to tell you that you are worthy.
When you love yourself enough, you will not let yourself suffer so long or allow yourself to be with someone who doesn't deserve you.
You know that your happiness is from within, and you are the one who is responsible for it, not others. If something makes you unhappy, you navigate why and remove yourself from that situation. Likewise, if something makes you happy, you pay attention and gravitate toward it.
Everything starts with your feeling about yourself.
"Self-worth is so vital to your happiness. If you don't feel good about you, it's hard to feel good about anything else."
-Mandy Hale
We perpetually struggle to find our goal in life, but we feel lost and empty inside.
We tend to forget that we don't have to get everything we want, then we can be happy because happiness is from within, not from outside. It's all about contentment and appreciation.
If we measure our success(destination)by comparing our life to others, we will never achieve it because there will always be someone else that is richer and smarter than us.
Instead, if we base our success on our contentment, we can live happily every day. Being contentment doesn't mean we stop developing or complacent, but that because we choose to be happy with what we already have while working toward our goal.
We can enjoy any experience during the journey because every moment in our life is so precious that we want to live to the fullest.
It's not about the destination, but it's about the journey.
"Sometimes, we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
I believe that we all have been sent to live on this planet for a specific purpose; we all have our missions to accomplish. That's why our souls were put on this earth to be.
When we are young, we have an intuitive understanding of who we are and how we do things. But as we grow older, we stop listening to our inner voice, and instead, we do what others tell us to do.
We go to school and college to get a degree that we believe will help us find a good-paying job or work for a prestigious company. We do the things that we are supposed to do. But often we feel like something is missing.
I used to be the one who followed the path that I thought I was supposed to do. I just did anything that I had been told to do. I went to school, University, found the job, and worked with a prestigious company.
As time went by, I found myself wondering if it really what I want in my life? I thought I am more than my job. I can do something phenomenal, I have something to offer, and I can make a difference.
However, I was distracted by people I surrounded; I let their opinions and judgments influence me. So I didn't want to change because I didn't want to face the failures. I thought if I failed, they would judge me. I let the noise of others' opinions drown out my inner voice.
There comes a time when I have realized I have to stop living my life based on others think of me and start living for myself. I stop judging myself for others, and it doesn't matter what they think about me. What matters is what I think about myself.
I have decided to follow my heart, inner voice, and let them lead me to pursue my goal. When I discover my purpose in life, I feel my life has meaning and fulfilled. I no longer need to be filled from the outside or seek approval and validation from others.
"When you stop living your life based on what others think of you real life begins. At that moment, you will finally see the door of self-acceptance opened."
-Shannon L. Alder.
"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."
-Nido Quien
I stumble on this quote that reminds me of myself in the past. I used to let the circumstances affect me; I thought whatever happened to me would block me from moving forward.
I thought I would get stuck in that situation forever. I felt my heart would never heal, and I would never get out of that impossible struggle.
I even beat up and blamed myself for whatever happened. I had been dwelling on the negativities and focusing on problems. I had let myself wallow in self-pity too long.
And there comes a time in my life when I have realized that I have to do something for myself. If I don't love and don't see my self-worth, no one will.
Everyone makes mistakes; we all must go through hard times in life, and it doesn't matter if we will get knocked down, but what counts is we have to get up.
Our present circumstances don't define our future and ourselves; it's just a starting point. And the best is yet to come.
I used to be the one who follows the social norms, the way I thought I was supposed to do to fit into it. Even though I had my dream, I should give up if it wasn't how most people would.
Most people will go to school to get some degree, and that will be the path to access the prestigious companies that will give them the good-paying, stable jobs or the jobs that will secure their futures.
Those beliefs are the principles or the norms that we all have learned from generation to generation. And there is nothing wrong if we follow them, but those beliefs only make us ordinary people.
The ordinary people who work from 8 to 5 and never feel satisfied or fulfilled; they are always busy all day but still feel something is missing. And often, they doubt themselves about the way they live their lives. If it is the way they want to be.
Back to the story about myself, I have been finding myself for my whole life. I have always asked myself: who am I?what is my life purpose?And what can I help to make the world a better place? I have been telling myself that I can be someone who can make a difference in the world.
I am more than my past, background, current job, emotions, feeling, etc. I have started discovering myself from the inside by spending time alone to contemplate what I want in my life, and most importantly, what I do that will make me happy and fulfilled.
The more I spend time being with myself, the more I learn about who I am, the more I love myself. And I am so happy that I finally have found myself. Now I know that being an inspirational blogger, author, and speaker are my passions.
Those are the things that make me feel that my life has meaning and purpose. Even though I am still far away from where I want to be, I believe somehow I will make it!
"Find out who you are and be that person. That's what your soul was put on this earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything else will come".
- Ellen Degeneres
