Hello lovelies!
There are so many little things that we subject ourselves to that only end up complicating our lives and making us miserable. Last week I started a challenge to simplify my life by removing those things that are occupying unnecessary space, both emotional and physical. The first challenge was to de-clutter your wardrobe. This week we continue to the next challenge.
Challenge #2: Follow Your Heart
"...why not go forward toward your dream job. Sure people will laugh, but
if you put your earplugs in and strive forward, you’ll be the one
laughing later because you’ll be spending your entire day doing what you
love." ~ Shannon, The Simply Luxurious Life
I have been a victim of doing things because it is what is expected of me and not what I want to do. A few years ago, I found myself in a situation where my life revolved around getting other people's approval for everything I wanted to do. From the clothes I wore, the friends I kept, what I said, where I'd go to hang out and even what I ate. I was a people pleaser. I had forgotten to be myself out of fear that I would not be accepted by what I thought was the right crowd (and I'm not talking the IT group in school here). I thought that by following what these select group of people wanted of me, I was doing the right thing and I would be happy.
Then, I started realizing that I was losing my individuality. It became difficult for me to make simple decisions like deciding what I wanted to do with myself career-wise. Since I had become so accustomed to being told what I should do I found it difficult to do what I wanted to do. It took a lot of courage to break from these psychological constraints and I can not explain how happy I became when I started following my heart.
I have since learnt that there is a big difference between what I think I should do and what I want to do. Many times we push ourselves into a corner and try to get the approval of those around us but what you are infact doing is complicating your life. You will hardly find two people who expect the same thing from you. What you have to do is decide to be your own man (or woman) and take a stand. One of the things I have learned from my boyfriend is how to stick by my decisions no matter how much pressure there is to conform to what is expected of me. He has taught me that there are very many paths to achieving any goal and not just that which everyone else is following. People might criticize, laugh and even isolate you but you will end up with the last laugh if you stick by your decisions.
So for this week's challenge, stop and think about why you are deciding to do something. Be it with your job, your studies, hobbies, personal style, etc. Make sure that your decisions are influenced by what is in your heart and not your surroundings.
Are there things that you have done to please others? What are they? Will you try to follow your heart from this week onwards? Let me know in the comments below.
Thank you for stopping by.
Happy Wednesday!
xo
Audrey