I first came across this quote when doing research for a paper many years ago and it has been my life mantra ever since. I'm the sort of person who has to struggle not to please others. I have to make an effort to think about what I want in life and then go for it regardless of what others will say or I imagine they will say about me.
Growing up, I felt like I was under constant scrutiny; maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. It wasn't until I went off to uni that I finally felt like I could make my own decisions without having to justify them to anyone. I enjoyed my newfound "freedom". I made mistakes, no doubt, but I didn't beat myself up over them because I chose to see them as a learning experience instead of a failure. It was at this point that I learnt how imperfect a perfect life is.
Years later, life has been lived, mistakes have been made, lessons have been learned and I still consciously make an effort to remind myself that this is my life, the decisions are mine and the aftereffects of my decisions are mine to bear.
Many times I have sat down and wondered why certain things have happened to me, why I couldn't catch a break but then when the anxiety wears off I remember that this is my destiny; everything that happens to me is part of my destiny, it is part of who I am. My strengths and my weaknesses define me. I can work to change what I don't like about myself but I shouldn't do it to please anybody else, I should do it for me.
I choose to live my life according to my own standards. I choose not to allow anybody to dictate how I live my life. My decisions are mine to make. My life is mine to live.
