Starting over can be a really tough experience for some, whether you are starting over after a breakup, the death of a spouse or even the loss of a job. It requires courage and stamina to pick up the pieces and move on. But believe me when I tell you that the day you realize that you have surpassed that awful experience and that you have come out with your head held high, you comprehend that you are much stronger than you actually imagined.
There comes a point in the life of every one of us where we have to make peace with our past and thank it for all the lessons we were so fortunate to have been given. We say our goodbyes and move on. We are now ready for what life, the present and our future has to offer us. If you have not reached this phase yet, it only means that you are not ready for it today, do not despairโฆ It just means that you need more time to heal. Take the time and hopefully these words will one day ring a bell and may they give you hope in tomorrowโฆ and whatever it brings your way.
Luckily for me this time has come. I can honestly say that I am now ready for all what this beautiful life has to offer. I have learnt the lessons I was supposed to grasp from this painful experience. I am finally able to wipe my slate clean, start a-fresh and I am now sure that this time I will choose wisely. I will be more mature and will use all what I have learnt to become more sensible. I finally confer that I am blessed with a 2nd chance. The thing with 2nd chances is that they donโt come often and when one comes knocking on your door, you need to seize the moment and make the best out of it. Follow the voice within, donโt be like a sponge that sucks the thoughts and needs of everyone and looses their identity along the way.
From the numerous lessons I have learnt in the past year, none compare to the lesson of the importance of following your heart.ย
I lived my life trying to be goody two shoes and be the ideal daughter, sister, friend, wife, niece, student and much more. But I realized that in the attempt of being all that, I lost touch with what it was that I really wanted and where I wanted to go. I neither pleased myself nor pleased everyone around me. We have all been brought up in a society which gives a great deal of importance to what should and shouldnโt be done, what is acceptable and appropriate and what is not. We pay too much attention to how others perceive us to the extent that we become a copy of everyone around us, living our lives like zombies or even puppets. We fail to grasp what it is that lights up our inner flames and what keeps us going. We are driven by what others want us to do or what they perceive we should do rather than what we really want. We lose ourselves along the way. We have become like sheep mindlessly following the shepherd. We tend to judge anyone that is an outsider, anyone that does not follow the norms rather than stop and question them.ย
From the numerous lessons I have learnt in the past year, none compare to the lesson of the importance of following your heart.ย
It is time to ignore what society and everyone has to say about what you should be doing and start focusing on yourself, your true calling, what your heart desires and not to ignore what we really and truly wish for. Donโt get me wrong, I am not saying you should be disrespectful or do something wrong and use my article as your ticket out of jail card. The most important thing is being mature in following your heart. We all distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. But what is important is to be tuned in to what we truly want.ย
I beg you to stop thinking about what everyone thinks or wants and needs you to do. Stop thinking about what your friends, parents and family want. The most important question you need to ask yourself regularly is WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Now that I was given a fresh start, this time I want it to be right, I want to make sure that the person I end up with is the one I grow old and grey with. I finally came to the conclusion that it is time to follow my gut instincts. Listen to the little voice buried deep within, the one that really knows me and knows exactly what I want. This voice that has not yet been tainted by what I should and should not do and what will please everyone. It is what will make me happy so that one day when I am lying on my death bed and I am reminiscing about my past, I can never blame anyone but myself for where I ended up. I will be sure without any doubt that I made my bed and slept in it.ย
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I have lived my entire life following the folk tale of โGoha and his donkeyโ. I was often took as the outcast and even the black sheep amongst my friends and even somemembers of my family till one day I decided to follow the norms robotically in an attempt to gain inner peace and social acceptance. Not only did I make one of the worst mistakes of my life, but also I never reached the peace I was desperately seeking.ย
I have decided to go back to following โGohaโ the wise fool and the lesson depicted in his story that you can never please everyone in your life and in the process of trying to, you will lose yourself and your own happiness. I will no longer let people control my destiny but rather I will make up my own mind and do things in the way I wish without the interference of others. For listening to everyone and trying to do what they all want, will make no-one happy including myself. Taking responsibility for oneโs own mistakes is much easier than taking responsibility for choices that were made for you. You are able to move on more easily and start fresh.
Make your own choice, make mistakes, learn from them, and fall in love. So go ahead, live your life for you only get one chance to do so. Letโs agree that there is no set path in life, all we need to do is to follow our heart and it will lead us to where we are meant to be. We have all been placed on this earth to discover our own path, and we will never be happy if we live someone elseโs idea of life.
So be bold and live your life how you truly feel you should, embrace every moment as if itโs your last and know that no matter what, the only true person who really understands you is YOU.
