It may not be free but it is definitely worth the trouble.

The following is an actual exchange:

“You really are smart. You always have an answer or an idea. You’re smart.”

“Tragic, isn’t it.”

“Ha! You know, I bet that’s true. You’d probably be better off if you weren’t so smart.”

“Don’t think I don’t know that.”

My takeaways: 1) the surprise is not flattering, and 2) I gotta be me.

OR

The difference between a good girl and a bad girl?

Good girls ask for permission. Bad girls ask for forgiveness.

Speaking for myself, I never ask for permission and I am unapologetic. 

People are often apologizing or stepping back; they are reluctant to share themselves, and when they do, they are quick to apologize for it – their anxieties doing the talking, maybe a tinge of sadness in their eyes. Why? They have been successfully taught lessons no one should ever learn, specifically:

“You are not good enough.”

“You are not worthy.”

“You are not one of us.”

There are too many opportunities to be rejected, each with its own sense of loss to our egos and ourselves.

• When we are children, we seek the approval of our parents.
• In adolescence, we seek the acceptance of our peers.
• As adults, we seek to be desirable candidates (for apartments, jobs, sex, whatever).

And each loss pushes us closer to being inauthentic, to playing roles of ourselves rather than being ourselves.

FACT: ONLY YOU CAN BE YOURSELF

FACT: YOU DO NOT NEED ANYONE ELSE’S PERMISSION 

While it is true many people are quick to abdicate personal responsibility, playing martyr or victim; but they do so at the cost of freedom; not choosing is also a choice – a choice to allow others direct impact upon your life. This is not freedom; this is cowardice.

Your takeaways:

Be yourself.

Make your own choices.

Take responsibility for your life.

Be free.

AND DON’T LOOK BACK!!!