With only a year left until graduation, I have noticed that my life is beginning to change–rapidly and irrevocably. What used to be a priority in my life is no longer on my radar, what used to mean the world to me is no longer in my universe, and the little things that I thought I could “just worry about later” are now my main focus.
My priorities and my obligations have done a complete one-eighty, all beginning with a life-altering decision I made this past summer; I let go of someone who was everything to me. But with that release, I found myself. I realized that I was allowing myself to be held back because I was so afraid to accept that I had changed, and what I had needed a couple years ago is not what I need anymore. I was only allowing myself to be half of the woman that I knew I could be.
The decision to let that person go was one of the toughest I have ever made, and it took me a while to accept. But now, myself and my future are my first priority. I will never again allow something I want to be put on the back-burner because I decided to put someone else’s happiness before my own.
To anyone coming out of a relationship, here’s my advice to you: now is the time to be selfish. And I don’t mean be egotistical, I mean be self-serving. Don’t depend on someone else’s approval and stop looking for someone to save you. What it all really comes down to is you. You have to be able to be on your own and depend on yourself. Stop looking for that knight in shining armor and be your own hero. When you’re able to do that, nothing and no one can stop you from becoming the person you have always dreamed of being.
You want to apply for that job in Australia? Do it. Don’t let anything, or anyone, stop you.
You were offered your dream career across the country? Go. Stop worrying about what you may be leaving behind and start focusing on everything you are gaining.
Stop being so damned determined to keep your life in perfect order, and more importantly, stop trying to force a place in your life for people who do not fit there anymore. When you are at a place in your life that you are undeniably happy with, the right people will be there with you. But this goes both ways; don’t allow someone else to hold you back, and don’t allow yourself to hold someone else back. If they need to let you go, then let them. I promise you, someone else will find their way into that spot in your life.
It’s okay to grow and it’s okay to change. Stop fearing for the future and be selfish. Be selfish with your time, with your money and with your thoughts. And allow others to do the same.
I am the hero of my story, and you are the hero of your own.
feature photo credit: beingabeautifulmess.wordpress.com
