Fight for Who You Are

   I remembered years ago, I told someone that when you are in a relationship and you lose yourself, it’s time to re-evaluate who you are and what you want. The longer I live, I realize that the opportunities to lose yourself are numerous and exceed beyond a relationship. I don't desire to be a person who wakes up at the end of my life and realize that I missed everything that I wanted to do and simply did what I thought I SHOULD do. 

   I remember when my aunt died about 4 years ago and we decided to wear pink to her funeral because it was her favorite color. You can imagine the grumbling because people thought you SHOULD wear black to a funeral. There isn't a law on any book that I'm aware of that says I have to wear black to a funeral. I, however, was not going to let the mumblings of what we SHOULD do take away from the celebration of a great life that I wished were still here today. 

   In life, we sometimes do the same thing. We make decisions because we think it's what we SHOULD do based on influences other than our own. What we SHOULD do doesn’t always support who we are or fit our plan but we do it anyway because it's perceived as the norm. The question is why? If you want to buy red panties but your Grandma says you SHOULD always wear white panties, buy the red panties. If you want to move away and experience different scenery but you feel that you SHOULD stay close to your family and suffocate, move. The SHOULD that we use to bind ourselves is sometimes times just a form of bondage. It's a reason for you not to experience the euphoria in life that is yours for the taking.

   It is okay to color outside of the box. It's also okay to keep the fact that you want to try something different to yourself. There are so many people that will not understand when you want to deviate from the path that they think you SHOULD travel. News flash: you aren't living for those people. You define who you are, you define what you deem as success, you define you and never give anyone the right to do that for you. 

   We have so many dreams and talents that we have suppressed because we are afraid to step out for various reasons. Don't live an inhibited life. You don't have to risk it all to test the water. It is within your right to take baby steps. Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor has the journey that has made you who you are taken only a day to get you where you are now. Your life experiences, trait's and talents were all given to you for a reason. You have a purpose. Don't ever forget that and don't ever forget to live your truth. Fight for the greatness that is you. Fight for who you are!!