21: Another Stop Around the Sun
To you,
Here we are once again. 21. You have been thinking of this day for a few years now. You are probably still wondering why everyone makes a big deal of turning 21. Honestly, I don’t know why people make a big deal of birthdays to begin with. Why only celebrate living another day for only one day a year? Why not make it feel like every day has some sort of purpose. I think that’s why you name this endeavour Everyday Needs Motivation. Not to be overly positive all the time, because we all know that’s just toxic and gets no one anywhere. More so, I think the name comes from knowing that there are going to be bad days. There are going to be plenty of those for sure. But it’s finding the light that every day presents and continuing to move towards the goals that bring you the most joy.
On another note first of all, happy birthday my dude. I don’t know why I always write in the third person on my birthday but that’s another story for another day. I say this every year but it is valid and needs to be said more often. I am quite proud of you for making it to this point. Through all of the adversity you went through, self inflicted or not, that in it of itself is quite the accomplishment. For that alone I’d like to congratulate you on doing great things so far in your life. Only I wish you had taken longer to reflect on everything you’ve done in order to get where you stand today. I get that you absolutely hate talking about yourself, nevermind highlighting anything you did. God forbid you take some credit every now and again. You never want the spotlight. The only thing you want is for a ray of light to shine on you every once in a while, just long enough to be noticed. But even then that is a rare occurrence unless you acted differently from your exuberant and caring self.
I’m not here to list out 21 lessons to live by like I did last year. I hope that you’ve learned from your past by now. This year I am going to recommend just one thing to add to that list. Hopefully that will be the bow that ties everything together and makes your life that much more enjoyable. That advice is just two words: Let go. Let go of your past. Let go of the weight holding you down. Let go of the people who bring you down and don’t care about your well being as much you care about theirs. Now don’t get crazy and hold a bunch of grudges. That’s just not worth it and will probably get you nowhere. Just take note of how certain situations and how certain people made you feel.
I know I said I wouldn’t list them all out, but then I realized that this is as good a time as any to return to last year’s reflection and remind yourself of these things and recommit to them in order to become an even better person than you were yesterday. So here they are:
Be yourself
Be willing to move on from things that do not give you joy anymore
Make sure family stays important in your life
But make time for friends when you need to
Do what makes you happy
Go outside your comfort zone every now and then
Take time for yourself
Don’t be afraid to have outward emotions
Take your own advice every now and then.
Aim to laugh, think, and cry everyday
Give the same effort that you would expect to be reciprocated back in a friendship.
Cherish the beauty in life while you still can
Don’t be afraid to show the world who you are
Keep cracking jokes when the time is right 😂
Choose your words carefully
Ask for a hug when you need it
Be willing to hear what you don’t want to
Ask for what you want in life
Live life to the fullest
Be the change that you want to see in the world
Let go
Well if you’ve read everything up until this point, congratulations first of all. I’m sure that this was probably a lot to take in. I hope you learn something about yourself by reading this whether that be today or in a few years when you reread this and wonder why you wrote most of the stuff that has ever been published on this page 😂.
But I just wanted to let you know something important. You are important. I know that you may not think you’re special or people don’t like you. Well please have more faith in yourself. You are more amazing than you know. Keep being that supportive friend who offers a shoulder to cry on. You are enough. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. It is okay to feel the hard emotions. Just know that you are doing better than you think you are.
Sometimes I feel like I keep doing the same things over and over again. By definition that is insanity. But I don't think you're insane. I just think that you are looking for an opportunity that may or may not ever come. But honestly just be open to everything when it presents itself. Be open to enjoying life a little more. Your little bubble is cozy and all but there is more to life than being stuck in your own head. Go out and smell the roses a bit will you? Be spontaneous and live a little bit (while being safe of course)
In the end this stop around the sun has been full of growth and memories for sure. Until next time, be safe and be sure to live a life that you’d be proud to write about in the future. Be sure to continue to surround yourself with people who make you feel validated, important, and especially loved. Until then, don’t burn out on this trip around the sun.
With love,
T