All throughout life we may feel like we are constantly being pulled in a million directions! Trying to please societal norms, family, friends, and peers, kind of feels like a ton of bricks resting on your shoulders all day, every day. The struggle I felt when trying to embrace living for myself was that it felt selfish and like I was letting everyone down, until I uncovered its true meaning. Living for others sounds like it would be the most respected and superior way of life, but until you start living for yourself, you will never be able to spread the happiness you wish to bring to the world.
Fill up with what you need to be the best version of yourself, and only then, you will bring light to those around you. Not until then, will you be able to act successfully for others. I have been fighting a battle I never knew existed for years and am excited to share my journey to achieving self-peace.
Trusting Your Abilities
It is always easier to fall back in a crowd and doubt your abilities. We devalue ourselves and our skills due to intimidation or fear of failure. In a world of constant competition, people are always trying to get ahead. This ambition is of course an amazing quality and can create some insane success! I used to assume that anyone who is creating something super cool in my major, jumping out of the norm, or even monetizing their hobby was automatically smarter than me, had more resources than me, and was just going to be more successful. How I thought was absolutely insane and I can’t believe I even came to those conclusions. Once I trusted my own abilities, the only thing missing between me and success was ambition.
I always have super ambitious ideas, but being ambitious about the follow-through is the most difficult. Someone who is not as smart, not as strong, and not as capable as you can achieve something great! You may be able to do the same thing even better, but they had the ambition to actually do it. They had the confidence to work hard and make their ideas a reality. I realized that I have the abilities and the tools to succeed, but I just have to actually do it.
This mindset has given me the confidence to follow-through with my goals and never dream small. Get over feeling inferior to others and trust that if they can do it, you can do it even better!
Embarking on a Passion Project
So, being so involved in fitting in or the lives of others is honestly a distraction from personal growth! Creative expression was essential for me to find peace and to live a more purposeful life. Embarking on a passion project requires you to take a step away from constant contact with friends and peers and do something truly for yourself. It can be as simple as writing poetry, learning to paint, or even starting a blog! (yes, that’s what I did.) Instead of relying on constant communication, plans, and the needs of others, fulfill the self-care needs of your own and learn to love hanging out with yourself! I bet you are super fun so it shouldn't be that hard! Being alone sometimes is the best medicine for a stressed soul while also creating a new channel for positivity!
Starting this Blog and Social Media has been an absolutely crazy experience with oh so many ups and downs, but allowing myself to trust my abilities and express my passions has created a world of opportunities to live for others that I never would have been able to do before. Be confident in your choices and don’t let meaningless opinions tear you down. People will always have input on what you should be doing with your life, but you will forever fall short if you are ignoring your own voice. Family and even friends may try to push you off of your path because they believe they know what’s best, but that is ultimately up to you.
I gained confidence through self-empowerment to create something meaningful despite the criticism from bystanders, so trust me, if I can do it, sure as the sky is blue you can too!
With Love,
April Ann
Gosh was this a therapeutic read! Thank you for talking about this. It is so easy to self-doubt. They say don't compare someone's Chapter 60 with your Chapter 1. The difference is only time, learning, + not quitting. Keep it up~!
xo Charlotte | 15skincare.com
This post is so inpspiring- i needed to listen to something positive right now and your post did the job girl! keep growing and keep going
Lots of love
A really great read April. I resonated with so much of your words here. You should feel proud for such an amazing and personal post 😊
Really a fantastic post. Well written and very inspiring (love the pictures you included). Thank you for getting so personal!!
This post is so inspiring - thank you for taking the time to write this! This really stood out to me - “but allowing myself to trust my abilities and express my passions has created a world of opportunities to live for others that I never would have been able to do before.” I can so relate to this and it’s how I felt when creating my blog and insta page! Believing in yourself can take you to so many unexpected places. Amazing!