I’m not quite sure when it happened. Somewhere along the way, I got caught in between laziness and independence and found the perfect zone informally known as the “IDC” zone. I'm not quite sure if I found it during my pursuit of happiness or stumbled into it (just like so many other happenings). As I stand in this sweet spot with zero cares, I notice others around me freaking out over insignificant occurrences in life. Sure, I care about the important things like college classes, my friends, my family, etc, but then there are the other things in life, other things that people stress over on a daily basis, that I hardly think about. I realized that the minor things aren’t worth a sweat. If the following signs apply to you, then maybe you found the "IDC" zone as well. Here's to the people who, quite frankly, don't care!
1. You're daring and impulsive.
A thought that crosses my mind often is, “Why not?” Life has many opportunities to be young and wild, but it’s the small setbacks that keep people from doing them. Who cares if you don’t get enough sleep? Who cares if it costs a bit more money than you should be spending? Who cares if it scares you a little? Life begins on the other side of, “What if?”
2. You know people will dislike things you do, but you do them anyway.
You’ll laugh loudly, dance in public, and say how you feel even if you make others uncomfortable. There’s no better feeling of freedom than when you pull away after someone grabs your arm or shushes you because you’re being inappropriate. You can't be stopped from doing your own thing.
3. You don't fit a stereotype.
Fitting the mold is incredibly overrated. Being yourself is not.
4. You don't sweat the small stuff.
Woke up too late this morning? Forgot to put on perfume? Left lunch at home? Who cares? You day is beautiful and nothing or nobody can take that from you.
5. You aren't easily embarrassed.
Wait, people actually care what other’s think about them? Is taking selfies in public, snorting while laughing, and accidentally falling really the end of the world? The fact is we’re all human and if someone is low enough to judge someone for falling down stairs or taking a selfie (because the lighting is on point), then does their opinion really matter?
6. You rarely apologize.
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed I started doing at some point in my life is that I stopped apologizing for saying how I feel or doing what I want. Am I truly sorry if it’s something I wanted to do? I don’t want to apologize for walking, even if it was in your way. I don’t want to apologize for taking, “your parking spot,” even though I have just as much right to use it. As soon as I stopped caring about upsetting people and did what I wanted to do and had the right to do instead, I realized that I’m entitled to more than I thought.
7. You wear makeup because you want to, not because you need to.
You find it cute when people think you wear makeup to impress people. No, I’m wearing makeup because I love this certain shade for eyeshadow and my eyebrows are killin’ it. You’ve got the wrong girl if you think I paid for this makeup to attract you.
8. You let your hair do it's thing.
First off, curling irons and flat irons take way too much time. Ain't nobody got time for that. Even though rocking the natural look is uncalled for, it's awesome to give hair a break. Similar to the makeup situation, I refuse to do my hair always to impress people. When the once-in-a-blue-moon time comes and I usually do something with my hair, it looks way more special because I don't do it everyday.
9. You hardly take anything seriously.
In fact, when people take things seriously, you can't help but crack up. You can't help but live a life of goofiness and laughter. Once you see past the solemness, it's hard to stop the giggles and smiles.
10. You run according to your own watch.
It's so restricting to be a part of other people's schedules. Of course, it's unavoidable to completely avoid working with times that other people set, but most of the time, it's best to decide alone on plans for the day.
11. You are your first priority.
Life is so much better when you put yourself before anyone else. Sometimes, you’ve got to miss a girl’s night to hang in and watch Netflix. Sometimes, you’ve got to treat yourself to a pint of ice cream. Sometimes, you’ve got to get yourself out of a poisonous relationship. When you put yourself first, happiness comes afterwards.
