Be brave, but not too brave, it puts you at risk of seeming arrogant. Do the things that make you happy, as long as on your pursuit you pay close attention to the opinion of others. Jump fearlessly into the great unknown, but maybe don’t post too many pictures because you’re starting to look a little full of yourself.

Are these the guidelines we suddenly desire to live by? Do we really base our level of happiness on the perception of those around us? What choices do we actually make for ourselves?

The truth is, I am tired. I’m tired of worrying if someone will speak poorly of me. I’m tired of not saying what I really mean because I’m afraid of the feedback I will receive. I’m tired of loving with limitations, living with reservations, and avoiding chances out of fear of the unknown. I am tired of living my life for everyone but myself. You can become the best version of yourself and people are still going to dislike you. In the words of Dita Von Teese, "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches."

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what truly matters in life, and unfortunately, I don’t have all the answers. It’s easy to see what doesn’t matter, but not equally as simple to see what does. The only thing I genuinely have figured out about life, is that it keeps going. The world keeps turning, the sun rises and sets, and I keep breathing. It can be really hard to just keep moving forward, especially when it feels more comfortable to run in place. I understand this. Changing your situation puts you at risk. Risk of being hurt. Risk of failure. Risk of not knowing if you made the correct choice.

Complacency is the enemy of personal growth. The mistakes and failures we face in life are the things that mold us into the people we are. If you take the road riddled with no mistakes or risks, you are doing yourself a disservice. The choice to pursue the route of difficulty lies only within yourself. Waiting on someone to come along and push you down this road to happiness sounds like a great way to spend a large amount of time being sad. You are the captain of your ship. You are the hero. You can be the love of your own life.

If you are in a situation where you don’t think you are happy, I encourage you to make a change. It may not impress everyone, and you may have to deal with the backlash of making that change in your life, but you are only in control of yourself. Do things that make you happy, be the person you want to be, and never ever settle for mediocrity.