When I first saw the musical "Wicked" (the story about the two witches from "The Wizard of Oz"), I aspired to be like Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). I wanted to be like Elphaba because I loved how she never let anyone tell her she couldn't do something because she was different. We see this in the musical when she starting sing the song, "Defying Gravity." In the song, she lists ways she is going to live her life for herself and not for anybody else. If you want to be like Elphaba, here are five ways you can defy gravity in your own life.
1. Don't let anyone put limits on what you can and can't do.
You're dreams, ambitions, goals, etc are yours for a reason! No one has the right to try to talk you out of them because there're yours and no one else's. These things make you special and help set you apart from everyone else. If everyone had the same dreams, ambitions, goals, etc life would be quite boring and a lot less interesting (at least I know it would be for me).
2. Some things you can't change, but until you try you'll never know.
Let's be real, life is too short to live with regret and worrying about what you should or shouldn't have done! We only live once, after all, so we might as well go after what we want. As Mark Twain would say: "Twenty years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
3. Don't be afraid of failure.
We all make mistakes! It's better to make mistakes and learn from them rather than spend your life trying to avoid them (you'll probably look back on your mistakes and laugh one day). Remember no one is perfect, so don't put that pressure on yourself to try and be perfect (I know this is easier said than done, but the sooner you stop trying to be a perfectionist, the sooner you'll start to enjoy life a little more).
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help along the way.
Unless you're like Superman, you can't do everything on your own, and you'll need someone to help you out. It may be hard (trust me, I struggle with this too) to ask for help, but the sooner you do it, the less stressed you'll feel about taking on this crazy world.
5. Enjoy every moment.
A wise person once said, it's the little things that make life big, so enjoy every moment (even if it's a small one). Don't take yourself too seriously and remember to laugh at yourself when you do something silly.
