Scrolling through my Pinterest feed one night, I ran across this image...
Somewhat recently, I had the chance to take a few weeks just by myself, without someone really close to my heart. It was a chance to figure out goals I had for myself. It was a difficult time, and while at times I didn't enjoy it, I did start doing things for me.
I learned a lot of important lessons during this time, and while this might not be a chapter I should read out loud, I'd like to write about it a little bit.
It's so so so important to do things for you. You shouldn't start exercising because you want to look good for someone; you should want to look good for you and be healthy. You shouldn't wear makeup for anyone besides yourself; wear it for you. You should want to work on your own goals for yourself. While it's helpful to get input from others like friends and loved ones, at the end of the day, you are the one that must be happy with yourself.
I believe that everyone should take a chapter, or even just a few pages to themselves. You should be the heroine and main character of your own story. You should take some time to save yourself and get to know yourself. You should let yourself define you and not anyone else. You can work towards your own goals and do them for you.
It might be the hardest time of your life... for me, it without a doubt was. You can get so used to someone being around 24/7, and when you lose them, you don't know what to do without them. I hated myself for not being strong. I hated myself when I would break down and cry.
Wanting to be strong and choosing to be strong are two different things. However, I wholly believe that after that alone time, you will be stronger for it either way. You can without a doubt become more independent.
While no one likes to feel alone or lonely, it's an important skill to know how to be by yourself. To not need hoards of people surrounding you at every moment or need constant attention and affirmation from those you know. I think it's a good way to build confidence by taking some time to yourself, and still remembering that you are cared about and loved, even when alone. You should be able to be confident in your relationships, and if you're not, maybe those are relationships not worth keeping.
During some newfound alone time, you might finally do all those things you've been wanting to do. Unless you accomplish all your goals right away... in which case, congrats to you. However, I know not everyone is that way. You need to find that little reason to give yourself a push to do what you want to do with your life. Don't let anyone else's plans get in that way of that.
Remember, it's your life. You have to create the life you want to live in and the rest will grow in your space you make.
