You see this as a meme all the time. "Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk". After a rant, or someone spitting straight facts. And it couldn't be more accurate. Every time I have one of those moments, where I'm giving advice or it's an ah-ha moment of my own, all I want to do is share it with the world. Maybe that's just the writer in me. But that's the most amazing part of Ted Talk. There is a talk on nearly anything. In my masters program, I am frequently assigned a video to watch. Recently a friend sent me on a topic that "helped her get through some shit". The platform is so powerful that it has become a phrase.

I often ponder the idea of what my talk would be about, if the opportunity ever came. And that response is super simple. You deserve the best. You deserve more. Stop settling. Life is too short to tolerate shit that you hate. It sounds so simple, but is it really? How about when you come to terms with the idea that your relationship is holding you back? Or that your work environment is what has been hindering your mental health. Maybe it's a family member or friend, that is that negative voice you just can't be surrounded by anymore. Those moments are tough because you have finally stepped into the realization that something needs to change. And that it all begins and ends with you. All of the choices you make can be the only thing standing between you and a better life. It is often so hard to level up and realize that you are in control of everything that doesn't bring you joy.

But do you know what's even harder? Settling. Taking things merely because you are offered them. Just because it is offered, doesn't mean it is for you. Just because it once made you smile doesn't mean it will continue to. Just because it was your comfort zone at one point, doesn't mean it is keeping you comfortable. It's hard to come to accept that something or someone that made you happy no longer does. But it's even harder staying in a situation because it feels like the easy way out. No one deserves to be unhappy, unloved, under-appreciated. None of us are stuck. We all have options. We all have choices. And they all are waiting for us, on the other side of our fear. That little ugly thing that has manifested in our minds, telling us it's easier to stay. Easier to stay in the job, the relationship, the friendship. Nothing in life is truly easy. So pick your hard. Decide that you are worth way more than you have been given, and don't be the one holding you back from a better future.

So, I'll end it with this. You can do anything you set your mind to. You deserve everything that you want. Don't settle, shine. And thank you, for coming to my Ted Talk.