If You Always Felt You Never Belonged...

Let me start off by saying this: you DO belong.

There are times where you don't feel like you fit in anywhere, no matter how much you push yourself. It could be the people around you or the environment that you surround yourself in, but let me also state that your surroundings do play a part in how you feel in the world and how you view yourself.

Your intuition, or your gut feeling, always is picking up on the energies around you. If you get a sudden feeling that something is off, it probably is, and it's important to recognize these feelings. When you do listen to your immediate inner reaction, you'll find that when you remove yourself from the negative space you were just in, you'll feel relieved. When you honor your own inner voice, you'll find that most times it's accurate.

Surrounding yourself with positive, non-judgmental people, as well as being in a place that gives you peace, are factors in helping you distinguish where you should spend your time.

These conscious decisions will then encourage you to be yourself and accept the way you are, no matter where you are. When you are around those who accept you for all that you are, you'll start to feel welcomed unconditionally. These people are who you want to be around during the good and tough changes in your life.

Those times that you catch yourself spiraling down towards thoughts of not being good enough, due to comparing yourself to those that appear to be ahead of you, it's necessary to check in with yourself. Tell yourself to be kind in judging your accomplishments, or lack of accomplishments, because we all know that we can be our worst critics.

If you spend your time trying to prove to others your worth, you're really not learning anything except for continuously building the illusion that others' judgments are above your own. Know your worth!

From my experience, I've always struggled in trying to fit into various social groups. To me, the fake, opinionated behavior was a huge turn-off and I started to feel guilty for being around those people. I would feel distrustful of them and my mind would constantly be running around in circles, trying to please them.

I made a choice to be around those who aren't ego-driven individuals, which built up my trust in others. I'd rather be around friends who favor honesty over insincerity and can point out my weaknesses that I should work on to be a better person. I chose to be around those who are open-minded and accepting of change.

Those who are afraid of change are those who never grow.

By feeling that I never truly belonged anywhere, I started to enjoy "roaming" around, popping through different friend groups, not really belonging anywhere. I figured that this feeling must mean that I'm not supposed to have roots anywhere, and with that, I'm able to live many lifestyles. I would never be chained to just one close-minded group that share the same beliefs.

I believe that those who feel this way are not meant to stay in one place for a long period of time; we're meant to journey for the rest of our lives. This feeling also gave me the gift of empathy, which helps me recognize others who feel this way.

I found that by embracing me not fitting in anywhere, I've grown to appreciate myself more.

Just because you don't fit into a specific group, it doesn't mean that your place in the world is meaningless. It just means you belong everywhere. You just have to work on creating your own little world so that you begin to feel like you belong, no matter where you go. You were born to serve a purpose in the world, whether it's leading a large group of people or changing one life.

There are people out there who will capture your heart and make you feel like your purpose will be fulfilled by their side, trust me. Those people will come and will make your various paths more clear.

Just do the world a favor and keep reminding yourself that you are worthy and that you belong. Once you accept yourself and understand that you have a place in this life, you can help others realize this truth as well.