Why are some people so afraid of telling others what they want in life? They are scared to tell people they like them, they are nervous to stand up to their parents, they are unsure about taking a class, they are hesitant to tell a guy no, etc. They are so caught up in telling themselves that they cannot do something or that what people are asking of them is so out of the ordinary that they scare themselves from actually taking initiative in their life.

It is something that makes me really upset because my perspective on this is completely different. I grew up seeing what happens to people when they do not stand up for what they want in life and in the more extreme circumstances, the worst often ensues. Do you know why? Because when people become so afraid to tell others what they want in life, they hand over the power in their life.

By power, I mean, when you do not take initiative in your own life, you are basically allowing the people around you to make decisions for you, even if it may be indirectly.

Life is way too short to be letting those around you dictate what you should be doing in your life or how your life is run.

Let me break this down even further. If you are constantly going through life at the final judgments of others, you will never be happy.

Why do you have to wait for the guy to tell you what your relationship is? You will be waiting forever for that guy to open up when you could have stated your intentions at the beginning and spent those same six months being a happy couple.

When I give this example, I will typically have those same people say, “what if the relationship doesn’t work out?” To that I say, the relationship not working out is not because you spoke your mind, it ended because it probably wasn’t meant to be and now you can move on to someone else. And as mentioned before why do you want to prolong the dismay of a relationship when you can find out now if it is something you are looking for or not.

By saying all this, I am basically getting at the idea to live for yourself!

I am not saying to be selfish because living for yourself and being selfish are two very different things.

Living for yourself means to stop being so scared to tell people what you want in your life.

Stop waiting for other people to take the initiative with major decisions of your life. Obviously, there are times where you do need to consult others and their opinion and stance on issues is very important. However, when it is decisions that are more you centered, don’t hesitate to state your opinions boldly and confidently.

I see so many people on campus so scared to make the first moves in relationships, in organizations, at work, in life in general that they are constantly complaining about why their life is the way it is. I know it is hard and this definitely does not come naturally to everyone, but I promise not being scared to take initiatives is what will help you the most when it comes to taking back your life.

Life is so short folks, don’t be afraid to live it.