I see what you are doing. I know where you are at. You find that you need to make others proud to make it through. You find that it is much more important to make those around you proud before you make yourself proud. Maybe it is because you don't feel like you are able to do anything on your own. Maybe you feel that others really do have what is best in mind for you. But that is not how life works.

I'm sorry to break it to you honey, but should not have to prove it to others to feel that you are doing what is best. You should not be having to worry if what you do will make someone else proud. You should not live with the constant fear that you have to make them proud before anything else. No one else should be living vicariously through you.

This includes family. If anything, family should be supporting what you do in your life. They should be letting you find your own way and find what you really want to do. Not what they want you to do. They should not be controlling you in you life and you should not have to prove anything to them. They have been around you your whole life, they know what you are capable of doing and they should not be holding you back from that.

I know the feeling of busting your butt to make others proud. Been there, done that. And all it will leave you is in a constant state of unhappiness. You deserve more in life than to be constantly unhappy. You deserve to break barriers not jump through hoops.

If you decided to make others proud first, you will spend your time chasing something you will never catch. If you continue to put others expectations before yours, you will never do what you truly want to do. You will never find your true calling. You will always be stuck in someone else's dreams and goals, not your own. And to fulfill someone else's life plans is not what you should be doing with your life.

So no matter how hard it is to let go, you do need to let go of making others proud. It's time to be selfish and make yourself proud first. If others follow your lead and decide to continue cheering you on, great. If they fall behind and keep nagging at you that they aren't happy yet, even better. Let them go, you don't need that kind of negativity in your life. The last thing you need is a toxic individual controlling your every move. But what you do need, is to make yourself satisfied in your day to day life.

So do yourself a favor and do what you want instead. Instead of following others plans, follow your own. Or even better, don't make a plan, just go with it. Who knows where your life is going to end up. Just make sure that it is your own life and not someone else's.