Do you let others define you?

I think about how much of my early adult life was constructed based on who I thought I was supposed to be and what I thought I was supposed to be doing.

I never took the time to consider my own wants and needs. The fews times I was able to identify what they were, I labeled them impractical.

I felt like a fraud lacking personal integrity and worried others would see through my facade. I felt emotionally isolated as if no one understood me. How could they, when I didn’t understand myself?

Figuring out who we are and what we want and then stepping out into the world owning it takes courage. We have to be willing to get pushback from others who rely on us being a certain way, but, for me, living life based on another’s definition of who we are isn’t an option.