As many of you know, like many artists, I've struggled with mental health for most of my life. The good news is lately, I've never felt better. However, there is always more to learn. One thing I've been learning as of late, is that trying to be perfect, trying to please everyone, especially at the expense of your own happiness, only alienates people and gets you further away from what you want. For a lot of my life I've had people tell me I suck, I'm worthless, I can't do it, It's a bad idea, etc. What I didn't realize though, is that these people are the ones with problems, not me. They lack optimism, positivity, and faith in themselves. What's gratifying is every time someone has told me something is impossible or can't be done, I've found a way to do it.
I know I am capable of great things, and lately I've found by believing in myself and not giving a flying fuck what anyone else thinks, I've made more progress than ever before. I've also been realizing not to settle. I tend to settle as a reaction to discouragement. Whenever I fail to make progress my goals, which is inevitable from time to time, I tend to aim lower. However, often aiming lower, even if it's achievable, lowers the self-esteem and is a miserable experience. It can be just as bad as setting the bar too high.
When I think of this, I think of a particular song: "Let it Go" from the hit Disney film "Frozen". The main character, Elsa, sings this song when she finds her chance to be unapologetically herself and doesn't have to harbor what makes her different from the world. That is why it will be the next entry in American Sky's "The Bedroom Chronicles" video series.
I know "be yourself" is a cliché answer. It's cliché, because it's true. It just took me a long time to realize it because, in the past, whenever I tried to show my true self, I was ostracized. Again, what I didn't realize is my ostracizers were the flawed ones, not me, and they were the ones I shouldn't want to associate myself. So, I leave you with this: Learn to "let go" of any peer expectations, and be unapologetically yourself!
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