This is not an advice column... unless you want it to be...
A piece of advice I've been thinking about is: "be opinionated."
the thing is, we all have something to say—but having an opinion doesn't mean being LOUD. It's about having clarity in your pov. Opinion without clarity comes across as you just being a d***.
We all know some shit. Whether it's a technical skill, a creative talent, a quirky ~~ whimsical !! obsession, or a random hobby—no two snowflakes are the same.
Having an opinion means having the ability to make decisions.
And making decisions is how you get through life.
Recently, I had two friends on separate occasions ask for my thoughts around some big decisions they were trying to make. Both people were thinking about the best way to make the "right decision". My hot take? There's no such thing as the "right decision". The rightness in decision making, is that you just make one. The power lies in the action of choosing - you make a choice, a sacrifice or a compromise and you make it the right one.
Humming and ha-ing over something? Not a vibe. Finding clarity and conviction? Forming your opinions and making a decision? Type shiiiiiiit.
Stand on your business. Share the things you care about with conviction.
Challenge yourself to practice making decisions - from small every day choices to big moments. The things you like, the things you dislike... someone you want to spend time with and someone you'd rather not see... i believe we should do this, this way... you're right, let's do it that way.
Here's another thing that has stayed with me for almost five years: "if you had boundaries, you'd be unstoppable."
Not really advice—maybe almost a dig... like yes, I did need more boundaries. A friend said this about me to a mutual friend, so the intention might have gotten lost in translation... but my takeaway was: the lack of boundaries can make you vulnerable. It drains your energy, confuses you or makes you lose sight of ~ what really matters ~
There was a time where I thought boundaries were walls to keep people out. But the wall wasn’t about them—it was for me. A metaphorical wall to preserve my energy, my attention, my focus.
Opinions and boundaries inform each other. My lack of boundaries was directly related to my lack of opinions and the ability to share my thoughts with conviction... aka I was letting people walk all the f*** over me because I couldn't keep my feet planted firmly on the ground.
So here's my piece of advice, maybe it'll end up being the best one you receive:
Having opinions and boundaries means you're standing on the decisions you make. And decisions shape where we're going.
and where we're going is... wherever we want!
#keep #going lifestar.
you're unstoppable already.
