The Awakening

There comes a time in your life when you finally awaken ... when, in the midst of all your weaknesses, insecurities, fears and bouts of craziness, you drop everything you’re doing and listen to that small voice somewhere inside your head that's been crying out for awhile, “Stop! Stop with the drama; Stop taking bullshit from people.” Then you start looking at the world in a different perspective. This is your awakening. You realize that any guarantee of being happy must begin from you. Happiness is a choice. You start to accept that you are far from perfect and not everyone will always like, love, appreciate, respect or approve of who or what you are. You stop pointing fingers at other people for the things they do, did to you, or didn't do and learn that the only thing you can really count on is yourself and the small sprinkling of people whom you trust. Some people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you, even your friends and that it's not always about you. You learn to look after yourself, stand on your own two feet. You learn to believe in yourself. You learn to accept people the way they are, for who or what they are without judging them. But you also learn not to compromise your views and values in the process of accepting people. How you view yourself, people and the world is a result between the combination of experience and your environment. And you begin to sift through all the junk you've been fed, since you were a baby until now about how you should behave, how you should look, how much you should weigh, what gadgets you should have, what you should wear, what you should do for a living, how much money you should make, how and where you should live, and what you owe your parents, family, and friends. You learn to expand your horizons and consider new concepts. So you begin reassessing and redefining who you really are and what you’re made of. You learn to discard the old values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with. In the process you learn to rely on yourself and trust your gutt. You learn that love exist in various forms and shades. You learn the true meaning of friendship. That it’s better to give than to receive. That principles such as honesty, integrity, loyalty, faithfulness, truthfulness and kindness are not outdated ideals but the essential rock, the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility, the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO, even to your friends. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs have all been burned centuries ago. Then you learn more about love; to love without fear, hesitations, conditions, or restrictions; to love with all your heart and soul. You learn to call a spade, a spade. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes because the only thing you have control of is yourself and your actions. And you learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly acceptable. You learn that, for the most part, you get what you believe you deserve. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different from working towards making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline, hard work, patience, commitment and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone. You learn to trust people who deserves your trust. You learn that there is nothing to fear and that the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into the future with unmistakeable confidence and throw your fears away because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and giving in to fear is giving away the right to live life in your own terms.