Ever find yourself wondering, “Who am I?”, as if you were Derek Zoolander gazing at your reflection through a puddle? No, just me? Okay, well I’m sure you get my point. With how chaotic life can get, it can be easy to lose yourself at times, and forget all the intricate parts that make you special. The last few years have been trying to say the least, and after months of being stuck in the same mindless routine I started thinking – who am I actually?

I wasn’t feeling very fulfilled or happy, and no wonder! All I was doing was burying myself in a screen or pillows. Something had to change. Eventually my therapist suggested putting together a vision board that highlighted all my favorite hobbies, things I value, goals I had, and so on. Taking the time to reflect on what I loved doing, then actively working more of it into my life, helped me realize I wasn’t just another cog in the machine shuffling endlessly from one place to another.

With a clear goal in mind and my vision board plastered on walls in every single room of the house as a reminder, I started to fill my spare time with puzzles and paintings, I dyed my hair fun colors, went to concerts and drive-in theaters by myself, started learning how to play the guitar and speak using sign language…the list goes on. I simply let myself dive into all the areas I was curious about, sometimes with an end goal in mind and other times just to enjoy the process.

I know it may seem simple, but sometimes we need a nudge in the right direction to live our lives authentically. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to live. There is only YOU and your happiness.

So what if people think you’re weird.

So what if people think you’re over-the-top.

So what if you’re not blending in.

Get out there, do what you love, and don’t be afraid to showoff what makes you one-of-a-kind!