It was my birthday the other day. Which coincided with a period of soul-searching and a struggle for direction. I had a breakthrough this morning and wrote this letter to myself. It doesn’t even make perfect sense, but it feels right at the moment.
—
People have ideas of who they want you to be.
Let them be it.
You be you.
Never stop dreaming, asking yourself “What do I want to do now?”
And never fear the answer. No matter how different it is than what others – and consequently you – expect it to be.
Don’t be afraid to follow the answer, even if it appears dumb, stupid, or crazy. Because the dumb, stupid and crazy ideas and urges are the ones that either change the world, change you, or both. And who wants to stay the same, anyway?
It’s hard to be original. To be creative. To stop doing what worked for others and do what works for you. So when you find yourself complacently aligned with your external reality and neglecting your inner one, that’s fine to. Just observe it, and watch it evolve.
Who you want to be is a fantasy. Who you are is a mystery. Both are adventures you are welcome to explore because, hell, can you think of anything better you’d like to do with your time? (You can? Do that instead!)
And frankly, to quote Alan Watts, stop trying to change the world. The world has existed long before you were alive and will continue to exist to long after you’re gone.
Don’t even change yourself. That implies force of one part of you onto another. Accept yourself, and watch yourself evolve.
The world doesn’t need change. It doesn’t need you to change either. It doesn’t even need you, period.
But if you’re around, the more you are you, the more pleasure you’ll bring to yourself, and the more beauty you’ll add to those you encounter.
So be yourself or die trying. It’s actually the same thing.
