Advice from a 27-year old
Recently I realized how much I've spent my life so far believing that something better is always in the next corner, the next hour, the next day, the next week. It's a kind of blind optimism that I am happy to say has not failed me so far. Will it? Perhaps, but there is no good thinking about it.
As I got a little older I realized that passively waiting for things to happen does not get anything done. You have to know what you want and, in no uncertain terms, ask for it. Then you work to deserve it and then to keep it.
Selfie, Watercolor on Arches 185gsm paper
You will be so surprised with the things you accomplish if you just started doing them. It's scary as hell - you can ruin a nice expensive piece of paper, relationships, your regard for what you're capable of, many things - but you will never be left with just nothing after. You'll be left with a lesson that you will never forget because it cost so much to gain.
I read this from Amy Poehler's book, "Yes Please": if you're still confused or uncertain about what you want, perhaps it's better to ask yourself what you are willing to do anything to avoid. Maybe you hate being chained to a desk for eight hours, or hate the unstructured freelance life. Maybe you don't like kids. Or maybe you don't like walking too much. What would you give anything NOT to do? Maybe the things you don't want will point you to the things that you do.
Younger by Seinabo Sey is my current favorite song! Have a listen.
Let go of things with dignity. Don't be bitter and regretful of things you can no longer change. The thing that you lost is never going to be the only thing of its kind that you'll ever have - well, I can't assure you this, but what does it cost to believe? Hoping for better things costs almost nothing. Some people call it religion. I call it optimism.
Most important of all, and I always mention this: nothing is permanent. Not happiness, which sucks, but this also means that awful things also go away in time. Everything around you is bound to change at some point - you can hasten the process by accepting the truth and moving on. Endings are seeds for beginnings. It sounds trite and quite annoying but there is only one way to find out just how true it is.
