It's a Great Big World Out There
Sunset on Huntington Beach, California, Pacific Ocean
A lot of people give you advice on monumental occasions, such as graduation and getting a new job. Some of the wisdom comes straight out of the "Giving Advice on a Monumental Occasion" manual and is repeated many times throughout your life because people feel they need to give advice. Once in a while, however, someone tells you something that makes an impact upon you.
A very wise person once told me to follow my own path, no matter where it leads. At the time, I was more than content to be just like all my friends, to do the things they did, and to surround myself with people who were of the same cookie-cutter design.
Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to belong, to be surrounded by people and things with which you are comfortable, but it often leaves you in a rut. You do the same kind of work, go to the same places every night, like the same people. You start to wonder what's out there in the great big world beyond your small circle of familiars. You start to hear those words of advice given to you long ago.
In a daring move, I listened to my heart and began to follow my own path. To my surprise, it led me far, far away from everything I had known. I found new friends, more interesting friends. I changed jobs and found an entirely new career that left me feeling as if I actually accomplished something each day and made a difference in other lives. I grew as a person and liked what I saw in the mirror. I discovered that I wasn't the person I had been so comfortable being.
I found the man I love who will love me forever.
Now, when I am in a position to pass on a pearl of wisdom to another person, I tell them the same sage words that were told to me: Be yourself.
Break away from the mold you are in and see what's out there. You might come back to familiar territory, but you might also find a world that is truly spectacular.
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