Life never comes with a handbook. There isn't really a reference you can turn to when you're at a crossroads and not sure what decision to make. You can look to others and what they have done, and that works sometimes, but there are also decisions that no one else can make but you. Where do you turn to in those moments?
The answer is yourself.
To advance anywhere else in the world, you have to trust yourself. Trust your inner voice. In the silent moments, where does your mind run to? What feels most like home? When all the other noise is drowned out, and no one else is there to tell you where to turn, what makes you feel the most alive? That is what you have to trust. It's your intuition.
Sometimes it makes no sense. Everything may make sense on paper, but when it comes to carrying it out, something feels off. You may assume that it's just your mind getting in the way, and maybe in some cases, it is. But if it's a feeling you cannot shrug off, and something about a person, situation, etc you cannot let go of, trust it. Follow it, and see where it leads you.
No one really knows what they are doing in life. Everyone talks like they do. If you ask anyone, right now, they will tell you: I want to work here, I want to live in this city, etc. But deep down, there is something, on some level, that each person isn't sure of. A lot of the time, it's about a lot of things. Right now, in college, there are so many future unknowns. Sure, you may have an idea of what you want your life to look like, but how will you know it is right until you are in the moment, faced with the decision, and must determine if it feels right or wrong? In those moments, if something doesn't feel right, if something is pulling you in a different direction than you were planning, allow yourself to be ok with it. Know that you are your ultimate guide. Our bodies know things a lot sooner than our minds can catch up to. We are designed for survival, the most crucial and primal parts of our brain have been designed based on evolutionary survival. How are we to not assume that our instincts and gut feelings are not also leading us onto our best path of fulfillment and survival?
This may sound strange, and maybe you think this is all crazy coming from someone who doesn't seemingly have enough life experience to be talking like this. But the truth is, I have seen a lot in my mere 20 years on Earth. And above anything else, I have learned that you have recognize that we are only on this Earth for a short period of time. This is all we get. If you want to live out all of your wildest dreams, you have to trust what feels right to you and continue along that path. At the end of the day, the only person you have to answer to is yourself. No one else lives your life except for you. So what do you want that life to look like?
In college and where I am at in life, I tend to use my intuition about people, relationships, and things that are relevant to this stage of life I am in right now. But I can recognize that this skill, trusting myself and what my intuition tells me, is merely being developed right now in preparation for the bigger decisions of life that are to come. This is teaching me how to trust myself and the impact I have in deciding what I want my life to look like. When you take a step back from it, it's really exciting. You ultimately get to decide what your life looks like. Your biggest dreams? If those feel right to you and you have a feeling about something that you cannot quite shake, trust it. Follow it, and watch your wildest dreams become a reality.
I am big on the aesthetic and take note of when something catches my eye. This article was inspired by the cover photo, which is taken from our dorm wall. It caught my eye one afternoon, and so I snapped a picture of it. The painting features the angel number 111, which symbolizes trusting your intuition. Aside from being cute dorm wall decor, I think it also serves as an important lesson on how to live your life.
That's all for now.
XO,
MH <3
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