Category: Thoughts on Life

Humans are beautiful. We’re kind. We’re compassionate. We show empathy. We try to understand each other. We communicate. We listen. We lend a helping hand.

We do the most ridiculous things. We celebrate the day someone came into the world, we celebrate days of the week and months of the year, we celebrate two people joining in love, we celebrate the lives lived of those who have passed. Humans celebrate every tiny victory. And you know what? That’s what makes life so worth living.

It’s the people. It’s all about the people. It’s always been about the people.

We feel so deeply. We’re storytellers. We express our stories in ways that we know how. Some express through music, through writing, through speaking, and some through not saying anything at all. We give the world a little piece of us with everything we do – with every song we sing, every piece we perform, every person we speak to – we give ourselves away, we open the doors and say “here I am, world, here is what I have to offer, and here is what I’m most proud of. What do you think of me?” There’s nothing more terrifying and more vulnerable than self-expression, but I also believe there’s nothing more rewarding. And whether they tell you or not, someone, somewhere will be changed forever by the bold move you made to give the world a piece of yourself that you wanted to keep locked away. Because by doing so you have made the world a much less “look at me, look at the amazing things I can do” and more of a “wow, she struggles with those things too. Wow, she fails sometimes too.”

We all want to feel accepted. We all want to feel understood. What better way to do so than to give 100% of who you are to the world? Because I guarantee someone needs a person like you to cross their path. And how unfortunate would it be if you were pretending to be someone you aren’t when that person needed the real you most.

Being vulnerable is hard. It’s terrifying. We don’t want people to judge us. But this fear strips the world of every unique and insane idea you have inside your head. Lay it all out there. Love the people. Trust the people.

People put us in our darkest days and people bring us out of them, too. And sometimes we’re the cause of our own destruction and our own salvation.

I love the people. No matter how hard they can be, I will always love them with every piece of me. Let’s keep loving the people.

I believe there’s great beauty in feeling lost. But there’s even greater beauty in the comfort of knowing that there are others who feel lost too.

Feeling lost brings people together. It connects us, it brings us back to earth, it reminds us that we’re human. We don’t have all the answers, we make mistakes, and we learn. I don’t know about you, but nothing gives me greater comfort than knowing that there are people out there who can relate to how I’m feeling. Knowing that there are people who have been there and have lived with those feelings for far longer than I have.

Here’s the thing: you’re allowed to feel lost. Life isn’t about getting to the top of the mountain and knowing all the answers. It’s about continuously finding the strength to make the hike. You’ll take a few paths you don’t recognize, you’ll find yourself in places that are harder to trek through than others, but at the end of the day, the view you see when you’re at the high point will make everything you’ve gone through so worth it.

I don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I don’t know if I’ll ever really know, but I do know that I am content with the path that I am currently on. I am content with this part of the mountain that I have found myself hiking up. But do you know what makes it even better? Knowing that I have people who are trailing behind me; people who have crossed the same path; people who feel the same way I do. People make all the difference. The bottom line is this: they won’t remember what you wore, what you said, how good you were at what you do, what job title you have, the list goes on and on. What they will remember is how you made them feel. They’ll think of you and remember how nice it felt to have a conversation with you. They may not even remember what the conversation was about, but they’ll remember the good feelings that came of it. People want to feel good. They want to feel important, valued, talented, trusted, beautiful, etc. Be the type of person who makes everyone who leaves them feel a little bit lighter, a little bit happier, and a whole lot of good. Surround yourself with these people too.

We’re all hiking our own mountains. We’re all a little lost, all reaching for that perfect view at the top. Take a look around for a second. Find the perfection in what you’re looking at now. This path you’re on is just one more mile closer to who you’re becoming. Celebrate this path; celebrate who you are today.

Hold onto the good people. Hold onto the ones who celebrate every tiny victory. Hold onto the ones who are hiking this path with you. Help each other. Encourage each other. There’s room for all of us to enjoy the view at the top.

I’ll help you get there if you’ll help me.