“Don’t be scared to walk alone. Don’t be scared to like it.” – John Mayer
It’s easy to get swept up in the hype of what everyone else is doing. It’s even more easy to lose yourself when you’re in a group following a certain path.
I found myself feeling a bit at odds this past fall. You see I was part of a group of people who enrolled in a personal development course and while it was a powerful and life-changing course, something inside of me felt off.
It wasn’t until I was scrolling through Facebook and found a video that embodied the message: What has got you to where you are now will not get you to where you want to be.
I watched the video and sat with the message for a day or two. I wrestled with leaving this personal development community; I entertained the fear of missing out on what everyone else was doing until finally, I arrived at my concluding decision: It was time to move on.
Trust Your Path: When It’s Time to Break Free
Ironically, when I arrived at my final decision an email awaited my opening. A friendly reminder to pay my monthly dues to remain in the community. Without question, I replied that my time was up and wished them well.
It was freeing and nerve wrecking all at the same time.
Now, it sounds easy to just stop doing what everyone else is doing and to leave a group of people you have bonded with, but I assure you it is not.
You will feel pressure from your peers to continue to conform and you will go to battle with yourself. So how did I break free? I asked myself the following questions:
- What benefit am I receiving by not changing?
- What do I want to achieve in my life and can I afford to not change?
With these questions in mind and answered to the best of my ability, I arrived at my decision with no doubt of what I needed to do. However, knowing what I needed to do is entirely separate from actually doing it.
It doesn’t matter if you’re leaving a workplace for a better employer, changing a group of friends or moving to a new city. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself these questions and answer them fully with an open and honest heart.
Being brave to take the next step and put your final decision into place is another thing. But with a strong foundation of what you need in your life right now is what will guide you to make the right decision.
When I broke free from this group, I will admit I felt a sense of freedom. No longer would I see this particular community pop up in my news feed or inbox, no longer would I feel like I’m not keeping up with the standards of the community and I would no longer be invested in a collaborative but closed mindset.
I created space to be me and to work on my goals in my own way. I created space to network with others that I wished to collaborate with in the future and form meaningful relationships with. Finally, I created the necessary space to think for myself.
Trust Your Path: What I Learned When I Broke Free
I knew when I decided to break free from this group that I would create a lot of time for myself, a lot of space to think clearly without interruption. But what I didn’t realize was this: I felt free. I felt pressure to conform to what everyone else was doing.
I created a whole new perspective on my goals, dreams, and ambitions. A perspective that was free from other people’s opinions and criticism.
By breaking free and going about pursuing my dreams in my own unique way, I created a strong sense of value for myself. I created inner confidence and determination that roars loud with self-worth and stability. I now value my choices, honor my decisions and listen to my intuition when it’s running on overdrive.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes when you’re not clear on where you want to go or how you want to go about your journey, the thing you most need at that time, is to get really quiet. To listen to your spirit and the message your heart is singing softly. To value your own inner message is a freeing and liberating journey that must not be neglected. Placing value on your own message; needs and desires are ultimately the best investment you can make in your life. When you refuse the opportunity of valuing yourself, you can easily be swept up in the forces of the masses and lose your own voice.