Groove # 3: Twenty Three Years

Mood: Thankful 
Tonight Song Selection: BTS (방탄소년단) - Two! Three! (Hoping For More Good Days)

We live in a world where everything is usually about 'me' and 'I'. We do things to benefit ourselves but in the moment we do not think how it might affect others.

We all have a past. Every minute, every second that passes us, in turn, becomes a part of our past. The decision you make now - within this moment - really does affect you, but it also affects people close to you and people who look up to you.

In my twenty-three years, I have had to learn from my mistakes. It has been slow and painful, to say the least. But now, looking back, I wouldn't change it. People believe that the quote 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' is just someone trying to cheer you up. But behind it, if you look deeper into the message of that quote, is a truth that we will all have to learn at some point or another.

I've had to learn to stand alone and stand strong. To believe in me and in what I can do. Life has beaten me left, right, and left again. I stood there and allowed it to, instead of standing up for myself and defending myself.

I've lost so much that I thought was important (at the time), but now that time has passed - and I mean the time for pity parties, the time for tears and heartbreaks. I lost so much to make space for what I truly needed in my life; true wholesome relationships with my family and friends who understand and not just want to use me for their own selfish purposes; and to one day, find someone who loves me for me. All my weird quirks included.

It's time for me to shine like the star I was born to be. 

The past has a place in that but I have no more place in the past. I won't be the girl to live in fear of success anymore. Without failure, there can be no growth. I will try and try until I succeed, and reach where I know I am supposed to be, where I belong.

I am going to make my mark in the present and strive daily for a better future.

In looking back, I have learnt a lot. So to celebrate my twenty-three years and I am going to list twenty-three things I have learnt: 

From kids cartoons which I love to watch, I learnt good life lessons: 
1.  "Anyone can show up when you're happy. But the ones who stay by your side when your heart falls, they are your true friends." - Winnie the Pooh

2.  "You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul." - Ratatouille

3.  "A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart" - Hercules.

4.  "It's not until you lose everything that you can truly appreciate everything." - Belle from Beauty & the Beast. 

5.   I believe you are never too old for Disney!

6.   Everyone is going to judge you no matter what you do or who you are. 

7.   I believe 'The Irish Philosophy' 

8.   You have to love yourself first before you can expect anyone else to love you. 

9.   It's okay to not be okay, as long as you don't stay too low for too long. 

10. Everyone deals with their issues differently and that's okay. 

11. Treat yourself, because no one is obligated to do it for you. 

12. Be respectful but never let people walk over you. You are not a road. 

13.  Actions speak louder than words. Say what you mean but then prove to the world that you are 

serious about it.

14. Be true to yourself. You are unique and there is only one of you in the world so why would you 

want to be someone else.

15. The journey is sometimes better than the destination. So enjoy the ride. 

16. Never try to be better than others but try to be better than the person you were yesterday. 

17. Fake it until you make it. You have to be confident in your own ability and be proud of what you can do even when there are others better than you. At some point, they had to start at the bottom too. 

18. Life isn't only black or white nor ups or downs because everything survives through balance, the good with the bad and the grey areas. Ying and Yang.

19. Never wish ill for others. Karma has a way of sneaking up on people. What goes around comes around. It may not be for you but for your children or your grandchildren. 

20. You don't have to be anything you don't want to be as long as you be the best you that you can be. 

21. It's great to be selfless but it's also okay to be selfish at times (self preservation is important and no is an acceptable answer too). 

22. No one but you can know who you truly are, in the end, it's your decisions and your life. You can either be the best you or the worst you and only you can answer for the outcome. 

23. Happiness is possible even in the darkest of times. Remember it's always darkest before the dawn. 

ps. Self-growth takes time. It doesn't just happen overnight. You have to be willing to put in the work to get results.

I hope you're vibing and grooving, 

With all my love, 

Greylan Wolf.