"Live for Yourself"

Last fall I wrote this for my English class. I thought I'd share it because it basically explains the way I live my life and the reasons why this year abroad means so much to me.

            Every person is blessed with one life. The thing about this one life, is that it is the one thing each person owns entirely. Everyone has the ability to call the verdict for their own life, but it is their choice of whether they will take action to do so.

Knowing who you are is such an important aspect to your life. Though it may not be clear of what the future looks like for yourself, it is most important to understand your character, morals, and dreams. Once you understand yourself, and you have a spark lit under you, you have a straight shot to reaching the goals you want for life. But why is it, that so many people are snatched from the dreams they work so hard for? The reason people begin to lose sight of the things that are truly important to them, is because they are pressured by outside influences. Friends and family, though they are very important parts of your life, should not be the ones directing it. These people are the ones who have the biggest impact on you, but also have the most opinions about you. In my life, my friends and family impact me so much, but I do not let them control the life decisions I make. As I hit the submit button on my application for my junior year abroad in Germany, my friends and family flashed before my eyes, but they did not keep me from doing the thing I most desire in life. I did not let the idea of missing them stop me from doing what I want to do most in the world. I took direction of my life, and made sure I wasn’t living for anything but myself. John Mayer sings, “Dream your dreams but don't pretend,

make friends with what you are” which displays how one should be true to themselves and accept who they are.  In the same sense, people are also restrained from truly being themselves because of their fear of other’s opinions of them. The thing is, I could care less about the way people perceive me. I speak my mind, I am who I am, and I don’t let peer pressure, or the society I live in, affect my character. I don’t fit the usual norm: I listen to different music, wear clothes unlike others in my grade, and pursue things no one would ever imagine, because that is who I am, and I will not allow myself to pretend to be anything I am not. This is a very hard thing for people to do, to defy society and be who they are, but that is the direction one must take to make their life their own. It is so important that one makes their life their own, and never loses sight of the things that are most important to them. Travel the world, be different, follow your dreams, do something crazy, but just never lose sight of yourself. Life for yourself, and don’t let anyone or anything change you. 

"Live for yourself", that was my motto for this project. I think a lot of people saw this as arrogant, but I don't think I would be embarking on such a life-changing journey in just a few weeks if I hadn't lived for myself. I chose the route that I wanted to take, and I had to do that by defying a lot of societal norms and really sacrificing a lot. It's as if I no longer have dreams, because those dreams are my reality.