Dear Person Afraid to Make a Change,
Change is scary. There’s no doubt about that, but change is also inevitable. Change naturally occurs in our lives without our say most of the time. However, the change that can be the hardest is the change that you instigate yourself.
It could be something as simple as trying a different style of clothing or something as big as changing who you’re spending the majority of your time with. Making changes in your life takes guts. The best advice I can give is to just do what you think will be best for you. If you make a change in order to better yourself and somebody demeans you for it, ignore them.
Live your life for yourself and not to please others.
Maybe you’ve wanted to try a new hairstyle for a long time but you’ve been too scared about what other people will think. Just do it! If you like the hairstyle, go get it and rock it! Even if it doesn’t turn out exactly like you envisioned, it’s just hair. It’ll grow back or you can dye it back to a color that’s better. But chances are you’ll get that new haircut and it will look wonderful.
Now, maybe you’re looking at making a change more drastic than a hairstyle. Maybe you’re thinking about changing your major. Everybody has times in college where they question their major. If you haven’t had these thoughts, you’re one of the few. I’m not saying that just because you have one day where you don’t enjoy your major you should immediately change it. However, I am saying that if you really can’t see yourself being happy in your current field, don’t be afraid to make a change. Sure, it may mean you have to stay at school for an extra semester or maybe even a year, but in the big picture, it would be well worth your time. Wouldn’t you much rather spend an extra year in college in order to pursue a field you think you will enjoy rather than graduating on time and getting a job you really don’t like?
At the end of the day, your happiness is the most important thing.
Maybe you are tired of partying all the time and want to stay in more. Maybe you don’t party at all, but now you want to go out and meet new people. These are the changes you make that sometimes elicit responses like, “You’re just not who you used to be anymore and I don’t like it.” Now, this response would be completely fine from a concerned friend if the changes you made were negatively impacting your life and leading you to place that would ultimately take away from your happiness. But if you are making changes that are making you happier and leading you in a direction you like and someone is telling you they don’t like that you’re changing, explain to them that the change is for you. If they can’t see that you’re trying to do something good for yourself, maybe they aren’t the kind of person you want to be around.
Surround yourself with positive people who will support you changing yourself for the better in order to grow into the best version of yourself you can be.
Maybe you’re in a dead-end relationship you can’t see going anywhere but you’re too scared to make a change because you don’t want to be alone. If you are only with somebody because you don’t want to alone, you should not be with them. It’s a waste of your time as well as theirs. Don’t waste your time on a mediocre relationship when you could find an incredible love. Don’t settle! You deserve better. It may suck losing someone you’ve been close to for so long and have so many memories with, but ultimately, it will help you grow.
Bottom line, be the person who you want to be and don’t let others dictate every choice you make in your life. Don’t let fears of what others will think guide your actions. Be true to yourself, and if you think making a change will help you get closer to where you want to be, don’t be afraid to do it. This is your life, so live for yourself. So go get that haircut. Wear that new shirt. Change your major. Go to that party. Expand your friend group. End that dead end relationship.
Grow and change and become the best you because you deserve it!
