Our Duty To Learn: Small Steps In The Right Direction

When I was really young I used to imagine what it would feel like to be older. I would admire all of my older friends and cousins as they began new chapters in their life. I watched as they navigated through the many decisions and choices that came their way. I did not see any struggle, it was normal. What I soon came to learn was that it was not normal at all.

In fact, I was blinded by a lot of the negative things in life. Protected by it rather. It actually amazes me how incredibly difficult it can be to navigate when you have a cloud over you for so long. Until I was in my early 20s I did not understand the negative emotions around me when they would arise and so I often found myself in positions that I would much rather have not been in. When I was really small, I was told that I was different and that was the end of the story, so I started to feel like I was lost. I wasn't sure of any direction.

I continued to navigate myself through life ignoring the piece of me that didn't make sense, but I tried to fit in and accept myself as normal to be able to keep myself going. If this sounds like you, you're not alone. I spent many years trying to really understand what these feelings in me were and what they meant. There was a point in time were I actually felt lost. When I reached my early 20s I started to realize my symptoms were causing even more difficulties in my daily functions and relationships. I wanted to know why. I wanted to make sense of everything so that I could feel a bright future, it was hard.

Over the years I have spent working on understanding myself, I began to realize what was missing he entire time. It was myself. When I was navigating through life and starting to make the decisions and choices my family and friends had to make, I realized I left myself behind. Early 20s hit and I was there, or so I thought I was there. But was I there? I wasn't sure. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can reach the top. I realized that I needed to spend more time on myself, I had to essentially meet myself again. All I knew about myself was that I was sometimes a little overboard and I would react to things without thinking first. I didn't realize how important it was to get to know myself.

I spent many months focusing on what taking care of myself meant, what it would look like, and I learned a few things.

Never be afraid to fall apart. It presents an opportunity to rebuild yourself. Taking the leap when you're down is the first step to rebuilding. Like many people who handle the difficulties in life, I also had to manage it but I found it rather hard until I was able to see myself in new light. The ability to lift myself up had never been so simple. When you begin to rebuild yourself knowing who you are inside, you create internal confidence that helps get you on your two feet to plan your next move. If you value yourself, then you value the world. Things are inevitably going to be hard some times and there will always be decisions to make, its how you plan to get there, its how you execute it, that's the most important part.

And some may say "well how do I learn to love myself so that I am able to pick myself up?". The really simple answer to this is learn. Learning is our duty in navigating the world around us. We start learning from the moment we enter the world. We start habits young and we navigate using those built skills. If you are like me and you want to see a better future, remember to always learn. Sometimes the most useless information can be the most moving. We learn through various life experiences like a new job, a new school, a new town, or even a new hobby. We learn by exploring our interests and we learn by valuing opportunities and rising to occasions. We learn by our mistakes when things go wrong, we realize the feeling is false and we avoid those feelings going forward. We learn by asking questions and by observing those around us. Knowledge comes from everywhere and anywhere.

The most pleasing outcome to valuing yourself and your ability to learn is the ability to fight even harder for your dreams and goals. The dreams that we have for ourselves in the future and the goals we create to increase our happiness and achievements are always going to be at a hands reach when we agree to always fight for them. If we fight hard for our dreams we are not only going to get closer to making it happen but we are also going to be inspiring those around us and teaching them as well. My beliefs are strong but my dreams are near. Our children begin to learn before they are born. They first learn to walk and talk, and then they learn to run, jump, and have conversations. The trick is to try. A guitarist must first learn to adjust to the pain of the chords before performing a full song. Practice makes perfect and life is full of practice.

When I was in my early 20s and I sat myself down, I agreed with myself that I would commit to a journey where I never stop learning about myself and the world around me. I decided that life would be so much better lived if I was always looking for improvement. I believed it would difficult but the end result says otherwise. I learn new things every day and I allow myself the time to do so. I spend time enjoying the new activities I have discovered, and I find myself genuinely happy. The journey isn't over, it never will be, because life never stops teaching.

Accept no ones definition of your life, define yourself.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema

#Healthy #Life #Duty #To #Learn #Neurodivergent #EndlessPosibilities