Over the course of our lives we are told what we’re "suppose" to do.  For a long time, I did just that. I did what I needed to and got by. When I was in high school, that’s when I really started to do the "suppose" to's. Although it was a good thing for me at the time, it was a mentality that kinda stuck. In high school, that mentality kept me out of trouble and allowed me to gain trust from my parents. If I did what I was suppose to do, my parents stayed off of my back and was granted my freedoms. Well that’s not exactly how it works when you become an adult. Doing bare minimum leaves you living a bare minimum life.

   Doing what you’re suppose to is an easy lesson to learn for most of us. In my case I thankfully had easy going parents that didn't really demand anything from me other than keeping my grades up and being honest. Alongside what we learn at home, we also learn about social statuses as we’re growing up and what society says what we're suppose to have, be and do by a certain age. Not only that, when you're young, you have this warped sense of age and time. Do you remember going to your high school football games and seeing people who graduated 3 years prior and your 16 year old self is wondering why they are even there? Or why are they still in this small town? They are only 19 years old, of course they are still there, in their home town;probably living at home and working like they should be. That's normal.  

   When you're young you don't really understand how long you’re going to be taking care of yourself and working etc. You believe that graduating high school is the best thing ever and you're grown. You can’t wait to move out and be grown. If you’re older than 18, hopefully you know that it's not true at all. If you can stay home, work and save money, then that is exactly what you should do. Don't rush the process. Travel, save money, invest in learning something -even if that isn’t school. Don’t let time past you by.

    There are a lot of "Suppose to's" that we subconsciously take in over time. Some are not as bad others, while some can give you sense of where you want to go in life. Sometimes, they can make you feel like you're not doing something right or that you’re enough. It can honestly steal the joy from right up under you. You have to really stay centered with yourself to combat these "suppose to's" that just aren’t realistic. I know that I had to. Some days it does feel like I am not doing things correctly, and that time is just passing me by. The feeling of being overwhelmed that you still don't have it all together does happen. There is honestly no avoiding that feeling every now and then. However, don't get stuck in that mindset.

    Speaking from my own personal journey I know it is so important to stick close to who you are. Don't let anyone tell you who you are. Figure that out for yourself. Figure out what life you want for yourself. Believe in yourself and the path that you want to take. Believe and pursue what it is you want to do. The only deadline in life is death. That is the final deadline and we never know when that will be. So live each day working towards your goals, and find your happiness. Leave the "suppose to's" behind you.

What are some of the "suppose to's" that you followed? I'd love to hear.

-Keep Moving Forward

Airika Nicole