Unprecedented
“Don’t sabotage your identity trying to name it. Let it be undefined, permeable, mixed, peculiar, unapologetically authentic. Be in peace with being unprecedented, with not fitting anywhere, with being adrift. Before flight, there’s a free fall.”
There’s beauty in the unknown. We often find ourselves caught in the mundane everyday way of life and things start becoming predictable. You often know what time you will wake up, what you will have for breakfast, your list of tasks for the day, et cetera. Don’t get me wrong, routine is important. In fact, anyone who knows me can tell you that I am a huge fan of routine. But at what cost?
Sometimes we find our identity built around one thing. We set labels for ourselves and end up boxing ourselves within those labels. We have no idea who we are outside of those labels. Living every day in the same way gets boring pretty quickly. You find yourself being unmotivated most times because you have nothing exciting to look forward to. Self-help gurus will tell you to find your purpose, find the thing that makes you jump out of bed. I, however, will tell you that you should let everyday be a clean slate. Wake up one day with a rebellious spirit and an open mind. Let the world lead you. Have a day full of ‘yes’.
Most times we let our fear guide us. And with good reason. Fear is an important emotion. It’s a survival emotion. Fear tells us that something is potentially dangerous, and we should avoid. Half the time, fear is right. But half the time, we have to feel the fear and do it anyway. You are afraid that being unpredictable will make the people around you see you in a different light. Be unpredictable anyway. You are afraid that saying yes to that new opportunity might not be a case of “the grass being greener”. Take the opportunity anyway.
I think we learn best by doing. One person was asked what advice he would give his younger self, and he said ‘nothing’. He said that he believes his younger self has to go through all the things he has gone through to get him to where he is today. I’m not trying to sound like your friendly neighborhood guru but, hear me out. Failing is not so bad. Things turning out the way you did not expect is not so bad. You just have to learn to take things in stride. Reroute as many times as you have to.
Someone once told me that the only permanent thing in life is death. So just live life the way you know how to without being afraid of change. Because change will definitely happen. You just have to enjoy the little pockets of magic in between. You won’t know you’re living in some of the best moments of your life until they’re gone. Try to enjoy the small moments and please, embrace the unprecedented.
