Voices

So lately I've been emailing my roommate as she is in Malaysia with her family and the time difference takes a toll on the communication. It's amazing what the power of an email can have on the way that you arrange your thoughts and think back through things.

My lesson of the year is the following: Don't let voices drown you out. I say this because I found myself listening to too many people at once this year. I found myself influenced by too many voices. Too many opinions. I love having people around me. I'm a social person. I love advice. I love talking. I study psychology for a reason. But I think that there comes a point where it starts becoming difficult to make your own decisions when you start listening to too many others. I don't mean we should all become selfish. There's no need to say fuck it. But every now and then it's okay to let loose and enjoy your own mind, your own love, your own dreams, your own passions. Take that fire and apply it. Don't let it get sizzled out by other people. And most of all, don't let those opinions become so engrained in you that you start believing they're your own.

People's advice are exactly that -- people's advice. It is their own advice. It comes from their experiences, their traumas, their moments of lust, of anger, of drive. Make your own. Come up with your own voice. And listen to it. Because there's nothing more amazing than looking back and knowing that it was you who made this all happen.