Anyone who knows me is well aware that I don't live life according to rules, "shoulds", or "oughts", and will obliterate the boring brown box most like to try to shove me into.

Obedience has never been a virtue I posses, or, if I'm being honest, put much stock into.

I attended a Montessori school from Pre-K through 8th grade.
I freakin LOVED it!!

I am certain that all my years at an educational institution that not only embraces, but encourages diversity, critical thinking, curiosity, independence, and outside of the box thinking, had a major impact on the woman I have become.

#yathink?

Anyhow - 

I listened to a Ted Talk today that literally made me say, "FUCK YES!!"

"Embrace your raw, strange magic" by Casey Gerald hit me all in the feels, and reminded me that not everybody was raised to question, investigate, and ponder the things that are generally spoon fed to us throughout our lives; be likable, be presentable, don't rock the boat, go with the flow, dim your light, quiet your voice, sit down and shut up, etc etc etc.

Casey refers to the small, seemingly innocuous compromises we make about/for ourselves as, bargains.

Examples of these bargains can be:

Guys, the list of ways we make ourselves small, hidden, and ordinary, is infinite.

Think for a few moments about things you did, or did not do/say because "that isn't what good girls/boys do"...

I'm willing to bet that every.single.one of you has made a choice to make others happy, or to not cause a scene, or to not draw attention to your alternative opinions.

I'm here to tell you that this is no way to live!!

The way that most of us are taught to live, is BULLSHIT!

#isaidwhatisaid

It is the societal norm to teach kids to blend in, to not stand out, to play it small/safe, be predictable, be braggable (yeah - it is a totally made up word, but it means to do things that your parents, grandparents, etc are happy to brag about), to just take what they are told as gospel.

What in the actual fuck is this, communist China?

Casey mentioned a quote he saw on the wall of an old Stasi prison in Berlin, 

I dunno about you, but I don't want to just live tolerably; I want to live extraordinarily!

We are taught to hide so many parts of who we are, what we have done, what we have seen, and what we have experienced. All in the name of other people's comfort.

We're taught to tone ourselves down to palatable levels, and to turn who we are, what we do, what we love, and what we want, into tiny little nuggets, as to not overwhelm the "consumer" of our actions/words.

We're taught to act, dress, speak, in ways that are against our true nature, so that we'll be liked by the "right" people, get accepted into the "right" schools, and be hired for the "right" jobs.

Uhhh - No fucking thank you!

We all have but this one life. It is a waste to spend it miserable, or quasi happy, simply because we have been indoctrinated to believe that we need to be/do/have XYZ to be have made it, or done something worthwhile.

I came into this world a loud, wild, mess, and I plan on leaving it the same way.

I beg you - live your life true to yourself, for yourself, and in pursuit of what you love.

I urge you all to do a life audit and see where you may be selling yourself short, and make that be different.

You owe it to yourself, your kids, their kids, etc, to stop the bullshit cycle of living life based on some invisible, cockamaymee, societal constructs, and be/do whatever makes you happy!

Yeah, change can be hard AF.

But ya know what is even harder?

Not actually LIVING life, and just letting shit happen to you.

You are far more powerful than you could ever imagine.