Define yourself

    Growing up I watched my parents sacrifice their liberty to take care of my siblings and I. Yes, I know that it is their duty and responsibility to take care of their children but they are zillions of children that are being neglected by their parents and guardians, so if your parents are still playing their roles in your life be thankful to God and them. As an individual, I was taught to sacrifice my desires and needs for someone else, in other words, I learnt to be a sacrificial lamb which I did without thinking twice. Pls do not get me wrong,  being selfless and putting others before yourself is good,but in this world we live in currently, such acts are perceived as stupidity.  In as much as it is good to look out for those we love and care about, we need to also be on the look out for ourselves. Create time for yourself, one of the best things that can happen to anyone is having a "me-time". Spending time with yourself, bonding with yourself, and defining yourself. We spend so much time trying to fix people and things around us that we completely forget about ourselves.
    What do I mean by "define yourself"? To define yourself is as plain and simple as it sounds. It means to be you, to accept you for who you are, and to appreciate you. By defining yourself, you are simply creating time for yourself, achieving your set goals, accomplishing things that you have set for yourself. Personally,  I find comfort in being everyone's shield. In most cases, I would rather listen than talk, give my opinion and advices about issues laid before me by friends and family members. In rare occasions would you catch me doing the talking, this only occurs when I am with close friends, in a very comfortable area, work, if need be, and with my family. My journal is my listener, I write virtually everything in my journal, my daily quotes, plans and other important things that I feel should be known to me, myself, that is why I keep it away from prying eyes. 
    By defining yourself, you should also put discovering a better you into consideration like having fun and socializing with a different crowd. When it comes to having fun, yes, it is fun to hang out with family and friends, but sometimes, it helps to have fun with yourself.  Take yourself to the movies, spa, shopping both window shopping and actual shopping, sightseeing, treat yourself to lunch and/ or dinner,  and also participate in other activities that will help you to build yourself. Basically, get to know YOU better.  Instead of blaming the universe for your downside,  do a self-assessment that will help you in improving in the areas of your life that you think needs improvement and one more thing, STOP LOOKING FOR PERMISSION FROM THE WORLD. I strongly believe in learning from my mistakes.  If you keep getting corrected, you will not know the value of the correction. Let your past experiences be your guide through the other phases of life, that is exactly what I do. Trust me, it has really helped me to adjust in certain areas of my life. Leave your comfort zone, be a dare devil, mingle with a different crowd of people, and have fun.