"I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone."
Henry Rollins
When you live a life that is defined by others expectations then you loose sight of your identity and you risk living a life that is unfulfilled and with no purpose. Inside you have a candle that is waiting to be lit that will fuel you towards setting and achieving goals that are fulfilling and will bring you happiness. That flame only continues to burn if you follow your passions, your dreams, and your vision, and not lose yourself in someone's vision. Knowing and defining your purpose will give you the direction in the life that you always imagined and desired.
The need for validation and acceptance gets in the way of discovering who you truly are and what you are meant to become. The need for approval alone is self-sabotage because you will never live up to someone's expectations but the real sabotage comes from the FEAR that you will never live up to your own expectations. It is so easy to conform to social norms because it feels incredibly secure and safe. It is easier to stay in your comfort zone and continue to live in the same dangerous pathologies every day then challenging yourself to make changes in your life because of fearing that people will not accept you for who you are and what you want to become. Self-Sabotage is a dangerous pathology that will lead you to feel inadequate and not good enough. Self-Sabotage is incredibly powerful because most of the time you are not aware that you are destroying your own chance of becoming great.
The key to changing your life is YOU and defining who you are. It starts with answering the who, what, where, when, how and why of your being. Who are you? What are your passions, dreams, and visions for Your life? Where do you want your vision to take you? How are you going to get there? and Why do you even want to take the risk of being your true self? If you are able to answer these questions then you will discover your voice and your calling. This might require reinventing yourself, accepting who your are, going against the norm, and having the courage to be YOU! The difficult journey is like carving yourself out of a stone sculpture that someone else has created but discovering the new statuary is rejuvenating.