Stop suffering, start being weird

How I'm learning to tell new stories about what my life is asking of me.

As I've gotten older, I've noticed how certain people in my life have started to change.

They are becoming weirder but happier. More honest and less apologetic about who they are and what they need. They are doing work that is more aligned with their singular talents. They are more creative, they take more risks, and they care less about what others think. They are sleeping better. Exercising. Spending more time with the people they love.

A lot of this didn't happen overnight. Because most of us are not that old, I still remember the days when a lot of these same folks were absolutely miserable.

They were showing up to jobs they hated. They were prioritising everyone else's needs above their own. They were over-sharing on social media in a bid for connection and validation. Floundering in toxic relationships. Partying all the time and doing everything they could to stop themselves from slowing down, seeing where they were, and asking themselves if this was really what they wanted out …