Lost is not a fun place to be.
Generally, when I feel lost, I had plans or an appointment. There was an expectation that I would make it there on time. The fact that I haven’t yet arrived is just plain irritating.
What’s even more disturbing is that I probably made myself lost. I got caught up in the music and took a wrong turn, I thought “who needs technology?! I got this...only to discover that no...I don’t “got this” and yes, I will always require a homing device. The fact is, my sense of direction is a bit faulty. I mix up my right and my left. I still know where I’m going, I’m just not totally sure of how to get there.
I recently had lunch with a new friend. She’s funny, smart, and a great storyteller. There is a small, black semicolon on her right forearm and a simple sentence on her left. It says: I know me.
For those of you that are supporters of The Semi-Colon Tattoo Project, you already know what this means. I needed the explanation and listened intently as my friend explained her bout with suicide. Of course, you would never look at the outlines of his woman’s life and peg her as someone ever needing to be on suicide watch. Her smile is bright, she’s killing it in her career WITH a luscious head of hair, and a thriving dating life.
The combination of the semicolon and the sentence is what inspired this post. As my friend was working to navigate the life she had once desperately wanted to leave, she needed to be reminded of who she was.
Her tattoo reminds her that no matter what someone thinks about her or if she wants to make a change that seems impossible, she knows herself. She knows what she is capable of. Better than her pastor, more than her parents, or even her best friend. That tatt is her GPS...her guide whenever she feels lost.
How many of us feel lost or stuck in situations that seem to be both underwhelming and overwhelming all at once? We flounder with not knowing what to do, we wrestle with not understanding our purpose, or we feel a desperate need to drop everything and run far, far away.
Have you ever considered that you know exactly who you are, and just maybe, you are afraid to bet on yourself? Are you worried that someone is just waiting for you to take a stand, just so they can shout “Whatever, Liar!” And that somehow, they will be right?
Let’s give ourselves the freedom of being and becoming at the same time. You can know who you are and still be discovering who you’d like to be. It’s called growth.
I’m happy to say that I’m still on this journey of building a stronger sense of self. Learning about who I am, my worth, and how I change the atmosphere of a room just by entering it is honestly, a good time. Every day I feel more confident. When I don’t feel it, I remind myself that feelings are not facts.
My friend got a tattoo. I have my affirmations. How will you find your way back?
You could…
…break up with the toxic people in your life.
…stop getting up at three am just because you heard Mark Zuckerbug does.
…start your business.
…call your mom and apologize.
…do whatever you need.
You’re not lost; you know who you are. And what you don’t know, you can figure out along the way.