So, I had this coffee catch-up with an old friend the other day, something that’s become a rarity given the craziness of our mid-30s life. Between sips of overly expensive lattes and updates on life, work, and the endless juggle, and a story of a tragedy she was into, suddenly she dropped a line that honestly felt like a mic drop moment: “I own myself.”
It wasn’t said with arrogance or as some dismissive wave to the complexities of life. No, it was a statement of acceptance, of responsibility, and oddly, of freedom. And man, did it stick with me.
The thought just kept popping up today. It’s not about giving yourself a high five every time you do something right. It goes way beyond that. It’s about admitting when you’ve messed up, those days when you’re far from being perfect, and basically, when everything seems to be going south.
Here we are, in our mid-30s. Yeah, we’ve racked up some life mileage, but that doesn’t mean we’ve got it all figured out. Honestly, the older I get, the more I realize there’s a heck of a lot I don’t know. But, you know what? That’s absolutely okay.
Owning up to who you are means embracing the whole hot mess, the beautiful bits, and all the complicated stuff in between. It’s like looking in the mirror and going, “Yup, that’s all me. Imperfections and everything.” It’s about ditching the blame game – no pointing fingers at others, society, or blaming some cosmic force out to get us.
Think about it. How easy is it to blame someone else? To say, ‘If only they did this,’ or ‘If the world wasn’t like that,’ or even ‘The universe is out to get me.’ But honestly, where does that get us? Nowhere, that’s where. It’s a cycle of excuses, a trap that stops us from really owning who we are, our own self-ownership.
Fully accepting yourself is brave. It means not just celebrating your strengths but also embracing your weaknesses. Recognizing that sometimes you’re the hero of your own story, and other times, you might just be the one needing a rescue. And that’s okay.
Reflecting on this made me think about my own ups and downs, the times I’ve totally nailed it and the times I’ve missed the mark by a mile. Owning up to myself means I can be proud of my victories without getting a big head, and also face my failures without letting them knock me down.
It all comes down to accountability. When you slip up (and let’s be honest, we all do), it’s about admitting it, learning from it, and then moving on. It’s not about beating yourself (or others) up or wallowing in regret. It’s about growth, learning, and not messing up the same way twice.
Let’s face it; life doesn’t get easier as we get older. We just get better at handling the tough times, like learning the best ways to steer through a storm. But the compass that guides us? That’s our sense of self, our ownership of every bit that makes us, well, us.
So, here’s to owning ourselves, to being the captains of our own ships. To understanding that while we might not control the wind, we sure as heck can adjust our sails. It’s about living unapologetically, authentically, and with a sense of ownership that says, “I am who I am, and that’s my power.”
choro 