Ever since you were born into this society, you have probably never been alone. There are always so many people around you who influence you in many ways. There have always been expectations from every corner, be it your parents, your siblings, your relatives or your friends. Regarding every aspect of your life – profession, career, relationships, behavior, way of conduct… everything, no matter how tiny or insignificant, no matter how big and gruesome, u have a million expectations to live up to, a million people to satisfy, a million opinions to consider, so many faces to keep happy… and how many of us succeed in doing all this?? And in between all these chaos, how many of us actually try to satisfy that inner voice that keeps screaming inside our head, and tells us that before we satisfy anyone else or heed to anything else, the foremost voice to be heard is that of our heart?? We live in a sea of hopes, faiths and beliefs. But getting along with the flow, more often than not, we tend to lose ourselves, lose our identity. Amidst the race to help and be helped, many a times, we actually put behind the true desires of our heart and indulge ourselves in living up to a fake reputation that we have created about ourselves! Every individual is born with something unique… be it a talent, an inherent ability to do something, or a simple characteristic or nature pertaining to daily mannerisms. But even these small minute things go a long way into shaping the idols that we are truly meant to be. There might be many people who have lived their life not even knowing what their deepest strengths and talents were, because they never tried to consciously explore it. All they believe about themselves is what everyone tells them, they believe that life is a duty to be fulfilled, where you have so many responsibilities, and how much you succeed in life depends on how well you have been able to portray your role in society and fulfill your duties. I am not saying duties and responsibilities towards our loved ones, towards our family, towards our nation and the society hold no importance at all. They too find a very big place in building the self esteem of an individual, and in providing us with an enriching sense of completeness. But we also have certain basic duties towards ourselves… nurturing our mind and soul is just as important. We need to bring out the best in us, explore our talents, and align ourselves with what the universe is trying to provide us. Every individual has a minimum threshold up to which certain things can be tolerable. There is a limit to how much you can stop yourself from doing what you really want to, and pretend to be happy with your duties. Beyond a certain level, frustration seeps in. There are a lot of inner conflicts and turmoil… “Why me?” “Why should I be the one to face these problems always?” “Why am I even doing something that I don’t like?” “I’m doing so much for everyone, yet no one ever seems to understand!” But in spite of these questions, you just try to suppress them and blindly believe that what everyone else is expecting of you is the “right” choice, and your need to be any different is “wrong” because that would go against the traditional norms. You try to fool yourself with that belief and end up frustrated. You actually fear to take the necessary steps that can give you at least a little happiness. Before you think of yourself, there are a hundred doubts and insecurities as to what would your family think, what will your friends say and how will the society portray you. You fail to think just one thing… that if you are right in your doings with morals and principles, why would anyone take you wrong in the first place? And even if they do, that is their narrow mindedness. You knowing truly, and fully aware of your needs and desires, should not have second thoughts in your mind regarding your decisions. This is where you need to show courage. Stepping out of our comfort zone and taking even the tiniest step away from traditional norms and stereotypes may be the first and the most difficult thing to do. There will be a lot of friction, so many things pulling you back. It is easy to lose sight of that dream. It may just dissolve if focus is not maintained. Perseverance and patience are the only things that can see you through. Unfailing faith in yourself, your beliefs and intentions is absolutely quintessential to what you have to do. All you have to do is keep track of whether every decision you take is up to your credos or not. Be happy as an individual and discover the spark in you, be in constant touch with your inner self, always try to maintain your true identity rather that pretend to be someone you are not… and all your inner conflicts will resolve. You will be happy as an individual, and will be able to fulfill your duties and responsibilities in a much better way than you could have ever imagined or expected! Live the change and see how life suddenly becomes worth living!