Society tells you a lot of things. It tells you what clothes to wear, what movies to watch, what shoes you should be wearing, what music you should be listening to, what is beautiful, what is ugly, etc. I could go on and on about what society is constantly trying to tell us. It changes from year to year. One thing might be practiced or perceived a certain way one day and the next; the previous thing is totally obsolete. In a world that’s constantly changing, I want you to know that your thoughts, your goals, your dreams and ideas matter.
Stop worrying about your followers, your likes, and your retweets. Live your life. Appreciate the people around you. The close ones. The people that were with you from day one. Your success will come, but love your life. Live your life. No amount of "likes" should determine the type of day that you have. Smile. Do good. I can't stress this enough. Find something you're passionate about and pursue it. Safety is for when you're older. Live while you're young, make mistakes and learn from each and every one. Your success will come, but you've got to take a chance on yourself.
The many obstacles we face in this life, we are going to face alone. Yes, friends and family will be there along the way to support you, but it ultimately comes down to you and if you wish to keep moving forward. Believe in your abilities. Don’t be afraid to try something new. You’ll never know what you are capable of if you quit after the first try. You have no idea the amount of respect I have for people who continue chasing their dream even though they received a lot of chatter from the doubters. Society is going to tell you that something is too risky or that you’re not the right person for that job, that house, that car, that vacation, whatever the case may be. Take a chance on yourself. Make the moves that you need to make. Work on that app that is going to make a difference. Make the music that you want to make and find happiness in. Write until the wee hours of the morning because an idea came to you. Lift the weights and workout not because society is telling you, but because you want to. Stop listening to the TV and start listening to yourself.
Society wants to tell us about how we should constantly dress and look as well. I want you to know that your beauty is so much more than what the mirror says. It's all the little things that it doesn't say. It doesn't take into account so many things about you. Your ability to laugh when laughing seems impossible at the time. The way you write your name on a piece of paper. The kind of music you listen to. Your voice and how it carries throughout the house whenever you talk. You have goals and aspirations. Your perspective on the world is unlike anyone else's and it's refreshing. Don't ever settle for someone who thinks they deserve you. The best people in your life are going to be the ones that wonder how in the heck they got so lucky to ever cross paths with you. You are special. You are important. You are beautiful. Don't let society or anyone ever tell you otherwise.
-Dalton Hessel