Notice This...
- love always
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
So you want to be an individual. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Just two words: be you. Yet it may be one of the hardest things you'll ever do. I've always wanted to become the person my instincts were quietly leading me to be. Of course, we all need guidance. We learn right from wrong, we observe others, and we grow from the people around us. But somewhere along the way, I began to wonder why simply being ourselves has become so complicated.
The more I chased trends, followed styles, and worried about what was popular, the more I realized I was drifting away from myself. I wasn't becoming a better version of who I was—I was becoming a better version of what everyone else expected me to be. That's a dangerous place to live because eventually you forget your own voice. You forget your own purpose. You forget what genuinely makes you happy.
Every morning I spend a little time in silence. I meditate, listen, and simply feel the energy around me. Those quiet moments made me think about a time before we carried the world in our pockets. I didn't grow up before television or radio, but I did grow up when television had boundaries. The national anthem would play, the screen would fade, and eventually all that was left was a tiny glowing dot before everything went quiet. Radio was different too. It invited your imagination to create the story instead of showing you exactly what to think or feel. Everyone listening painted a different picture in their mind. That, to me, was individuality.
Today we rarely experience that kind of silence. We live in a world where something is always trying to influence us. Social media tells us what to wear, television tells us what success looks like, trends tell us what's acceptable, and algorithms quietly decide what we should see next. Before we've had the chance to ask ourselves who we are, someone else is already trying to answer the question for us.
I sometimes wonder if we've confused influence with identity. Somewhere along the way, we've become afraid to simply enjoy something because we enjoy it. Everything seems to need a label, a category, or a group attached to it. Instead of asking ourselves what feels right, we often ask what everyone else is doing. The pressure to fit in has become so strong that standing out can almost feel like doing something wrong.
Even the language around personal growth has become filled with buzzwords. We hear phrases like "I am enough," "manifest your dreams," and "practice self-love." They're beautiful ideas, but repeating them isn't the same as living them. If the words I am enough don't resonate with you yet, maybe that isn't failure. Maybe it's simply an invitation to look a little deeper. Healing isn't about memorizing affirmations. It's about becoming the kind of person who truly believes them.
Being an individual takes work. It means asking yourself questions that nobody else can answer. What's your favorite color? What music makes you feel alive? What food comforts you? What kind of environment makes you feel peaceful? Those questions may seem small, but they're breadcrumbs leading you back to yourself. I've met people who couldn't answer them because they'd spent so much time becoming what everyone else wanted them to be that they'd forgotten to ask themselves what they actually liked.
Here's something I'd encourage you to try. Write down your favorite things—your colors, your music, your hobbies, your foods, your dreams. Then put the list away. Come back to it next week, next month, or even next year. Some answers will stay the same, and others will change. That's not inconsistency; that's growth. You're supposed to evolve. You're supposed to discover new parts of yourself. The important thing is that those discoveries come from within you, not from whatever happens to be trending this week.
Notice this: Every CellPhellow is handmade from reclaimed materials. No two are exactly alike, and neither are you. Just because something has been worn, overlooked, or reshaped doesn't mean it has lost its value. Sometimes the most beautiful creations begin with what others have forgotten. In many ways, we're no different. We all have the ability to reclaim who we are, to rediscover what matters to us, and to become more authentic with every passing day.
Protect your phone. Protect your peace. But most importantly, protect your individuality. Because the world already has everyone else. What it needs is you.
Comments