is hard. 

When I was younger, I used to look the other way, hide behind my mother, wait for someone else to speak up for me, and speak as if everybody had the ability to pick up tiny whispers.

Being an adult doesn’t mean you can no longer be shy (I still consider myself shy at 22). But, it does mean that knowing your strengths and weaknesses will be ever more important. 

Overcoming shyness has a lot to do with self identity and how much we understand our own selves. 

What do you do in times of immense stress? How do you feel when you accomplish something big? What is your behaviour like when you’re with friends or family? Why do you do what you do?

Working for too long a period of time, and you’ll find yourself needing to do something else. 

Not giving yourself enough time to do something else calls for burnout—an exhaustive, slow, painful method of working through the day. 

Not healthy, not fun, not conducive to quality work. 

Take a total break. Not just a break where you walk over to the water cooler for a sip of water, but one where you can have the chance to come back with a refreshed perspective. 

At some point, inevitably, we all die. 

There are no if’s or but’s, just how it is’s. 

We’re all born, nurtured, grown into the people we become, and then we all die. 

If death is a pre-planned part of the life cycle, why is it that we make decisions to make our lives more complex and difficult than it should be?

When we see and face the realities of death, we ought to start living simply and freely. 

We don’t have all day to be dwelling on what Freddie or Sally would say if we brought up an unconventional idea to the boardroom; what our parents might think if we left our current jobs in search of another one that would make us feel happier; or what your friends might say if you started a Twitter account that highlights all of what you personally believe is right or wrong in the world. 

We never know when the end of our life cycle hits, so it’s okay to try something different today.