< Previous I can't help but think how I broke the mold, and I'm helping to reshape what you're “supposed to do with your life.” We all live with this idea that there is a certain way that we are “supposed to live.” We are supposed to choose our path so early according to what we are good at on paper, work hard at it, life a comfortable life and then… die. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a lot of regret on your deathbed. We have to take a moment to truly live. To stop letting fear drive all of our decisions and to start living life for ourselves. How did I do it? How did I go from average student on a path towards a lukewarm marketing job, living an okay life that had all the necessities, to living with a one way ticket around the world, no idea where I would go next but happier than a seagull with a french fry on a sunny day. I took action, I changed Fear's mind, and I got a little bit selfish. And I can’t help but think how wildly happy I am.“I’m too poor. I’m just an average communications major. I never did anything that made me worthy of this. I have to work. I have to take care of mom and dad. I have friends.” I can’t do anything that I want because of excuse a,b, and c… does that sound familiar? But what if I told you that you could? What if I told you that everything you ever wanted is just on the other side of action? Would you take the step then? Because it’s true and it's what I'm telling you. Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of action. The day I stopped telling myself, “I can’t because of all these reasons I really actually just made up in my head.” And started telling myself, “I can do this with this plan and by taking this first step” is the day I stepped into my dream life. I am not more worthy than you, just as I am no more worthy of oxygen than you. You and I both should be grateful for the air we get to breath, and the dreams we get to create. ake Action TYou know, it’s so funny to think back when I would just sit in class and look at Pinterest boards. Dreaming of places I was pretty sure I would never see. I never actually thought of any plan to go after it. I only thought of all the reasons I couldn’t. Change Fear’s MindFear....oh fear. That sneaky little voice in our head that tells us things like, “don’t touch that it’s really hot!” And things like, “don’t try that, you’re not ready!” Did you ever think that the voice in your head might be wrong sometimes? Yep, your mind can be wrong. Mind blown, right?! Let me break it down for you. We have to have a fear voice, it’s part of our human wiring. Wouldn’t that be weird if we didn’t know to not catch a bumble bee in our hands, or to not walk out into traffic. I think if we didn’t have fear voices we wouldn’t actually make it through life very far. The problem with fear is, we've chosen to listen to it too much. We let it develop all of these stories about us and it’s up there gossiping about it. Every time you make a decision that triggers an old memory that you don’t love, fear is there to trigger that for you. So you'd rather stay comfortable than try something that might actually make you happy. It’s like that 10th grade chemistry teacher you had, who told you that you wouldn’t make it with a score like that on your exam. Just reminding you of fumbles and falls constantly. You can change that. Remember that your mind is your mind. You had the power to create those stories in the first place, so guess what… you can change them too! If I'd let fear drive me, I would've never ever gotten rid of my house. I would have listened to that voice that said, “you need a house in case of emergency, you need a house for security.” And if I listened to that voice I would be thousands of dollars poorer, in a house that I either wasn’t living in or I wouldn’t have even left in the first place. Then I would have wondered what could have been. Don’t wonder what could have been. Of all the shifts I made to design my own life, this might have been the hardest. I am a recovering people pleaser. I wanted to do for everyone else around me, and then if I had the slightest bit of energy left, I would do something for me. Normally… I didn’t have the energy left for me. Want to know what happened to me? I burnt out. Just from life in general. I was so tired and unhappy with where I was. I just wanted to stay in bed and not talk to anyone. I would snap at people I loved for no reason and I didn’t love myself, not one bit.As cliched as it sounds, you simply cannot pour from an empty cup. I would give and give and give until I crashed. And then I would get up and do it again. I hated myself, my body, who I had become. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life or what I even liked doing anymore. I was running on empty thoughts and ideas that other people liked. Want to be happier than a seagull with a french fry on a sunny day? You've got to get a little bit selfish. It’s not just for you. The minute you start taking care of you and listening to you, is the minute you can give even more to the people you love. When you are happy, the people you love should be happy for you. And when you are happy you are ready and willing to give something greater than you were before. I was so scared to tell my parents I was leaving the country. But not only are they so beyond proud of me, but I can give them so much more from where I am. Get so selfish so that you can show up more. If I hadn’t taken all of these steps toward my dreams, I wouldn’t be the happiest version of myself that I am now. If I didn’t decide to break the norm, to change my path I would be stuck in a toxic cycle. Break the cycle for you now! Take fearless action toward your dreams, and do it for no one else but you! et Selfish GREBELLION – just as stability and stoicism aren’t naturally associated with others. Yet without a rebellion, nothing would ever change – and without the peacemakers, we would never be able to feel quite safe enough. Like everything under the heavens, there is a time for war (and by ‘war’ I am talking about a war against mediocrity) and a time for peace. When it comes to subverting the safe path, there are several signs that do an admirable job of kicking the status quo in the nether regions, while the safe path itself is fiercely and quietly guarded by several others, so that the talents of each side seem to be the antithesis of the other. The restlessness of Aries will never sit well with the carefulness of Virgo, and the rebelliousness of Aquarius is never a match to the “do anything to keep the peace” nature of Libra. But look closely, and you will see the Rebel in even the most grounded of signs – let’s see shall we? Rebellion isn’t something that comes naturally to every Sun signMarch 21-April 20 Cardinal Fire Ruled by Mars You don’t need to scratch the surface very far to find the rebel in an Aries – and they will find a way to rebel against anything, even if it’s something that they desperately want! If you don’t want to bring out the Ram’s rebelliousness nature, don’t say “No”. She knows what she wants and she wants it now! May 22-June 20 Mutable Air Ruled by Mercury If there is one sign who can flip between insurrection and stability it’s the dual sign of Gemini. Which Twin will put in an appearance at any given time – who knows? But whichever side of the twin is in residence it is likely to switch to the other side in no time flat. Even rebellion will lose it’s shine to a Gemini if it lasts too long. April 21-May 21 Fixed Earth Ruled by Venus Taurus and Rebel are not two words that go hand-in- hand. However, the ability for the Bull to dig in her heels is prodigious, and she will show signs of rebellion if you suggest that dinner consists of anything made with less than the best ingredients, or that the wine is not the finest money can buy. Any sub-par offering will have her kicking up her hooves and heading for the hills. AriesTaurusGeminiJune 21-July 22 Cardinal Water Ruled by the Moon I can’t say the Crab is much of a Rebel, unless it becomes a sign of dissent to love one’s home territory. However, any threat to the family or home will have this girl coming out of her shell and defending against all comers with her impressive claws – and that’s the kind of Rebellion that is worth waiting to see as it’s imbued with true heart. August 23-September 22 Mutable Earth Ruled by Mercury Don’t invite the Virgin to your next rebellion – especially as it’s likely to be an untidy and disordered affair like so many rebellions that have gone before. But if you’d like to enlist a Virgo to manage a rebellion that will be as successful and well-thought out as possible, then she’s your girl. But you may find yourself rebelling against the rules she puts in place to warrant her participation. July 23-August 22 Fixed Fire Ruled by the Sun The only thing that will get the Queenly Lioness to stage an open rebellion is if she feels her rights as Ruler are threatened by an interloper, or if she feels her subjects are being mistreated. At that time the Lionheart will spring into action and roar down the walls, bringing first destruction and then a new order of peace and prosperity to those she holds dear. CancerLeoVirgoSeptember 23-October 22 Cardinal Air Ruled by Venus Libra does not want to rebel. She wants everyone to play nice. She needs a balanced environment to sort out her energetic space and any disruptive behaviour is likely to be a huge wet blanket to her. But I think the Libran is secretly a rebel at heart – she will never disclose what’s really going on between those pretty ears and she may just be planning some machinations behind the scenes to achieve the peace and balance she so craves. Mutable Fire Ruled by Jupiter This girl can revel and rebel with the best of them. Since the Archer so craves freedom and is forever seeking to send her arrow of truth further and further still, she will often find herself in the midst of scenes that would scare the pants off most of us. She is equally adept at getting herself out of a tricky situation so if things heat up she will be off like a shot, and the luck of the Universe is with her. October 23-November 21 Fixed Water Ruled by Pluto The Scorpion can completely get down with the rebel energy. If you invite a Scorpion along to a rebellion then I have to caution you. She is more willing than any other sign to take it all the way, even when you discover that your own courage has wavered. Transformation is the name of the game and she will see it through to the bitter end. Don’t start anything you can’t finish. LibraScorpioSagittariusDecember 22-January 20 Cardinal Earth Ruled by Saturn The SeaGoat knows that all good things take time – and in order to have the best in life one must play one’s cards in the right order and at the right time. So rebellion is not an easy thing for this girl to embrace, however she is smarter than you think (even if you think she’s already smart) and she will utilise nonconformity in conventional ways so by the time you wake up the rebellion has passed and she has exactly what she wanted all along. February 19- March 20 Mutable Water Ruled by Neptune Another dual sign, the Fish doesn’t know if she should swim upstream or down. One day she will rebel against what you think are the most trivial things, and the next she will be rolling up her sleeves and committing to get the job done. She is a delicate Soul and really feels the pain of others, she desperately wants to help and will do so as much as she is able, but it takes its toll on her and she must withdraw to preserve herself. January 20-February 18 Fixed Air Ruled by Uranus The Water-Bearer is even more of a rebel than The Ram. With Uranus as her ruler, how could she be anything but? She's the least prone to put up with unfairness to humanity. She is the spokesperson for the downtrodden and cannot abide mistreatment of anyone, even if it were an enemy. She is a friend to the dispossessed and mistreated. Expect the unexpected.CapricornAquariusPiscesabcdefghijklto have faith will someday be an act of rebellion.Next >