I don’t know who needs to hear this but you don’t have to.

You don’t have to buy the latest fashions.

You don’t have to download the newest apps.

You don’t have to purchase the latest technology.

You don’t have to spend your money on viral products.

You don’t have to scroll on social media.

You don’t have to turn your hobbies into profits.

You don’t have to carry a cell phone and you don’t have to check your email.

You don’t have to respond to messages and you don’t have to answer the phone.

You don’t have to have themed birthday parties and uber elaborate date nights.

You don’t have to buy name brand items and you don’t have to have a smart phone.

You don’t have to watch the news and you don’t have to comment on posts that aggravate you.

You don’t have to engage in fear-mongering and you don’t have to repost things without fact checking.

Unless you want to.
Or you’re being paid to.

I think we’re beginning to forget a very important human quality that we all were gifted with and that quality is self-control.

And accountability.

We do have a choice in where we put our energy.
And in how we spend our time. And in where our money goes.

We do have control over what we say and how we treat others.

We’re not helpless and we’re not hopeless.

We’re not creatures of happenstance and we are not victims of circumstance.

We have hearts and brains and ears so we may as well use them.

If you’re feeling lost or in a near constant state of overwhelm or fear or worry, then I want to invite you to take a breath and take back the power you already possess.

Feel your feelings. Let them pass through you without judgement. Acknowledge them. Be curious about them.

And then make a choice.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars in therapy learning what I will tell you for free: feelings are not facts.

They are information that we can use to guide us. They don’t own us.

So, listen. We don’t have to.

Unless we want to.

---

If you like what you read, I wrote a book!