Lindsay Stephan is a student at Carthage College and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Limerick, Ireland.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” –Joseph Campbell
There’s something to be said about a person who is self-full. No, I don’t mean selfish, when a person is only concerned about their own wellbeing. I’m talking about someone is willing to acknowledge their own desires and chooses to honor and act upon them. Personally, I have great respect for people who chose to be self-full and follow their own path, or follow their bliss. This summer, I decided that I was in need of self-evaluations and I chose to become a self-full person. And let me tell you, I’m happy with the result.
I don’t know if you have heard of the acronym “FOMO,” but let me break it down for you. It stands for ‘Fear of Missing Out,’ and frankly, I don’t get it. When I decided to study abroad, I knew that I would be missing out on things back at home and at school. And for a while, I thought that I had a case of FOMO. Choosing to leave home for a while and venture out of the bubble that I had created for myself–small hometown, school, and a similar routine for the past 10 odd years of my life–it was rather terrifying. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the differences that I would be facing and the change of pace that would be occurring.
After several talks with myself and my dog, I came to a conclusion. Who cares? Won’t everything be the same when I get back? Now is the time to seek an actual adventure and allow myself to grow in ways that are new and different. The only thing that I would be missing out on is the same life that I have been living for so long. There will be other homecomings. There will be other parties. If anything, if I didn’t choose to study abroad, I would be missing out on more important matters like seeing the world and meeting some pretty incredible people in the process.
My advice for anyone who is wanting to become self-full and learn to follow your own bliss is to become comfortable with yourself. There is such beauty in being perfectly happy and content spending a day alone. Allow yourself room to grow in new and different ways. Yes, it will most likely take time, and yes, it is a process. But I don’t think that you will be disappointed with the results.
Ready to follow your bliss? Get started with your adventure here!