Erika Laub

I never want to be more obsessed with a Netflix show than with my own life.

You are not your surroundings.

You are not your situations.

You are not whatever you're struggling with.

When we're weighed down by what's going on around us, it can feel almost unavoidable to begin to drown in it all. To lose our sense of self... and to sink into the misery and struggle. To let it consume our thoughts, our feelings, our decisions.

But I want to remind you, that those things are NOT you. They're just things happening to you, or around you. Whatever you're going through is TEMPORARY. You will get through it, and come out stronger on the other side.

The best thing you can do for yourself right now is begin to separate yourself from your surroundings/situation any way you can. When the outside voices get too loud, you need to turn your own music up louder.

Meditate. Get outside. Listen to music that makes you FEEL. Cry. Light a candle. Take a bath. Cook yourself your favorite meal. Listen to a really uplifting book on Audible.

Become devoted to REMINDING YOURSELF who you are.

The more you do, at the very least, you'll be better able to navigate your way through whatever you're going through. You'll let the Universe know you're not going down without a fight, and I promise the Universe will take a hint and fight for you too. 🫶🏼

Some time ago, I made a somewhat embarrassing, sleep-deprived confession to my dear friend after we'd stayed up until 5am (something our late 20s bodies were no longer truly capable of, let me tell you 😆).

We were sitting at her table, well past the delusional stage of tiredness, when I told her my secret: I wanted to be famous.

I rambled on about it, truly embarrassed by my confession but unable to stop the words slurring out of my mouth at that point.

Looking back, I can't help but laugh at that memory-and admittedly there's a little bit of shame surrounding the moment 😅 but there's a bigger message here than my late-night confession:

Throughout our upbringing, most of us are conditioned to play life small. To not stand out too much, not dream too big, not be the weirdest, quirkiest versions of ourselves.

But you know what?

There's NOTHING wrong with playing life in big ways. (Or in my case, desiring some level of fame 😆)
There's NOTHING wrong with standing out.
There's NOTHING wrong with dreaming HUGE.
And there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with being our weirdest, quirkiest selves.

In fact, I'd argue that the world really needs us, right now especially, to do and BE all of those things.

Because the more you infuse YOU into your life, even in the littlest of ways, you lift and inspire your surroundings. You add your own unique flavor to the world.

We NEED your uniqueness. We NEED you to be the brightest, shiniest you.

You were never meant to stay small.

You were always meant to be whatever version of you you're happiest with. No matter what that looks like. 🫶🏼