My 34th year in this world began this month. So to celebrate my birthday that, I’m going to write something special today. You guessed it! Lists! I love lists, so I’m listing 34 things I’ve learned about myself in my 34 years. I guess it’s not too shabby to learn one thing about yourself for every year you’ve lived, and hopefully, I will continue learning. And from that note, let’s start with a big one.
1. The Meaning of Life
Well, at the very least the meaning of my own life is ultimately balance. A balance between every aspect of my life. In order to archive that balance, first I have to get to know myself. That’s why I’ve been often accused of over-thinking. I find it utterly inconceivable how some people are perfectly content not knowing why they are the way they are or why they feel a certain way about things. My mind would not rest until I find out the what and the how and the why of me being or feeling this and that. And the more I learn about myself, the more I know what I want and need. Fulfilling yourself and working hard to archive what you want, for me that is balance.
2. Fearless to Change
The fear of change, any change, can be very prominent for many, including myself. From a very young age, I was thrown into major life changes without me deciding so, like moving to Finland from China. For the longest time, I craved stability and was most reluctant to change. Slowly but surely though, especially in my 30s, I’ve finally learned to embrace change, even when it’s not my choice to begin with. I started to see change as a possibility instead of a burden. I don’t believe that you can change others but yourself, although I do believe that people can change.
3. I Am a Leo After All
Being the only child, I learned to be by myself, so it took me a while to realize that I’m actually an extrovert. I get energy from being around people, attending parties and just mingling.
4. Loyalty is My Virtue
I don’t have many virtues, but I’ve always been very loyal. Although to earn my loyalty might not be the easiest task, but once you got me in your corner, you got me for as long as you care for me.
5. Passion is My Weakness
Or strength, depends on the day. I am a very passionate person, I feel strongly about things. Passion becomes my weakness cos I require equal amount of passion from the other person and thing to keep me from burning. You lose interest in what you do, I lose interest in what you do. You lose interest in me, you can bet your sweet ass that I would lose interest in you and quickly. And I’m not the kind to look back because…
6. Forward, Always
I’m not a fan of wasting time, especially my time. The way I see it, I got this one life to live. And because of this attitude of mine towards life; you lose my interest, you lose me; you lose my trust, you lose me; you let me go, I won’t stay and wait.
7. Book Worm
Now after the heavy hitters, something lighter. I love books, ever since I was a kid. Reading every book that I want is one of the main reason I want to live forever.
8. Movie Freak
I not only love movies, I love myself for being capable of loving all kinds of movies. Although I’ve found myself to get more and more critical as the years go by, I still love the motion picture, in big or small screens.
9. I Live to Eat
I love everything about food, all kinds of food and not just eating, but cooking it. As a matter of fact, my insistence of eating good food only might be the only thing that keeps me from becoming 300 kg.
10. Puppy on Cocaine
I was told recently that I’m always in a slightly excited state, like a puppy on cocaine that has just learned the meaning of the word “walkies”. 😀 I don’t deny that, it’s not that hard to get me excited about things. The mere fact of being alive is very exciting for me, so why wouldn’t I be excited about the smallest things? And that’s also why…
11. I’m Never Bored
I’ve heard somewhere that only boring people are ever bored. With such an active imagination like I have, I manage to find amusement from almost anywhere and anyone.
12. Obsessive in Nature
Because of my passionate personality and me finding excitement in a lot of things, I tend to obsess over things. When I start liking something, I fangirl hard. But since there are so many things to obsess over, I tend to move on pretty quickly. I never obsess over people though, not anymore, unless it’s an actor or something along those lines.
13. My Love For Writing
I’ve always loved writing, I guess it comes with the territory of loving to read. I’m not a good speaker, I can express myself the best when I have the time to put the mumble jumble in my head into writing. In my core, I’m a story-teller. And talking about stories…
14. Everything is Either a Story or a Lesson
I believe that everything happens for a reason, good and bad. It would make a great story if it’s something good. And I take great care to learn a lesson if it’s something bad.
15. Surprise Me
I love to be surprised, preferably pleasantly. Like with a present or an impromptu trip, I almost always find the not knowing way more exciting, and most of the time I end up not even caring/minding what the surprise ends up to be, however big or small.
16. Fan of Firsts
Although I might be scared at first of trying many things, I’m a big fan of trying something for the first time, no matter what it is. Cos the older you get, the rarer those first times are going to be.
17. Shopaholic
Time to talk about some of the bad things about myself that I wish to change. The first step is to admit the problem, right? So here goes. I’m a materialist with slight shopaholic tendencies. I love things too much, I suck at saving, cos I don’t feel my money is my money unless I buy a thing with that money. I struggle with it, and I intend to change it, and maybe someday become a minimalist. Not for a long while though, one day at a time. And talking about struggles…
18. Best Planner, Struggle to Finish
As a bullet journal enthusiast, I am an excellent planner. And very thorough too. My problem is following through my own plans. I’ve started so many projects that I struggle to finish, maybe ever. But this year, at least I aim to finish some of my reading projects.
19. Hedonist
Passionate, obsessive, I guess it’s not difficult to draw the conclusion that I’m a hedonist. It’s most challenging to deny anything from myself and I’m not known for being immune to temptation. Actually quite the opposite. Luckily, I also don’t like losing, especially to myself, so setting challenges for myself had helped me resist some temptations. 😛
20. Natural Born Liar
When I was younger, I lied constantly. It’s the curse of being the only child, no one to back me up so I learned to lie to my parents. What I didn’t realize that in the process of becoming a masterful liar, my biggest target is most of the time myself. For the longest time, I was so damn good at lying to myself. Right about the time I started writing this blog was when I couldn’t lie to myself any longer, and in the process, I lost the taste for lying altogether. To others, or to myself. Once I started to be 100% honest to me, I didn’t care to hide anything from others either. And liberating might not be the right word, but it’s the first one that comes to mind.
21. Humor Is My Sword and Shield
It’s my strength and weakness at the same time. I use sarcasm as an attack mechanism, so I sometimes come off as rude and mean. I also use jokes as a defense mechanism, so I sometimes come off as awkward, weird and that I can’t take anything seriously. I use humor both when I’m confident and uncomfortable, so it’s sometimes hard to tell which on any given time. So I can be an open book but extremely hard to read at the same time, depending on how much effort you are willing to make in order to get to know me.
22. No Shortcuts
I don’t believe in shortcuts, whether it be weight loss, learning something new or mastering a new skill. I do believe hard work, determination, and tenacity.
23. In the Name of Fun
I take risks, I am reckless, I jump before I look, in the name of having the most fun. I guess I would never stop being silly, or taking the shortest/easiest route, cos where’s the fun in that? 😀
24. Control Freak
Slowly but surely, I am trying to get rid of my need to control everything. I know I would never be the kind to go with the flow. I mean, I do do that sometimes, when I don’t care what happens. So if you find me trying my darnest to control the situation, know that it’s because I care.
25. Submissive
Some might argue that being a submissive is about losing control. In my opinion, no matter whether you are a sub or a Dom, D/s is all about the control. It’s when I’m submitting to a Dominant of my choosing, I feel like I’m in most control. Cos after all, you have to have control first before willingly giving it up to someone else, am I right? 😉
26. Sadist
Might just be one of the most recent find. Although it might’ve been plain to see that I am one, or so I’m told, but it’s not until recently that I admit to myself just how much I enjoy being one.
27. Bi-sexual, maybe
I’ve been secured in my sexuality, at least this part of it since I was pre-teen. And after that, I haven’t questioned it. Well, until recently. I’ve been meaning to write about it for a while now, but decided against it cos it’s still very murky in my own head. So I guess I will get to it once I gain some clarity first.
28. Polyamorous, perhaps
Again, another thing that I thought I was sure about but just recently started doubting. Mostly because I’m not sure I am capable of loving multiple people at the same time, although I do believe in giving the one I love the freedom to love others too. Again, something I need to explore more before writing more about it.
29. I Love My Own Company
I already established that I’m never bored, so even if I am an extrovert and I like being around people, I am very good at being by myself too. I love my own company, and I’m so utterly in love with living by myself. Although I don’t want to be forever alone, I really don’t mind it that much. I’ve learned to be by myself and loving it. So that leads us to…
30. I Never Settle
Because I’m completely okay with spending the rest of my life by myself, that means I will never settle for less than what I have to offer for myself. I would never date someone just to have someone to be with. I would never be with someone just because I don’t want to be alone. Never out of loneliness, never settling for less than I think I deserve.
31. I Take Nothing For Granted
One of the worst feelings in the world is being taken for granted, so I take a lot of care to never do that, to myself or to others and to just life itself.
32. I’m a Dreamer Who Doesn’t Know How to Stop
No matter how many times I get my heart broken, I don’t know how to stop dreaming that maybe one day, I will find my ever after. Hope can be the cruelest thing, but I’m not sure I know how to stop hoping. Because…
33. Giving Up Is Not In My Blood
Plain and simple. And finally…
34. I Deserve a Love Story
It took me 34 years, but finally, just recently, from it being just a chant I keep repeating to myself to actually believing in it. Believing that I really deserve my happy ending. It might not be a constant feeling. Just like learning things about myself, it’s a work in progress. So I guess, to be continued… 🙂