Autonomy.

…Find it. Hold onto it like your life depends on it, because in many ways, it does. Lose it, and you become a slave to the validation of others. You hand over the keys to your life the moment you give up your autonomy.

…

The hardest box to break out of is the one others built for you, because that box benefits them. Even when it’s small. Even when it’s suffocating.

Depending on who you’re surrounded by, people will, consciously or unconsciously, expect you to shape your life by their opinions….

They’ll act like you can’t, or shouldn’t, step outside the narrative they wrote for you…And when you finally take control, some will resent you for it. Because your autonomy confronts their own lack of it…

…

Coming out of codependency is an extreme sport.

“When did you start…?”

“Wow, you’re really serious about this little project

“Who do you think you are these days?”

“You’ve changed…”

“It’s not that deep.”

“You think you’re better than us now?”

…You’ll notice it. The shift. The conversations turn passive-aggressive, but somehow every move you make is still being watched, dissected, and discussed. They don’t say it outright, but it’s there in the snide side comments, in the silence.

Autonomy always comes as a shock to the owners of the box they put you in…no matter how small.

That’s why you’ll find yourself surrounded, at times, by people who love you and hate you at the same time. People who admire your bravery but resent what it says about their own inaction.

And that is what seasons are for. To choose conviction. To prune…aggressively.

To let go of anything and anyone who cannot walk with the free version of you.

I think you owe yourself that much.