A positive change

Describe one positive change you have made in your life.

This one has to be tied to the fact of learning to do things alone, and to realize that there is no shame in doing so. Getting the confidence to go on my own without a care about what others think about the choices, that is one of the biggest positive changes I have made in my life.

I started a long time ago. It happened around 2009, but before that, I was very concerned about what others thought. I was also an introvert and quite careful, the complete opposite of the person I am today. And how did this all change?

The shark cap

It all had a weird start, it was at the time I was at folk high school. I had recently had a week’s vacation from school, I spent it in Oslo. While in Oslo, I had bought a shark-themed cap to wear. I thought it looked very cool, so I decided to bring it to the folk high school. I just forgot that I was shy to wear it and it went many days where I just left it in the drawer, not taking it out at all.

But one day, a couple of weeks later, it was very cold outside, so just on a whim I decided to wear it when going to eat lunch at the school canteen. The canteen area was separate from where the housing area was located. Of course, my thoughts went directly to what if they laugh at me, and what if people don’t like it. For some reason, I just rolled with it anyway, facing the danger head on!

The battle and conclusion

Okay, so I had the cap on my head and I walked into the canteen. People were looking, of course, the cap was quite eye-catching. And yes, some people laughed, and some people pointed, and I can confirm whispers were being made, regarding my selection of headwear.

But then it struck me, like lightning from a blue sky, the questions…

Does it matter that they are laughing? No
Does it hurt me physically? No
Does it hurt me mentally? Yes, but that is only my mindset, so technically no.
Does it change anything? No
Does it harm me in any way? No

So it all boiled down to me thinking, if they laugh, I give them something to laugh at. Bringing laughter is a good thing, and making people smile and laugh is a good thing. And even if they laugh at me or with me, they still laugh, and laughter is good!

From then on, I changed completely. After that day, I started wearing whatever I felt like, and doing whatever I felt like. It didn’t matter to me anymore what people think about me or what I do.

This really freed me in undescribable ways, especially when traveling. To go abroad alone, to go to the cinema alone, to go to a restaurant alone. It is true freedom, and I am so glad I found it!