Be Comfortable

In the 9th grade, my shoe size went up to size 14. I was still about 5'7 at the time so it looked absolutely ridiculous. Every pair of shoes I got looked like clown shoes. Aside from just the outward appearance, there were other issues with my rapidly growing foot that made life more difficult. As some of you may know, most shoes that are released only come out in stores up to size 13. This also coincides with the early stages of my sneaker obsession so being a size 14 really limited my options and made it more of a hassle. I also feared that my foot would continue to grow. In 6th grade I went from a size 8.5 to an 11. By 8th grade I was a size 13. So I ultimately made one of the biggest decisions of my life and decided that this had to stop. I didn't want my foot to continue growing and I didn't want to live the life of an "extreme sizer" forever. So I backtracked. I forced my shoe back into a 13, much to the dismay of my mother who refused to embrace this decision and viewed it as you probably do, incredibly stupid. She said that she wasn't going to be a part of me deforming my feet and if I wanted to wear size 13 shoes I had to buy them on my own. So I did just that. Eventually it got to the point where she stopped bothering me about it, my feet stopped hurting and shoes weren't such a hassle to obtain. I did what I wanted to do, even though it made no sense to anyone else. And everything worked out for me. This drawn out, tangential tidbit is about more than just me defying the laws of nature for some sneakers. It just goes to show that at the end of the day, you have to do what makes YOU happy. You can't base your decisions on other people's opinions or desires. You have to live for you. You're the only one that has to/gets to live your life. At the end of the day YOU are impacted by your decisions more than anyone else is. And YOU are the person that is left to deal with the downfall or reap the benefits of whatever you decide to do. And in no way does that mean to completely disregard anyone else's advice. There are certainly people that have your best interest at hand and you need those people. If you're not listening it's impossible to learn. It's just vital to keep in mind that no one is as familiar with your heart as you are. You know what makes you happy, you know what you desire. Go get it. Along the way you'll learn that some people won't support it or be thrilled with it, but that's okay. You'll make yourself miserable trying to please everyone else. Like a defense that's facing Cam Newton, it's important to look out for number 1. Yourself. "If you never follow your heart, you're sure to lose your mind" - Trey Songz (on a Fabolous track) So take this and apply it to whatever it is that you want. Whatever it is that makes you happy, do it. Do what you've gotta do to be what you've gotta be. It's your job to make you the best you that you can be. You can't be at your best if you aren't happy. "I've gotta feel alive even if it kills me. Promise to always give you me, the real me" - Drake ... Be yourself. Love yourself. Live yourself. Find what you love and give your all to it, in all walks of life. You deserve it. A wise man once said "And be you that's when it sounds be-you-tiful" - Cole... So go ahead, squeeze your foot into those size 13's. You may be surprised at how great it feels. Be you. Be comfortable. 

#BeComfortable2016