My Nana's Rebellion: The Art of Being Unapologetically YOU • Ep 4
This is going to be a controversial topic, but I'm doing it anyway. My Nana lived to be 83 years old. Her doctor would always say that she was healthy as a horse except for the rheumatoid arthritis.
For years, I begged her to quit smoking. She was a two to three pack a day smoker, most of her adult life. But this isn't about smoking or any specific activity. It's about being who YOU want to be, and thinking for yourself.
Episode #4: Transcript
Nana would always argue with me that smoking was her only indulgence. Her physical activities had been limited due to her crippled body, and even some of the handicrafts that she enjoyed, like crocheting, became impossible to do with her hands as she got older. She argued that nobody knew cigarettes were dangerous when she started smoking them, and that now she was irreversibly addicted.
Her attitude about it was basically "to heck with you, I'm gonna do what makes me happy." I'm pretty sure she would've quit if her health had been affected. But amazingly, the cigarettes never seemed to hurt her body. Toward the end of her life, she did eventually taper down the cigarettes. And ultimately she had to quit as hospital stays and nursing homes became part of her life.
Now I wanna be clear here, although I don't condone smoking, I DO condone the underlying belief of, "I don't care what you think. I'm gonna do what makes me happy!"
Doing what makes you happy, regardless of what others want you to do, what a concept, right?!
Nana was free. She stood in her own personality and owned it. She didn't care what you thought of her hair, her clothes, her food, or her boisterous opinions. She never pretended to be something or someone she wasn't, and she didn't change her personality or actions to conform to anyone else's standards.
This is a hard one for me. I think we all instinctively want to fit in. We want other people to like us to think we're cool and we're hesitant to do anything that's outside of what's considered normal. And it's kind of funny to me that some people who are desperately trying on purpose to “be different” and “stand out” from society's norms are all kind of doing the same things as each other.
Like for example, dying their hair pink or putting holes in their ears, piercing various parts of their faces, getting tattoos and wearing black. These people aren't really being original and expressing themselves. They're actually just following the norms of a smaller segment of society, and there's nothing original about that.
Now, don't get me wrong, if you truly want those things and they feel like you, great, go for it. But do it for YOU, not to fit into a character type or a persona.
And I am gonna add a disclaimer here, which should be obvious, but just to clarify, I'm not saying you should go off and do anything that makes you happy. Don't do something illegal, immoral, or life-threatening. Duh.
Questions for you this week:
- What are you not doing that you'd really like to be doing?
- And what are some things that you are doing just to fit in?
Enjoy the week ahead and I encourage you to move through your day with intention.
If this mini gave you a mindset boost, pass it on! Comment below & let me know— your energy makes a difference.
Have a fabulous week, my friends!
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