One Great Realization

I've been having several amazing epiphanies since I arrived in Europe, but only few of them really stick to me. One thing I've really come to terms with over the last few days is: do what YOU want to do, and don't let others define you or influence you. It's okay to be selfish, and make voiced what you really need and want. It goes back to the me, myself, and I.

What you want me to do, and what I want myself to do, aren't nearly as important as what I want to do. I learned in a psychology class once about Assertive Behavior. To put it simple, it's implemented by the use of "I..." statements.

Then I suddenly realized the beauty of a quote I once heard: "I'll be me; you'll be you; the rest is up to us."

This really does make me think about another quote, too, by Tom Robbins: ""When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us."

So here I am, in Spain, making myself responsible for my own fulfillment and learning how to be me, with myself, and I being the only person that can define myself - not others. There really is no better place to do it where I am completely out of my element and comfort zone. I'm also beginning to not treat myself as an enemy, or obstacle, to personal growth, now that I've learned to change from within and not solely from the influences or expectations of external sources or persons.

I still have a lot of work to do personally, but I'm really starting to understand the difference between a co-dependent relationship, and a relationship where two fully, complete people complement each other, and are able to fearlessly challenge each other to grow on more intrapersonal levels without recourse or resentment.