twenty seven years old

I was born on the Twenty Third Of December. 27 years ago, as I had known it to be, was special only because I was born.

My life as I had known it was all a scam. And it all came tumbling down from there. The invisible crown I wore disappeared, and the life that once filled me with the feeling of being special was now replaced with the cold reality that I was normal like everyone else.

And because I believed what seemed to be a fact, I settled into a life of mediocrity.

Because it was easy.

Comfortable.

Safe.

But something funny happens when you get older. The time flies by and the fear of not going after "that dream" the one that keeps you up at night starts to sink in. Reality becomes your enemy and you realize that the life you sat back and watched happen... sucks!

My life is good because I designed it that way. I didn't give my life over to fate and sit back twiddling my thumbs, hoping that my dreams would fall into place. No! I decided to live a life free from everyone's expectations of me. Wild. Free. Full of integrity.

I'm bold.

Fearless. And a voice for people who don't have their own.

So in the spirit of me turning 27 years old, I want to share with you 27 quotes that I live by, and I challenge you to live your life on your own terms. Break all of the rules and make your own as you go along.

The "Live Life on Your Own Terms" Manifesto:

1. First rule of business: Stay out of everyone else's and be about yours!

2. Keep your circle small and honest. Everyone is not for you.

3. Stay away from people with questionable character.

4. Closed doors are really a blessing. If you can't pray a door open, don't try to pry a door open.

5. "Don't do shit you don't believe in." -- Russell Simmons

6. "Not sure what to do next? Ask how you can help!" -- Chris Guillebeau

7. Wear your invisible crown. Daily.

8. Pick your battles.

9. "No one on earth can do what you do, in precisely the way that you do it!" -- Alexandra Franzen

10. If you want to know where you'll be five years from now, listen to your words. You're prophesying your future.

11. "If you're not willing to go all the way, don't start the journey at all!" -- Charlemagne

12. If you're feeling guilty, embarrassed or ashamed about the blessings of God, let that go. You were created to show off His goodness.

13. "Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest to you." -- Mother Teresa

14. Work for a cause, not for applause.

15. Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you aren't, in fact, surrounded by a-holes!

16. You are more important than you realize.

17. Be the type of person you want to meet.

18. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift!" -- Steve Prefontaine

19. Be so good that they can't ignore you!

20. Don't ever be too prideful to ask for help. Asking for help when you need it is one of the wisest things you can do.

21. Commit to not giving a f*ck what people think. Daily.

22. "Excessive fear and self-doubt are the greatest detractors of personal genius." -- Robert Kiyosaki

23. "When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt!" -- Henry J. Kaiser

24. "You can either throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face!" -- Gatorade

25. "Don't change so someone will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you!" 

26. Examine what you tolerate!

27. "Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." -- Rumi

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" -- Mary Oliver