At 36 years old, I wished I learned earlier to stop explaining myself to others.

Dear younger self,

Life is so much simpler if you stop trying to make others understand the decisions you do for your self. Unless these people walk with you through your daily struggles and sit with you through the long nights of emotional turmoil, then you don’t owe them an explanation.

Some people think they are God, that they know what is best for you. They are not. Trust the desires God has planted in your heart and allow yourself to discover your spot in this world. Trust the process of growth. If you fail, then you learned the best way – by experience. If you succeed, then you keep making wiser choices at each crossroads.

One day you will visit the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt and you will realize why it remains one of the most recognizable relics of the ancient Egyptians. Apart from its story, it is a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. It is something odd, distinct, peculiar… DIFFERENT!

Allow yourself to be different, to be remembered and recognized because you took a different road than others, or walked an off-the-beaten-path, or chose unconventional ways to get to your destination. Don’t compromise yourself based on the perceptions of others. Make choices with your head and heart then fight for it with the body of a lion.

Be a stone monument, not a grain of sand in the wide desert land. Stop explaining yourself to others.