Finding Me A Decade Of Darkness A Life Reclaimed

Okay, let's be real. We've all had those moments, haven't we? You know, when you look in the mirror and think, "Who *is* that person staring back at me?" It's like you're wearing someone else's clothes, and they're about three sizes too small. This isn't some high-falutin' existential crisis; it's just... life. And sometimes, life decides to play a really long, drawn-out game of hide-and-seek with your true self.

My version of this game? It lasted about a decade. Ten years. A whole freakin' decade of feeling lost in the shuffle. Think of it as that time you accidentally downloaded a virus onto your computer and everything just ran slower, glitched out, and generally made you want to throw the whole thing out the window. Except, you know, the "computer" was me, and the "virus" was a cocktail of bad decisions, low self-esteem, and a general inability to say "no" to things that weren't good for me.

The Decade of Darkness: My Personal Walk-in Closet

This wasn't a dramatic, on-my-knees-screaming-at-the-heavens kind of darkness. More like a slow descent into a walk-in closet. You know, the kind that's so cluttered with old sweaters, forgotten shoes, and that one questionable Halloween costume from 2008 that you just can't bring yourself to throw away? I just kept adding things to the pile: a job I hated, relationships that fizzled faster than a cheap firework, and hobbies I only pretended to enjoy because everyone else was doing them.

Sound familiar? Maybe you haven't spent *ten* years in your personal walk-in closet, but I bet you've at least peeked inside. We all have those dusty corners of our lives where we stuff the things we don't want to deal with. The things that make us feel uncomfortable. The things that are slowly suffocating the real us.

One day, I looked around and realized I was buried under a mountain of "shoulds" and "supposed tos." I *should* be further along in my career. I *should* be married with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence. I *should* like kale smoothies. (Okay, maybe not the kale smoothie part, but you get the idea.)

The Turning Point: A Metaphorical Yard Sale

So, what changed? Well, I decided to have a yard sale. Not literally (although that's a good idea too!), but a metaphorical one. I started going through all those old sweaters, those forgotten shoes, that questionable Halloween costume, and asking myself, "Does this still bring me joy? Does it still serve a purpose in my life?"

The answer, more often than not, was a resounding "NO!" It was time to declutter. It was time to ditch the dead weight. It was time to finally find *me* again.

This wasn't easy, mind you. Letting go of things, even metaphorical things, can be terrifying. It's like admitting you made a mistake. But here's the thing: mistakes are how we learn. They're the potholes on the road to self-discovery. You might hit one or two (or ten!), but you can always patch them up and keep going.

A Life Reclaimed: Finding the Remote Control

Reclaiming my life wasn't about some grand, sweeping gesture. It was about a series of small, conscious choices. It was about saying "no" to things that drained my energy and "yes" to things that lit me up. It was about finally admitting that I *don't* like kale smoothies and that's perfectly okay.

Think of it like finding the remote control after spending hours frantically searching for it. You finally get to choose the channel you want to watch. You get to control the narrative. You get to be *you* again. And let me tell you, that feeling is priceless.

So, if you're feeling a little lost, a little buried under the weight of expectations, take a deep breath. Start small. Identify one thing in your life that's not serving you and let it go. It might be scary, but I promise you, on the other side of that fear is freedom. And a whole lot more room in your walk-in closet. You deserve a life that feels like *you*, not some carefully curated version of what you think you *should* be. Go out there and reclaim it! I am sending you a big high-five!

The journey of self-discovery is a lifelong adventure. Embrace the chaos, celebrate the small victories, and never stop searching for the remote control to your own life.