An INFJ who embraced cognitive dissonance.

You're probably right. In a world of 1s and 0s, be a 3. Do it because you want to, not because you feel compelled. It's a lot more fun that way, I promise.

The darkest night of the soul's journey has an ending if we believe it to be in sight.

The road less traveled is always the best route to discovering oneself.

It means to have yourself; if you don't have yourself, can't nobody have you either. See it for yourself before you look for it in another. If you don't, you will encounter what you're running from until you see it within.

Suppose we were to continually exceed our expectations, those being the ones WE set for ourselves. We would find that the world is a much easier place to reside.

State of mind when handling the process of growth. It ends where it begins. It's only up to you, as the individual. From the ashes of our preconceived notions of ourselves will a Pheonix give rise.

I can't help but feel, everything in life is referencing ourselves. The way we interpret life and its experiences is entirely on ourselves. To reference who you are and move towards who you desire to become. It is the only way for consistent growth. Interpretation of self is paramount.

The anima and animus must coincide. We shouldn't ignore the parts of ourselves that we denied ourselves. That responsibility to bring them into unification within ourselves is our sole responsibility. It is not contingent on anyone else. It is up to us to rectify that which feels at odds with who we are.

We live in a world that breeds people, lacking a sense of what is their own. It ultimately stems from an externally imposed desire to feel alright with ourselves. Don't be okay with yourself; the more uncomfortable you are. The closer you are to who you truly desire to be. When we are more comfortable being uncomfortable, being uncomfortable is the bravest thing you could do. Run, run as fast as you can towards your heart's desire. Watch as your world changes before your very eyes, or perhaps it'll be in hindsight. It still changed, and you're still who you ultimately propose to be.

The reality seems to be that it's always been about me, just as it is with everyone. To be intimate and personal with others is vastly more manageable than embodying those qualities for our sakes. I'm pretty selfish these days, and I am in love with it. To be selfish, bring things to the fore and showcase them for what they are, not for anyone else. It matters not how the world perceives you, only how you are perceived by who you are and who you desire to become. Everything outside of you and what you have to offer to yourself is pretty meaningless. Cultivating the ability to refrain from being something you're not is one of the most extraordinary things you could do for yourself.

I believe the critical thing to remember is that we are all human. We are all the sum of our experiences; how the experiences shape us after a certain point is up to the individual. I've dealt with many different people, and the most significant commonality is the victim complex. I mean, yeah, you could sit there and be a victim. What good does that do you? The real people know they were a victim. They don't dwell on it their entire life. It is about love for who I am; I don't accept that. I don't take the victim mentality. It's a waste of time and energy. Being a victim is excellent if you intend to stay in the past. All the best people have hurt, but they didn't let it stop them in their tracks.

I realize that this is a touchy subject for a lot of people. It's close to my heart, though. I have seen what living that way does to people; I have lived it. It's stupid, and it's an excuse. Yeah, you were cheated on, lied to, bullied, etc. What good does it, to stay there? Take accountability for where you are now, don't worry about what has been. Because it has been, and it's up to you as the individual not to continue down that path. Man, I just got tired. I saw my life and what living as a victim did. It's stupid.

I feel this so heavily. I am in love with it. What I experienced was cognitive dissonance. Instead of fighting it, I embraced it warmly. I needed to find out what values were mine and what values I held in high regard. There is a notable difference, trust me. Values that belong to the constructs of me and myself are tied to our experiences or lack thereof. In every broken perception of a situation, there was a reason for it breaking in the first place. That reality shattered abruptly, and it was loud, painful, and bloody. It was a brutal massacre that needed to take place.

I am in love with what came from that life of experiences that I neglected to take responsibility for. I trusted who I was to guide me through it. It's because it's hindsight that I can put into words. I had no way of knowing when it would end, and it was a process. Choose happiness over stability, even if you can't see it in your future. I didn't, and somehow. I found the perfect mixture of both. Without another person, which is something I placed enormous value in. That was a reason for that experience. I needed to find who I was. It's terrifying not to know who you are—at the same time, wandering through what seems like a fog. Before you know it, the fog clears.