Life’s Too Short for a Dish You Hate

Life is like a restaurant.

Some of us are given the menu to order whatever we like, some have their dish ordered for them by others, some people get dessert first and some people just don't get given a menu at all. 
 
You could say thank you for whatever you get and be grateful and live life being "pleasant" and pleasing those around you. 
 
Or you can send things back that you don't want... with grace and confidence. 
 
...
 
You don't have to finish your plate in life if you don't want to.

You don't have to eat the same thing as everyone else. 

You don't have to be polite and take a cookie you don't want (unless its your grandma - always take the cookie).
 
...
 
Now, obviously this isn't about food. This ain't no cooking channel (even though our latest YouTube says otherwise 😂😏)
 
The crux is that you're allowed to walk away from things that aren't serving you and you're allowed to speak up for what you want. 
 
You're allowed to say "I don't like this" and send it back to the kitchen. 
 
You're allowed to say "Let me look at the menu and decide" 
 
... 
 
Maybe you've got a strong, loud voice who speaks up for themselves, who walks away from bad relationships, who stands up to their parents or even their "friends"... 
 
Someone who orders exactly what they want - maybe even dessert first?

Or maybe you haven't found your voice yet. 
 
...
 
In my life now, I am very confident to speak up for what I want and I'm not afraid to walk away from anything that isn't serving me.
 
But I was not always like that...

I stayed in relationships that held me back.

Listened to 'friends' who weren’t where I wanted to be.

Took advice from people who had never done what I wanted to do—professors who said there was no money in my passions, managers who said getting rich was hard", unfit people who blamed everything on genetics. 

Parents who meant well but didn’t always get it (sorry Dad, hi 👋 you were right about some things, though)."
 
...

So the plate served in front of you could be yuck.

It could be enjoyed by others, but maybe its not to your taste. 
 
This Boring Issues is about speaking up, saying no, having opinions, walking away - even when everyone says "this is the way" 

Ask for a menu if you want one or walk into another restaurant that's better suited to your tastes. 
 
Here's a great piece of advice I wish I received sooner in life - 

"Don't ask, don't get." 
 
The only way you will receive something on a platter in life is from someone else's leftovers.  
 
So if you want something special in this life; Order it. Create it. Find it. 
 
Ask for the "secret menu". Eat dessert first. Create your own dish with never before seen ingredients. 
 
But most importantly, if you're stuck in a restaurant you hate, get the bill and walk the f*ck out. 
 
Because its better to admit you ordered the wrong thing and send it back than to be stuck with a dish you don't enjoy for the rest of your life. 
 
XO
Penelope