Follow your arrow

I'm not a big country music fan, but once in a while a song will come along that I really like. I've got one of those songs stuck in my head. It's got a good melody to it, it's catchy and clever and it has a very important message that applies to you.

This is the part that really strikes a chord with me:

You're damned if you do
And you're damned if you don't
So you might as well just do
Whatever you want

That's not how most of us were raised, to do "whatever you want." But that is unfortunately how the world works. Someone is always going to judge you. It's in our nature to judge others based on our perceptions. Doesn't this bother you? Perhaps it bothers you like it bothers me, but I bet you do it once in a while too. So what can we do about it?

I would do as Kacey Musgraves says: Follow your arrow wherever it goes.

Say what you think
Love who you love
'Cause you just get
So many trips 'round the sun
Yeah, you only
Only live once

When you start on a new journey, you'll find that many people will judge you. They'll tell you what you "should" or "should not" do. Often times, this "advice" is based on their own fears and insecurities and they simply want you to be fearful as they are because that will justify them. Forget that!

You must do what gives meaning to your life, what makes you happy and what brings you joy. For you can't really make others happy if you aren't happy yourself. If you believe in something... follow your arrow wherever it goes.

What I really love about this song and about Kacey Musgraves (besides the fact that she's cute) is that it isn't' just a song, she literally followed her arrow. You can learn more about her in this "getting to know Kacey" video. You can tell that she followed her dreams and she was lucky to have a supporting family. But even if you don't have a big support group, you must follow your dreams and pursue it. 'Cause you just get so many trips 'round the sun.