The Story Behind My Blog's Name

I've always been the type of person that wanted everyone to like me. I went out of my way not to step on anyone's toes and often kept my opinion to myself because I didn't want to disagree with or upset anyone. I always did my best to put everyone's happiness before my own. I told myself that they deserved it more than I did. I've done that for as long as I can remember but after a while, I realized that it wasn't enough for me anymore. Bottling everything up inside was becoming too much for me. I started to feel like a fake person because people were only seeing part of me, the part of me that I wanted them to see. But that was never my intention. I just wanted to avoid conflict at all cost and keep the peace, no matter what cost it brought to me.

But people close to me started to notice the effects of this and confronted me about it. Two people in particular sat me down and told me to "open my can of screw it". At first, I had absolutely no idea what that meant but they explained that I could never truly be happy unless I was absolutely and unapologetically myself. So what if I disagreed with others? That didn't mean that I had to keep my opinions locked up forever. So what if people didn't like me? I didn't like everyone I knew and that dislike didn't keep them from living their lives. I deserved happiness, respect and the freedom to be myself without caring what others thought.

They helped me realize how ridiculous and unrealistic my actions were. I spent so much of my life apologizing to others and to myself about my life, my thoughts, my likes, etc. But I had to realize that my thoughts and feelings were just as valid as everyone else's. "Opening my can" signified that I was okay with who I was and proved that I loved myself enough to show the world my truest self. I learned that expressing myself was the only way to be really free. And honestly, it helped me a bit with my anxiety because I wasn't so consumed with worry about what other people thought of me. I was focusing on self-love and self-care. It lifted a weight off of my shoulders and helped me breathe easier.

This is my life to live and I have to live it to the fullest. I can't do that if the real me is hiding in the shadows afraid to be seen or judged. So as soon as I "opened my can", I headed straight to this blog and changed the name to reflect that. I am who I am and I will no longer feel the need to apologize for that. I'm so glad that I finally made that decision and only wish that I had made it sooner. My life is so much better because of it.

So please, speak your truth and show absolutely everyone your true self. It's one of the best decisions that I've ever made and I will never regret it. It's impossible to make everyone happy but that's not your responsibility. It's only your responsibility to make yourself happy. Life is too short to spend any of it hiding. You were given a life and given a voice. Please use it. It took me a long time to learn that lesson. You are you for a reason and the world deserves a chance to know you.

-Chelsea