On Being Bolder Than I Used To Be.

As the title states, I'm a lot bolder than I used to be. I used to be solely an observer of life, too timid to go and live it for myself. I gradually grew more comfortable with using my voice, but it wasn't until I'd say January of this year that I really began to believe in myself. I'm still rough around the edges in every day conversation, but I'm able to talk like never before.

"I was never good at talking, but the perks are so fantastic."

The only problem is... I seem to be making up for lost time. I never shut up. I fear that I have been doing so much talking about myself, that I forgot to listen to others. I am finally proud of myself and who I have become, and what I value. I I I I I, me me me me. I guess I'm making up for last time on that, too. I'm carrying not only my self pride on my shoulders, but also the pride that my parents are too high to care about. But that's no excuse.

I can't control the fact that my parents are less than perfect, and even if I could make her change, I'm not trying. So why complain? Why even care? That's just the way it is, and she's not holding me back. Sure, she doesn't really care. I'll just care more. Too long I've been looking for a mother's love and support from friends and boyfriends; in other words, places I'll never find a mother's love. I can't even get that from myself, but it's a lot closer, and much more effective.

So, back to the point...
I stopped listening to others because I've been too busy telling them how I feel about me now. Stating my case, that I'm awesome, look at all the puns I've made, look at all the books I've read, the thoughts I've had, look at my points of view, look at what I value... Trying to convince them to feel the same way about me that I feel about me.

It just doesn't work that way. But I've grown so accustomed to shutting them out and listening to myself that I just don't give a fuck who cares and who doesn't.

I just don't want this to lead my friends to believe I don't care about them. 'Cos I do. I've just been spending so much time talking about me that I haven't listened to them and shown them I care. I fear I might have discouraged them from sharing things with me. Sooooooo, I'm gonna calm it down and let them fill my ears for a while. Not by telling them to, just by letting it happen. And I'm gonna try not to let my opinions gain too much power over me, I'd rather stay neutral most of the time. I just want to be here to listen, for a few.