You
need
a change.
What's the worst that can happen?
[[rejection.]]
[[failure.]]
[[loneliness.]]
[[I never find what I'm looking for.]]
You put your heart on the line. You say all the words that want to stay inside where no one can hear them, where no one can say no to them.
They tear their way out of your throat.
And they say no anyway.
You had the wrong idea, they say.
I could never feel that way about you.
It was nothing.
You are nothing.
You can't take the words back.
Your heart cracks in two.
What do you do?
[[go home.]]
[[don't give up.]]
You try. You try ***so hard***.
It doesn't work. You run out of money, out of friends, out of time.
Everything you've built up has crumbled beneath you.
You're back at square one.
All your contacts, your friends, your employers and workmates and housemates - they're gone.
It's just you, and you failed.
What do you do?
[[go home.]]
[[don't give up.]]
You're in a place you don't know.
The buildings feel like foreign shapes in your periphery. You don't know the streets like you want to. The people look vaguely like people you know, but there's a strange sort of unfamiliarity to their faces that you can't quite pin down.
You're not supposed to be here.
You should be at home, where you have friends and family.
Why did you come here?
This city wasn't built for you.
You're alone.
What do you do?
[[go home.]]
[[don't give up.]]
You go from country to country, hotel to hotel, experience to experience.
*You never find the same high as before.*
You meet people everywhere.
*They're not the same.*
You go after the people you miss.
*They've forgotten you.*
What do you do?
[[go home.]]
[[don't give up.]]
At least, when you're home, you know what the worst that can happen is.
The worst that can happen is that you regret not taking risks.
But it's comfortable here. You've spent long enough making a little space for yourself, where people are always nearby, where the cafes and road names are familiar, where there's a dent in your bed where your body ends up every night.
Isn't it comforting? Isn't it safe?
Nothing can hurt you here.
Nothing can change you here.
This is it.
What's the worst that can happen?
[[You should try.->take a deep breath]]
OKAY. You have come this far. You are *brave* for doing that.
Everything is scary.
When you do something you've never done before, you don't know what to expect.
The worst could happen.
The worst *might* happen.
It's happened before, though. Remember?
You've been beaten, broken, burned.
And you're still here.
What's the worst that could happen?
[[take a deep breath]]
~~You~~ You
~~need~~ are
~~a change.~~ brave.
Don't let your fears get in your way.
~~What's the worst that can happen?~~ What is the *best* that can happen?
~~rejection.~~ [[love.]]
~~failure.~~ [[success.]]
~~loneliness.~~ [[friendship.]]
~~I never find what I'm looking for.~~ [[you find what you're looking for.]]
You meet them. You stand eye-to-eye.
Deep breath.
You say the words. They still burn. They always will. You are brave.
They smile.
You are wrapped up in everything good. The warmth of them. They feel like home.
The worst can still happen, but right now, the best has happened. Everything worked out.
[[You'll never know unless you try.]]
You are talented. You are wonderful. They all love you.
There is a warmth on your cheeks from the praise.
You believed in yourself, you made a leap of faith, and it worked out.
You are good at what you do.
You might fail another time. But right now you are successful. You are brilliant.
[[You'll never know unless you try.]]
You reach across to other humans and they reach back.
You are not alone. You are surrounded by people who love you so much. They miss you, they want to see you.
They are glad you exist.
You may not be friends forever. Friends come and go, they fall out of touch sometimes. But right now, you are part of their hearts, part of their lives.
[[You'll never know unless you try.]]
You came this far to chase that feeling and you found it.
You're so happy.
You know what it is you want now, and you know how to get it.
You might go home again and miss that feeling. Maybe you'll never feel that way again. But right now, you're content. You glow with happiness.
[[You'll never know unless you try.]]
The best thing and the worst thing are both possible right now.
But you have to go anyway. You have to try.
If you want the best thing, you have to be prepared for the worst thing.
And even if the worst thing happens? You will be fine. Bounce back. Try again.
Don't be afraid.
<3