Locks of Love

Hello,

So here is a post about something I've very secretly been wanting to do for a while now. Cut my hair. My only problem was having the courage to do it. I have spent almost more than half of my life with long, past my shoulders, length hair. What was holding me back was motivation.  A need to actually make the cut.

Here's the thing about me, I really struggle to do things for myself, and whenever I do things because I want to I usually spend most of my time thinking about what everyone I know is thinking about my choice. Its difficult for me to make my own decisions because I'm scared of being judged for it.
I've been needing a change recently though. I've just finished school, I'm starting a part of my tertery education this year, and so I felt like I needed a change (you know... cause obviously those other things weren't big enough changes for me ;) )
Then the other day we (my family and I) drove eight hours to get to the city of my brothers tennis tournament he's playing in. We stopped half way and had a meal with my dad's A-Type personality cousin, his fabulous wife, and his two young boys. While the guys were chatting about my brother's tennis, us girls were just chatting about my year. The Fabulous wife said she had seen my whatsapp profile picture and said how long and healthy my hair is, but it was almost too long and not doing anything for me. Though it was a shock to hear my own thoughts spoken outloud by someone else, it kinda made me feel like I should do something about it. I told the Fabulous Wife about my doubts of cutting it, being judged by my friends, and she just looked and gave me a look. She told me to stop being stiff and stop worrying about what other people think of me and my choices. She said, and I guess this is kinda drastic but, she said if I died tomorrow in a dar crash then I would die with this long hair that I liked but only kept it because I cared too much about what other people thought of me. She said I should cut it, and donate it to a charity.

This hit home with me. I realised that I need to start living for myself, not selfishly obviously, and stop living for other people. Stop trying to please everyone because its not going to happen. Everyone is different,  with different opinions,  tastes, morals, valued..... so there is no way I can possibly please everyone.

So the second day of my brothers tournament,  I booked to have my hair cut.
As you can see by the picture its short, but you know what?! Almost a week later, I love it. I'm happy.
My hair has been donated to a charity called Locks of Love that makes wigs for people who have lost threir hair for medical reasons. I'm happy because somewhere someone might feel beautiful because of my hair.

Its freeing. And I'm adding, Stop Worrying about what Others think and Start Worrying about what You think, to my resolutions.  I mean, why can't I keep adding things to my list. That way I'll keep growing and improving.
And really, thats what really matters.

XAndreaClaire