‘Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Paper’ is the Best Advice I Can Give You
A few years ago I had a dream that refocused my life and I began to walk in my purpose without fear and doubt.
Whenever I feel insecure about life choices I have made and worry what others think about what I am doing with my life, I repeat the mantra that came to me in a dream: “Keep your eyes on your own paper.”
This grade school-ingrained mantra, along with the wisdom of my mother has served me well when navigating the peaks and valleys of indecision, the fear of missing out or not fitting in, and the anxiety that comes with life changes that require risk.
“Why do you care what everyone else is doing?” my mom always challenged me. “Do what you like — you don’t need to follow the crowd.”
Variations on this theme flowed from my mother’s lips throughout my life, when in response to teenage angst trying to keep up with the ever-changing fashions or when I was lamenting about how the garage-sale items in my first home didn’t match like the designer showcases in the furniture stores.
“Everything doesn’t have to match,” she would assure me. “That’s boring anyway!”
