I may not be the biggest Taylor Swift fan, but I can appreciate a woman who knows herself. Who knows themself better than an artist that has distinguished each of the phases they’ve been through in life, having so many that she can literally hold a three-hour “Eras Tour?”
With everyone in the country celebrating Taylor’s eras right now, let’s take a look at our own. Better yet, let’s share them with each other so we can be the self aware, self-growth focused people we should be.
Here are some eras I’d recommend you enter, coming from someone who is either in these stages myself or hoping to be:
Be Whoever You Want Era
One of my biggest inner-conflicts is that I’m always working toward being a certain person, but I’m afraid to make any drastic changes that people might call me out for. It might be as simple as introducing new lingo into the way I talk, and I’d be nervous that someone might say, “Wow, I’ve never heard you say that before.” Or sometimes it’s going for an outfit that’s out of my usual style, and I’d decide not to out of fear of someone commenting on how different it is.
But one of the most comforting thoughts in life is that you can change who you are at any moment. If you want to stop being scared of life, you can decide to start saying yes to more plans. If you decide you want to be a maneater after getting your heart broken for years, do it. It’s difficult, but act as the person you want to be, regardless of what others think.
Don’t Give a F*ck Era
This is the one I’m worst at, but you’ll need to enter this era to succeed in a lot of other ones. Sometimes you just have to tell yourself you don’t care about what others think, and a lot of the time, it’s your own judgmental, insecure inner voice that needs to be retrained. Silenzio, Bruno!
Do It Alone Era
Oh to be one of those people that aren’t afraid to eat at restaurants by themselves, let alone go to a concert or vacation. I’m working my way up to doing bigger adventures on my own, but lately I’ve been trying to get myself to start with smaller tasks like killing a bug without help or taking a short flight to Buffalo. Imagine how independent and unstoppable you’d feel knowing there isn’t anything you can’t do on your own!
Stop Waiting Til Tomorrow Era
Shoutout to my Entertainment Beat professor, Alejandra Musi Arcelus, for her piece called “The Geniuses.” It’s all about realizing how short life is and how that should propel you into doing what you want right now. Don’t tell yourself you’ll wait to take those dance classes you’ve always wanted to sign up for (this is very much @ myself), or don’t keep pushing off that intramural club you wanted to join. If it can be helped, don’t delay what you’re passionate about because you never know when you might lose the opportunity to do it at all.
Balanced Fitness Era
I am in no position to give advice on how to be fit. The most I can advise is to keep it balanced, both in diet and exercise. I’m mentally at my worst when I create a mindset where I’m guilty for missing a day or two at the gym or when I’m so focused on eating mindfully that I end up unintentionally binging. Try to come up with a plan that works best for you. Do the workouts your body is craving for the day, whether it’s going for a walk or lifting weights; schedule in rest days and honor when your body is feeling burnt out. Also, consider the 80/20 rule for diet! If you’re aiming to eat healthier, eat balanced meals 80% of the time, then treat yourself the remaining 20%.
Be Friends With Everyone But Not Everyone-Everyone Era
Absolutely approach new people and be open to developing friendships at any point in your life, but don’t be like me and try so hard to be friends with everyone that it destroys you when you aren’t. While I still do try to grow my relationships with people, I am very aware of how blessed I am with the close friends I already have. It’s truly a luxury to have a select few people in my life that I know have my back and value my presence, and it was a game changer for me to realize I don’t need to spend so much of my time with people that clearly don’t.
As always, I’m a huge advocate for creating mindsets and following goals that push you to grow into the best version of yourself. Let’s be like Taylor and keep evolving until we reach it. Cheers to entering whatever era you most need in your life right now :) I’m hoping it’s a good one!