“Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world – and defines himself afterward.” —Jean Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism, 1945

Even just witnessing someone live bravely can make you braver. Seeing a friend be open, raw, or deeply weird gives you quiet permission to try the same. You expand just through proximity. You recalibrate what's possible simply by observing them hold more of themselves, and stay loved anyway.

When you’ve been shaped by the right people, cracked open by the right questions, humbled by your own contradictions, and reflected on it all long enough to build an internal coherence. The static finally quiets and signal gets stronger. You stop performing and start expressing. This has nothing to do with magically figuring out who You are, but... See more