I believe in the things I am afraid to say

People always say the hardest person you have to be honest with is yourself. 

This isn't true for everyone. If you're a confident straightforward person, you probably don't struggle with this too often. For those people who have opinions and dreams but don't know how to express them, this is a constant struggle. 

There's that common expression "Don't judge a book by its cover." Try applying that to people. Cheesy but true. How many times do we brush people off by how they look or a first impression. Obviously you can't know everything about a book just by reading the back of the book. 

I am not claiming to be perfect at expressing myself or getting to know people. 

I've made countless friends who have beautifully unique minds but you wouldn't know that based on the first impression. I am that type of person you actually have to read and turn the pages. According to some I am difficult to approach or get to know, others are surprised when they start reading. 

I meet people all the time and generally the first thing they say is "Tell me about yourself." Suddenly my entire life flashes by. Where would I start? 

Im not claiming to be an incredibly interesting person but if people ask, I can only assume they are curious or just being polite. I normally stick with the basics: name, hometown, hobbies. The reason for that is because I am afraid to say anything else. The things I believe in or what makes me who I am are things I could talk about for hours.  

Spontaneity

I will confess I am generally a hypocrite when it comes to being fearless or spontaneous. But it is definitely something I crave. An example of this is not too long ago I was at a college event where, keep in mind it was socially acceptable and encouraged, you would walk up to a stranger and kiss them at midnight. And no it was not New Year's Eve. I told my friends I wasn't nervous at all. But when it came time to pick a handsome stranger, I almost chickened out. Key word: almost. I was eventually able to able to approach him and complete the fun ritual show our school spirit. 

I am not enouraging anyone to go out and start kissing random people, that is not the point. Im talking about doing things that people don't normally do. Start a conversation with someone on the train or in the hallway. If you think they are attractive then that's definitely an added bonus. 

More importantly put down your electronics and go out of your way for some good old interaction.  

Starting today, I am going to try to keep a little notebook of the different things and people I meet that I wouldn't normally. Consider it a small social experiment.