Here Is To Never Growing Up

The past few weeks have really opened up my eyes about my life and I guess life in general. 

We get so stressed out about the future and what we want to do so much that we forget to enjoy life itself. Life can suck so much, but if you start to appreciate the little things then those massive problems can disappear.

Reach for the stars.

 Do what you want to do.

Be who you want to be.

Be Daring.

Be wild.

Dance in the rain.  

Fall in love.

Love your parents.

Love your friends.

Be free.

Be fearless. 

The aspirations of a seventeen year old

Today is my birthday and I have now officially turned 17.

It's scary to think that you've been on the world for so long but it feels like only yesterday that I was walking to the nursery with my mother. It dawns on me that I have missed so many opportunities, one of my aspirations is to be an actor. But being an actor in this modern world is such a risk because you never know if you'll find a job or be good enough in the competition.
My dream is to travel the world and be a well-known actor but my parents would prefer me to be a teacher. It's hard, they want to support me but they see the reality of the situation, I may not be as successful as I want to be. I can't see myself living a normal life, not that there is anything wrong with it, it's just that I want something more.

My life is a risk, it will always be. If you aren't taking risks you will never push yourself to be the greatest you can be. If I pay the price it will be on my head, at least I can say I tried, at least I will say I never gave up.

Another subject I want to touch on is self worth and friendship.
Most of my life I have been very insecure due to bullying and other factors, I won't deny that or forget it because it's a part of my life and it shaped who I am today. However, I find it really hard to trust people, most people may think I trust them but I will only tell them certain things about my life. It's a mechanism and a  barrier that most people have in order to protect themselves from getting hurt. I have never stayed with the same friendship group for more than 2 years. It's hard to tell who actually likes you and who doesn't, I used to put up with friends having digs at me and calling me names but now I've got to a point where I realize that I shouldn't put up with that, I deserve better.
Everyone deserves better, to have amazing friends that will be there for you during the low's and high's. If you are nice and compassionate towards people then you deserve the same back, you shouldn't put up with anything less. Over the past couple of months I have realized who the bad people in my life are and to be truly honest they don't deserve half of the things I have done for them. Finding the bad people in your life makes you realize who are the ones that are always there for you, I have some amazing friends and I wouldn't swap them for the world. Adolescence is hard, growing up is hard but with the right friends the darkest days can seem bright.

Treat others how you would like to be treated. Love until you have no more love left to give.   Never accept anything better than what you deserve. And live everyday as if it was your last

A Promise To Myself

My name is Bradley Norman Selkirk O'Donoghue, I am a 17 year old teenager who is trying to figure out the world like everyone else. I have lived in England for most of my life and have great parents, nothing can deny that, but through the golden lights in my life I feel dissatisfied. I crave something bigger, in the nicest possible way, I feel trapped in a world where limitations should not exist.
My life is an unfinished painting and I need to try and find a way to fill in those gaps and find my identity, that is why I started this blog. To speak my mind and my queries about the world and my life in the hope to create and discover the identity that I don't have. My name is Bradley Norman Selkirk O'Donoghue, but a name is just a label, who am I? Who do I want to be? What do I want from life? 
These answers won't be found if I keep lying to myself and not expressing myself in the way that I should.

I can't simply put a label on what this blog is mainly going to be about because I have no clue, life has it's ways of surprising you and I can't predict the future because you never know what the future may bring. Normally I would apologize to those who do not like what I have to say but in the least arrogant way possible, I don't really care. This blog will be the one place that I will be able to be uncensored and share my opinions and thoughts, we all need to express ourselves and by doing this I will find out who I am. 

Throughout my life I have struggled with the concept of identity and especially finding my identity. 
Who am I? What defines me as a human being? And as I progress throughout my life I suddenly realize that we are so wrapped up in what society tells us to be that we loose track of who we are, to a point where we turn into what the world expects us to be. We are so scared of other people's perception of us and the way they judge us, to a point where we shape our lives and personalities around strangers that we don't really know, yet their opinion is so highly valued. We change ourselves so much that we become too afraid to fulfill our dreams and be who we were born to be.

I have no idea who the hell I am, all I know is that I want to make a difference in the world and help people. I want to be an inspiration to those who don't know who they are, the outcasts of society because that's the way that I feel. I want to liberate those who can't express themselves in the way that I am trying to now. 
Society is hypocritical, they say:
'Freedom of expression' yet there is political correctness and censorship.
'Equality for all' yet my friends who are gay can't get married.
'Be who you want to be' yet you are constantly called a freak, an attention seeker, a whore, fat, etc..

We are in a world full of people who are silently crying out for help but  it's impossible to trust people enough to let them listen. 

I am one of those people. But I am going and will change that. 
I will find my identity, I will change future. 
And maybe one day, I'll change the world...