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Miinkay Yu

Mama tried to raise a rule follower, but she got Me instead

Published about 3 years ago • 2 min read

I never liked being told what to do. But that's how my parents raised me - by always telling me what to do. "Make your bed. Go set the table. Do your homework. Wake up you have to go to school. Wake up and get ready for church." I hated it. So naturally I rebelled as much as I could. I would wait til the last minute - right before I might get grounded - to do what they asked. I would talk back and question things just to be annoying. I would lie to get what I wanted. Okay maybe I wasn't the most terrible kid. I be a lot of kids did all those things, but deep down inside I didn't like my behavior. But I couldn't figure out another way to express my distaste. For years I just couldn't wait until I left my parents house so I wouldn't have to be a rebel anymore. I just wanted to be a regular, happy person.

But then I entered the real world and figured out that I'll never escape this rebel attitude. When I started working, I questioned EVERYTHING. I tried to fit into the corporate world, but I just couldn't. My ideas and opinions were too ambitious or too risky. Even as I entered this new career of bodywork, I couldn't work for someone else and how they wanted me to practice bodywork. When you go to a spa - you have to pick what kind of session you want (Swedish vs deep tissue vs reiki). All these are techniques that I learn to school, and I wanted to blend them all into one session. Because sometimes you need deep work on your shoulders and Swedish on your legs. Sometimes you need energy work at your head but not your arms. But at the spa you have to only do one technique the whole session, which makes no sense to me. I needed to have more autonomy and freedom to express my different ideas. I wondered if I would ever escape the rebel label and fit in anywhere.

Then I realized that being rebellious is my not a bad thing at all. My way of thinking might be weird and might not fit into any puzzle. But that's great! Because now I can create new paths for people and encourage others to fight against the grain. At one point in time slavery and segregation was the norm. Where would we be without Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? We need to question the status quo to find out if we can do it better.

I created this podcast Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should - to teach you how you can be a rebel too. Start by questioning why you're doing something. If you're doing something for the sake or someone else's opinion. Then STOP. And that's how you start to become a rebel. Embrace who you really are and celebrate that you're different. Others might not understand or approve, but you have my support. I'm not the kind of person that's gonna tell you what to do because I hate that. I'm the kind of person who wants to help you be true to you and your unique ideas. Embrace your inner rebel.

If you're not into the podcasts and you want something more helpful, then check out an upcoming workshop I'm co-hosting. It's called Design Your Soul-Inspired Life. It's all about helping you embrace your inner rebel and what your soul really wants. It's a two part workshop on Feb 11th and 18th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

We'll teach you:

  • How to View Your Life in Bite Sized Chunks
  • How to Identify Your Obstacles
  • Tools to Get Unstuck from Any Obstacle
  • And more!

Click here for more details. Or reply to this email and we can chat to see if it would be a good fit for you!

Thanks for reading about my journey as a rebel.

Miinkay

Miinkay Yu

Miinkay is a coach, bodyworker, and professional listener. In her newsletter she share life's lessons and encourages you to keep moving past whatever obstacle you're facing.

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