Connor Franta Quotes

You're a bud covered in snow in the garden of your mind. Just wait for spring.

Know what you want and follow your gut. It's hard to truly know what you want and who you are. It's even harder to attune yourself to that inner voice that tells you what your heart is saying. You know it when something feels off, when you bristle, when you hear one big, fat screaming "NO!" in your head. Whatever the personal decision - in conversation, friendship, dating, career - pay attention to what your gut says, and not necessarily what you're told and what you think you should think (because then you'll overthink it). I always stick with my gut decision.

You have control over your thoughts; thoughts do not have control over you. They're like little dirt specks on the windshield of life that you simply need to wipe away. […] We give dark thoughts our power. Why would we ever think that mere thoughts are stronger than us? They're not. We can outwit them. Rule them. Survive them. They represent internal stormy weather ... and all storms pass. [...] You know that positivity exists - you only have to sift through the rubble a bit.

Nothing is permanent.

In life, you need to allow yourself the room to do what you want to do with the precious time you're given. Give yourself permission. You then have to actually do it. Allow yourself to go there and add your splash of color to the world.

I don't know what sparked it in my mind, but I happened to be staring at myself, dead in the eyes, in the bathroom mirror. "I'm gay," I told my reflection. What happened next surprised even me: I smiled. Through all the pain, I actually smiled, feeling a sudden rush of relief, as if being freed from a choking grip. I knew this was just the beginning of a breakthrough. Next, I needed to tell someone. [...] My friend's acceptance was liberating. I was free. I was the real me. From that point on, it was the case of finding the courage, and the right time, to tell more and more people. Each of them said the same thing: "It's okay, Con. I still love you."
They were all so great that I wished I'd told them earlier. Love trumps fear every time.
My journey, and the evolving process of staying true to myself, won't stop there. I am, like everyone else, still figuring myself out on a daily basis. But this path I've been walking is clearer than it has ever been. The fog has lifted, and the possibilities are endless. This story isn't about sexuality. It's about overcoming our biggest fears. It's about seriously examining whatever it is that may be holding us back.

Hard choices are never easy and nearly always stressful, especially when they affect the trajectory of the rest of your life. Growing up is full of many little steps, hops, and big leaps, none of them easy. Pushing myself to move out of my comfort zone was the best decision I've ever made. There are many bites to take out of this big wide world, and the opportunities are endless. The only thing holding you back from experiencing them is yourself and the false limitations you've imposed on yourself. Just you. No one else. Big leaps take time.
Sometimes you just have to leap and have faith in yourself. I headed to LA and placed all my bets on this one trip, believing it would open a new chapter in my life. That was all I could hope for.

The feeling of loneliness is temporary. It can easily be replaced by another feeling or action. Now, when I'm feeling down, I pick up the phone and call a friend for a chat or to meet. How can you be lonely if there is always someone to reach out to or spend time with? Loneliness really is a state of mind. A thought is only as strong as you allow it to be.

Don't allow yourself to settle for just anything in your life. Strive to obtain your every want and desire, as long as you're not harming others.

Social media is the most warped mirror to look into. You risk measuring your self-worth by the number of likes you receive. Here's the bottom line: if you're truly confident, you don't need to seek the likes of others. And if you're not so confident, then fuel your self-esteem with the love of your friends and family.

And all of this is unfolding before my very eyes on an average day, begging the question: WHY. IS. EVERYONE. IN. SUCH. A. DAMN. HURRY? Why the constant rush?

It's crazy what you'll see, hear, and feel if you stop and let the world continue to move around you for even just a minute. […] Basically I'm trying to pay attention. I mean, I have to force myself to do it through fits of angst, but the fire has been lit and here I am: trying to be mindful of my surroundings and the people around me. Noting the detail. […] I invite you to give it a try right now […] and be in the moment with yourself for a few minutes Try it.

The only way to crack a real problem is to face it. Look your issues dead in the eye and sort out the beef between you.

I can't pinpoint the exact moment in time when I realised I was falling in love, but my move to California had a lot to do with it. Once immersed in an openly gay environment, I quickly understood that men loving men (and women loving women) was normal. It was BEAUTIFUL, in fact. […] And let's just say in West Hollywood, you see a lot of gay people. They're everywhere, unashamedly being true to who they are, and who they love. It was the single most refreshing thing to witness. […] Those couples became a symbol of hope to me, and to see them firsthand made me think it was possible for me to be like them. To love. To be happy. It was actually possible to dream of the future. The future I wanted to have.

There have been instances when I've spent more time worrying that I'm missing out on something than actually enjoying what's right in front of me. And there, my friends, is the lesson to be learned. Life should be more about living in the moment than fearing what's happening outside it. It's about honoring what you want to do at any given time, regardless of what everyone else is doing.