lessons for my younger self

if I knew then what I know now…. this is what I would tell her if I could go back 30 years:

you are enough, just as you are. those worthy of being in your life will meet you where you are so please don’t chase after love. love heals and love protects and love wraps you up in a warm cozy embrace. love does not break you down. rather love lets you fly and love lets you shine. wait for it. recognize it when it lands and don’t be afraid to let it in. more important, let it go when it doesn’t feel right. it will be scary and that’s okay – trust that love is abundant and stay true to you.

before you can recognize what love is and what love is not, you must first love yourself. this is a must. if you don’t have that love for yourself, you will search for it in others to validate your worth. this will be your hardest lesson. you will want more than anything for relationships, jobs, friendships to work out the way you feel is best in the moment and you will accept ‘less than’ out of fear of nothingness. when you feel that fear, that is precisely the time you must step into it, not away from it. that first step, that 20 seconds of intense courage, will change your life. step in.

there are takers and givers in the world. you are a magnet for takers because you are a giver. you have a soft heart wrapped in a steel cage. actions truly do speak louder than words so do not get lost in the words. takers come packaged in a pretty box professing love and good intentions when in fact they are only interested in draining you of your light. this too will be a challenge for you because you want to believe that everyone is inherently good. they are not.

you will meet people in your life that you just know deep down you were meant to meet. soul mates are real. some will teach you painful lessons but through pain is growth. keep a soft heart and let them go. some are angels on earth whose light shines so bright and they are your healers. you will undoubtedly recognize them. in those moments of recognition, you are as close to heaven as you can be. bask in it and let their light flood you.

dreams do come true so dream big. you are worthy of all great things. it is never too late to choose a different path or to make a u turn. be a trail blazer. change your mind. be unapologetically you. stay soft but keep your boundaries and never stop seeking the light. have an impenetrable belief in yourself.