We all started with high hopes for ourselves. We had plans, aspirations, and dreams for our future. And then life happened. Each and every one of us has a broken part deep inside their soul now. But, we all persevered.
We learned happiness is not the destination but the journey and no one but yourself can make you happy. This put each and every one of us on a different journey to figure out how we can make ourselves happy. It took courage to embark on these journeys and we weren’t fearless. In fact, scared shitless, we started the search to find ourselves. Because nothing could be scarier than a life that wasn’t lived truly and to be true to yourself first you need to know yourself.
Some of us changed cities some changed countries. Some didn't move more than an inch but we all left some things behind. We left unrealized dreams behind to realize new ones.
We learned to walk away from toxic habits, partners, and jobs. Determined to fail again but fail better next time, we embraced our failures which are our greatest teachers. To fail more meant to learn more. To learn more was to live better. Ultimately, we learned to forgive ourselves for the mistakes we've made.
Some of us learned to meditate some of us knew all along how to listen to their mind, body, and soul. We became our own teachers, doctors, and saviors. We knew no one could save ourselves but us.
We learned to make an effort to understand others, where they come from why they think the way they think. We opened ourselves to all the colors of this world. We learned everyone had a role to play in their own story and it wasn't our place to judge their performance. Afterall, we were neither the judge nor the jury. We learned to evaluate an instance with its circumstances. Because circumstances mattered.
Some of us became alone some became lonely. Lonesome wasn't something new for some of us and loneliness broke some of us. But eventually, we all learned to stand tall. One by one we learned not to sell ourselves short because it was all that we had. Life chewed us up and spat us out. Then we pulled ourselves together and got up, again. After a decade of practice, we started to build resilience.
We discovered hard truths about ourselves. Someone said "If the truth hurts, you ain't living right." so we had to find the strength in ourselves to change. Facing our demons wasn't easy, let alone slaying them. When our inability to change hit us like a ton of bricks, the pain and misery lit a fire. And then the phoenix was born again from its ashes.
