You should never be afraid to say: "If you're not living my life, don't think you know how I should live it." Unfortunately, many people out there don't understand that your life is different than theirs. That your priorities are different than theirs. That your definition of right and wrong may be different than theirs, and they don't understand that that's completely normal. So, as long as you believe in yourself, zone them out. It is so easy to judge a person's decisions if we don't try to understand the reasons that led to those decisions. So, if they don't try to understand you and a.s.sume the best, they will a.s.sume the worst and, therefore, do not belong in your life. Gravitate towards those who a.s.sume the best in you, even at your worst.

Doors Unlocked

Not every door that comes your way is worthy of being unlocked. The handles on some doors will break before you even turn your key. And sometimes, you try so hard to use the keys that you have to unlock the wrong doors that they break or get stuck... and the doors that you were meant to open stay closed for you to regret and wonder about the happiness that could have been hidden behind them.

Change

I believe in goodness. I believe in good intentions. I believe in a power stronger than any kind of willpower we may think we have. We are destined to make mistakes. We are destined to be flawed. Each and every one of us. No one is perfect. We all lie sometimes. We all allow our hearts to dip into temptation sometimes. Sometimes we judge, and sometimes we make promises we can't keep. Sometimes we walk down paths knowing they are dead ends before we even take the first step, and sometimes we turn away from the roads that promise us happiness out of fear. We all make mistakes, and the fact that we make them differently does not lessen the importance of reflecting upon them and making them better. If you believe that the world can change, you must believe that you must change. So go ahead. Start.

A Sunset You Dread

The sun doesn't always rise at the same time or set at the same time, but we are always certain that it will happen at the perfect time. Have faith that everything will work out the way it should at the right time. Don't just think of yourself but think of the grand scheme of things. Think of those who waited for the sunrise for you even if, by doing so, it means that you are expecting a sunset. Be thankful for patience, for persistence, and for good intentions.

It's Not You.

When you don't get what you want, you quickly a.s.sume that it's because you don't deserve it or because you are not worthy enough to get it. But have you ever thought that it could be because it doesn't deserve you or because it is not worthy of you? The truth is that we always give ourselves less credit than we deserve. And sometimes, many times, we live in denial of what we really deserve, so we settle for what is less. There is a power much higher than us, much wiser than us, that is willing to crush our feelings sometimes so it can open our eyes to the strength that we have inside and to the reality of what we truly deserve.

Clarity.

You may wait for a sunrise that may never come. You may ignore the thought of an inevitable sunset. You may antic.i.p.ate an opportunity in front of a closed door. You may wait for a chance that will never be given to you. You may wait. You may see what does not exist, and you may be completely blind to what does. Your vision may be shut down by your hopes, and it may be blurred by what you think you deserve. You may wish. You may hope. You may pray. You may wonder why your understanding and perception of reality could be so wrong at times. At the end of the day, your thoughts keep you wondering. Your realizations keep you reflecting and learning. Your mistakes keep you growing. After all, your own perception of reality is nothing but a reflection of what you want your reality to be. You don't always smile when you're happy, and sometimes, when every piece of you is urging you to relieve it with an expression of anger, you choose to be calm. At your weakest moments, the strength you display can be more convincing than strength itself. It's a matter of choice. It's a matter of believing in a power much higher than you that can lead you in the right direction even if you can't see where you are stepping. It's a matter of consciously doing what is right rather than only refraining from what is wrong. Goodness is a choice. It is not the default. It is not easy. Life will put you on pathways to test your resilience. Will you settle for believing that being sincere is a weakness? Will you settle for believing that being honest is wrong? Will you leave a piece of your soul with every person and every place that disappointed you? Or, will you collect those pieces and put them back together with the spirit of faith and make your soul a beautiful mosaic of pieces that dared to fall and get back up even stronger? Pieces that dared to be left than to leave, to be hurt by others than to hurt others, to wait than to make others wait, to be disappointed than to disappoint? If you do not believe in people, how will you empower them? How will you learn? How will you become strong? How will you heal if you do not break? If you do not believe that the cure is coming, and that only time can bring it, how will you heal? Would the thirsty bits of the earth ever reject rain after its absence? You see, we really are a distortion ourselves, yet we expect reality to be so clear.

Let Go.

They say that, at some point, you just learn to let go. I must disagree. If it just takes one moment to let go, then you never really held on tightly enough. To a dream. To a goal. To a place. To a person. To anything. I believe that you let go little by little. You let go a little, then hold back on, but with a little less force until you fully release yourself. And the tighter you hold on, the more force you let go with. The deeper you dive, the higher you'll fly. The closer you get, the further you'll pull away. The weaker you feel, the stronger you'll become. So do not be ashamed of your weaknesses. We all have them. You must learn to be kind to yourself. You must learn to understand yourself. You must believe in yourself. Never think that you are a bad person. Differentiate between your self-worth and your actions. To say that you are bad is different than saying that you made a mistake. You can't fix yourself, but you can fix a mistake. And remember, not one person on this earth is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all fall. We all have flaws. We just need to look within ourselves and treat ourselves as humans who are worthy of respect and hope. Do not give up on yourself. Get back up. Be brave. Be happy.

Choose.

Today, I choose to be happy. I choose to let go. I choose to be myself. To love myself. To cherish myself. Today, I choose to let go of the people whose company is toxic to my peace of mind. Today, I choose to be free. I choose to liberate my soul from the aches it's been through. Today, I choose to stay away from closed doors. I choose not to craft a wall around my heart. I choose to decorate it with the lessons I've learned. I choose to paint it with respect and confidence. Today, I choose to forgive myself. For being too much of myself. For allowing myself to hurt myself. Today, I choose to embrace my flaws. I choose to accept my mistakes. Today, I choose to change. I choose to be better. I choose to move forward. I choose to guard my soul. Today, I choose to be brave. I choose to say no when saying yes hurts. Today, I choose to be wise. I choose to walk away from places I don't belong. I choose to embrace my time. For all that is timeless is precious. All that is precious is unique. All that is unique is different. And all that is different is beautiful. Today, I choose to be beautiful.

end.