Be Better. You can do it, baby.

I want to drop a few gems, diamonds, and pearls that I’ve learned so far in the past few months:

1. You are NOT your mistakes/family history/tragedies/trauma – push past those stories, son.
2. Who are you now? Who do you want to be? Shift ALL of your focus + energy on that.
3. My top two love languages are 1) words of affirmation and 2) quality time. Those are the ways I best receive + respond to love and feel my most connected in relationships (family, friends, and romantic). I have learned that someone won’t always tell you who they are and how they feel (words of affirmation), but they will show you through their actions (quality time spent or lack there of) – take note of these, adjust accordingly and do your VERY BEST to not take it personally.
4. Be open to alternative routes but also take the path of least resistance. This has been VERY difficult for me because I’m a fighter and my daddy has enabled me to be the ultimate hustler and go-getter. But I have learned that some things are best left alone until they find their way to you – TIMING!
5. FIND THE LOVE: there is still so much of it in this world. Sometimes it’s hard to see. Trust me, I know. But it’s there. Pray or meditate. Be open to receiving it. It may not be the love we WANT but I guarantee you it will be the love you NEED.

s/o to TINY BUDDAH for their visuals and wealth of information. Check them out, too.

***This post is dedicated to my SHIPMATE, my anchor. I admire your tenacity and creativity. You are the hopeless romantic I wish I could be. Through the thickest and thinnest of times you’ve supported me, let me pour out all of my woes and feels, only to remind me to get my sh*t together and be poppin’. I Love you. Fall ’08 Forever.***