In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
“Fear is not what you think it is.
Fear is not who you are underneath your facade.
Fear is not the real you that you must somehow fix or improve or overcome.
Fear is a very useful signal along the path to freedom.
The stronger the fear, the closer you are to what you are seeking.
If you want to stay “safe” and stuck where you are, fear tells you to stop what you are doing.
But if you want to be free, fear lets you know you are on the right track.
It is a signal to keep moving forward.”
Cheri Huber
“It’s not how we fall.
It’s how we get back up again.”
Patrick Ness
Slipping and falling is a natural part of existence.
It’s a part of being human.
You aren’t defined by the number of mistakes you make.
You’re defined by how you act in response to them.
By what you choose to take away from each experience.
Mistakes always have something to teach us.
Each fall is an opportunity for growth.
Each slip provides us with knowledge to move forward.
Don’t allow your struggles to overshadow your ability to overcome them.
You are stronger than you know.
Don’t give up.
Don’t lose hope.
Choose to stand up.
Choose to keep fighting.
“Everyone makes choices in life.
Some bad, some good—it’s called living”
Maria V. Snyder
Living is a risk.
Make the decision to put yourself out there and live.
You’ll make mistakes.
You’ll slip and fall.
But you’ll also learn and grow.
You’ll discover yourself and find your way.
Without taking risks, you live a half-life.
It takes stepping out of our comfort zones to overcome our fears and access our innate human potential.
Don’t settle for less than you deserve.
Dare to try something new.
Take the unknown road.
Live.
Become.
We have been taught to hold back our emotions.
To censor how we feel.
To keep it together and be strong.
But by casting aside our feelings, we invalidate them.
By hiding away our true emotions, we accept the lie that what we feel and who we are, is wrong.
We need to redefine strength.
Being strong isn’t denying your feelings, it’s embracing them.
There is a power in vulnerability.
A freedom in allowing yourself to feel whatever it is that you feel.
Only when we become honest with ourselves can we be honest with others.
It’s this honesty that allows connection and love.
An honesty that perpetuates growth and self-acceptance.
Decide that you will never again allow someone to silence your feelings.
No one has the power to invalidate how we feel unless we let them.
Don’t give away your power.
Open your heart.
Speak your truth.
Embrace your feelings.
Don’t ever hold back what makes you, you.
