Dear Younger Me

As weeks and months go on, it’s just me. I’ve been focusing on who I am, what I’m all about, and what my life stands for. Walking through this season of singleness, I can’t help but think of the woman I’ve been and the woman I want to become. I can’t help and reflect on myself, my businesses, and my relationships - past, present, and future. How can I better myself? Can I trust again? What does my future hold?

If I could speak to my younger self, I would say:

Life will throw you challenges, I want you to move on. Get your past all your memories and use them to propel you forward until you are able to accept the time you had and find out it was only a steppingstone to somewhere over the rainbow.

I would tell my younger self that when one door closes, it’s a perfect opportunity for a new beginning to start and then when you find that rainbow and new beginning you’ve been longing for, you can look back and see that nothing was wasted. You’ll be given clarity.

Why did I stay so long and not see the broken relationship keeping me away from friends and family? The abuse, the heartache, the holding on, the bitterness and resentment. When you’re a woman in business, it’s so hard for a man to accept a strong woman and not try to dominate or feel less than what you are. Even so, I would tell my younger self that no one has a right to diminish the power within.

It might’ve taken me 18 years to figure this out but there is light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to hold on and not let go and don’t let anyone dim your light to make their light shine brighter.

I know it sounds easy, but it’s damn hard. Whenever you go through a roadblock, let this be a reminder of what is false and what is truth. Oftentimes people need to make themselves look or feel better at someone else’s expense but as soon as we realize their games, we can decide not to play anymore. We can take back the pieces, put ourselves back together, and take charge of the inner strength that’s been inside us all this time.

Strong women may cry, we may need a cup of coffee and we might need a day in bed, but we always rise and shine.