The Lessons I Learned in 2015

This past year has taught me a few good lessons, some of which I wanted to share with you as we close 2015:

🌟 Owning our stories and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.

🌟 The smallest, consistent steps in the right direction create the greatest change and take us farthest. But before that, we have to start. The most significant step is always the first!

🌟 Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.

🌟 Whenever you feel down or sad, just remember there are billions of cells in your body and all they care about is YOU. Your body fights for you ever single day. Remember to show it some love back.

🌟 Ultimately, self-compassion is a series of choices, a moment-by-moment conscious turning away from that which will harm your spirit toward that which will nourish and sustain you. It is choosing in any particular situation, over and over again, whether you’ll treat yourself well or beat yourself up. Self-compassion means looking at yourself with kindness, with a conscious awareness of your suffering, and in time, with a deep appreciation for the way you have transformed it. My focus will be to make sure that my dreams and resolutions all come from this place of self-compassion.

🌟Hope, Hope, HOPE — because without it, there is nothing.

This photo was taken by my little artist-in-the-making: “Mom, can you show me your pretty smile and be happy please?”