A post shared by emily smith (@emventurer) on Oct 23, 2017 at 11:11pm PDT

 

I wrote this piece at a painful time in my life where everything felt foggy.

I was 25 and getting divorced. I had been judged by my family, friends, and current church community. I wasn’t sure what my purpose was anymore. I felt like I had lost every piece of who I was—or who I thought I was—and I wrote these words as a reminder of what was truly living in my soul. I chose to let go of a life that wasn’t authentic.

These words helped me to affirm that I am strong and have a purpose:

Dear past, present and future versions of myself.

You aren’t who you were, or who you may become. You’re who you are right now.

Be unapologetic.
Be humble.
Be kind.

Let tomorrow live in tomorrow. Don’t chase anything.

Live in the possibility of what could be, not in what hasn’t happened or probably just won’t.

Be liberated. Don’t destroy, just let go.

Laugh a lot.
Laugh at anything.
Laugh at yourself.

Learn to heal from things that you may not even know have hurt you.
Learn to see what might hurt you, and navigate around it.

Don’t put up walls.
Protect yourself.
Let people in but stand firm in who you are.

Let yourself linger, but learn to leave before the party ends. Have a wide variety of experiences and be open to new things.

Don’t ever pretend to be someone else. You are great and someone is already stuck pretending to be you.
The qualities you have are unique, and all of your quirks and imperfections make you vulnerable and attractive.

Don’t stop at anything for the things you want.
But it’s okay to not know what you want either.

It’s okay to tread water. Just stay above. Stay above everything that tries to push you down.
Mean what you say and do what you want. In the process, be gentle with people’s hearts.

Keep yourself attached in such a way that honours yourself and others.

Love being with people, and love being alone. Love smiling, and love taking a moment to be somber.

Hold others, but hold onto yourself.

Be liberated, be wild. Make good choices and then lose your way. Find out how good it feels to come home.

Discover the nooks of your soul that only you can find, and ask them what they have to say.

Do what you love and that can be a great many things. Always own your life.

Accomplish great things, let yourself measure what greatness is to you.

Choose joy. Choose to create. Choose moments in the present, being fully aware of how every step before this has led you here.

Have your breath taken away; by someone, by nature, by yourself.

Know that you are in control of you, but not everything. You can’t make the stars align, but you can set a goal and work toward it. 

Right now, things may seem one way. But think about a year ago. Where you were. What you felt. Things have shifted and will continue to shift.

A feeling, a moment has a lifespan. Know this and you will free yourself from so much anxiety.

Have fun. Be silly.

Enjoy whatever comes your way. 

Understand that things matter sometimes, but people matter every time.

Find out what your heart craves and give it that. Support others in a way that you wish to be supported.

Only let things occupy your mind and soul that latter up to who you are and what you want.

You have so much to offer, and this one precious life has so much to give.

 

Author: Emily Smith
Image: Author’s own
Editor: Sara Kärpänen
Copy editor: Nicole Cameron