There’s no easy answer, but I think it would benefit us all to take fewer cues from societal shoulds, social media, or marketing campaigns, and instead strive to observe the changing seasons of our lives in the way we watch summer blaze into fall, or spring blossom from winter– without judgment or rush to action, with acceptance, with a celebration of the uniqueness, the worth, of each new stage over fruitless yearning for some other time. After all: there’s beauty and value in even the hardest seasons of our lives, if we can accept that suffering is as much a part of life as any positive emotion, if we can accept change as the only constant, if we can accept that all things– both good and bad– eventually pass, if we can try to appreciate rather than resist.

You may specifically not identify with being Black, female, or a minority in a field dominated by people who may not share your ethnicity, background, or culture. However, I do believe that most people can identify with feeling lonely, out of place, disconnected, or like no one understands how you feel or what you’re going through. You may be looking for your “Waldo” amongst a sea of people around you—only to leave feeling that you are the “only one”. I’m here to tell you that you are not alone. You may feel lonely, but you are never alone.

I make a promise to myself. A wish. A hope. A request for renewal. It's always a different promise. But mostly it goes– If I make this leap, I am inviting love and the reward that comes from accomplishing brave acts into my life.

For years I have held onto this idea of authenticity, of growing in my own self-awareness and self-acceptance, recognizing I have something good to offer the world as myself. No need for pretenses or performances or mirages. If I am to be accepted, it should be as myself, not a caricature of how I wish to be perceived.

In truth, by harnessing both The Habitualist and The Ritualist, you will experience happiness on a significantly deeper level and sustain it, so whatever you decide - just start now.

Hard feelings look different for everyone. For some, it’s paralyzing; you feel like your brain is put on pause from too many thoughts flying around. For some, it can manifest as physiological symptoms: headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, insomnia.

We are never just one thing. Our identity is made up of hundreds of puzzle pieces. The bigger picture never stops growing. Every single day we continue adding to it because it demonstrates our story.