A letter from December 7th, 2016

To Future Self From Old Self The Buddha once said “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” To be wise you must already know you’re a fool, but to just be a fool is to not admit you are one. Life is made in not black and white, rather than many shades of gray. The shades of gray you see one day, you might not see again the next. Yet, it doesn’t mean those shades aren’t there. As a person, I hold high expectations of myself, I refuse to let something stop me, I refuse to be seen as weak or as less than from not understanding fully, I refuse to be seen or known as nothing. My self-worth and my self-concept are made up of what I hold to be true of myself. I also know that part of being a wise fool is to know I don’t know or understand everything, but I can make rules and reminders I hold true in ways to live my life. 1. “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” (Buddha) Live life with faith, calmness, and grace, and any obstacle you will then be able to overcome. 2. Let emotions show. Even when they are raw and painful, don’t bottle them up inside, you don’t help yourself and your communication gets worse and worse when you don’t allow anyone to understand the pain you feel inside. 3. Active Listening should be the main type of listening you do. Listen to hear what the other person is saying, listen because sometimes what they need you to hear is buried further in than their words can allow. 4. Don’t use the Hallo-effect. Always make sure you get to know a person before you jump in the water with both feet. Not everyone has good intentions. 5. Hold your head up high, when others see you as a confident, strong, woman, you will feel like one too. 6. Don’t allow society to tell you how you need to be as a woman, allow yourself to stand out and be great in whichever way that feels strong and powerful to you. 7. It’s okay to be scared, communicate to others why you’re uncertain, sometimes you’re not the only one, and often times having a person listen to you will calm the anxiety down. 8. Don’t be an escalator in situations. It only makes your life worse. Some situations need to escalate, however, it will never make you the better person to constantly blow up in a fight. 9. Accept what needs to be accepted. Most things in life are handed to us and we need to play the cards we’ve been dealt, sometimes that means you cannot exchange a card. 10. You are beautiful. You are a beautiful soul who lives inside a body we have been given. Treat your body kindly, feed it, water it, shelter it, protect it, this is your home. Nurture your soul, comfort yourself when you’re in need. Remember no matter what others say, you’re perfect. Hair or no hair, lesbian or straight, fighting and winning, you’re amazing always. With love, <3 Old Self Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. (Buddha)