I never realized how resilient I was until I had no choice but to be resilient.

I have gone through enough life changes, heartbreaks, loss, uncertainty, and fear in the past few years to f*cking break a person.

I was broken in some ways, but the wonder of being broken is you can put yourself back together in such a beautiful way; you become a stronger, more caring, intuitive, loving, and authentic human being. You become a better version of yourself, and you stare fear and uncertainty down like it’s a challenge.

Truthfully there have been plenty of tears and sleepless nights. There were times where I sat on the tiled floor of my shower, letting the water run over me while I sobbed an anguished sob; I felt a heart and gut-wrenching pain that I thought would surely kill me.

I thought I would never recover, but I did. I crawled, then I walked, and then I ran out of that f*cking rubble. Life has a way of testing your will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once. And wow, I had a lot happening at once!

It’s easy to remain positive when everything is cruising along but so much harder when you’ve been hit with both barrels—repeatedly. It’s painful, like a full-body assault over a period of time. Your body feels battered and bruised, and you are emotionally and mentally exhausted.

But I not only succeeded, I was victorious. I’ve done it mostly alone with self-love, determination, spirit, dignity, and grace. It takes a lot of strength to ask for help, and it takes a lot of courage to say, “I just can’t carry this on my own.”

That’s why it is so important to have a solid circle you can rely on. It takes a lot of love to respond with, “I’m here and you don’t have to fight this alone.” Or, “what can I do to support you.”

We all need a little help sometimes. A hug. Someone to sit and be as you try and hold it all together. Vulnerability is strength.

It’s so important to tell the people who love and care for you and are always there for you, that you appreciate them. Always be honest and say what is in your heart and soul because life can be fragile. Living with regret for unsaid words and lack of action is just another heartbreak.

Life is short; do what makes you f*cking happy and be with who inspires you. Live the life you want, not the life the limited thinking masses expect. Always remember people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Life lessons and experience are the best teachers. When you can feel, deal, and heal the loss, pain, trauma, and grief, you will learn what you are truly made of and realize you are unstoppable. Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.

The brave person is not one who doesn’t feel afraid, but one who conquers their fear. A brave person lives the life they desire, frees themselves to love the person who has burnt their name into their heart and soul, and follows their dreams rather than conforming to societal expectations.

“They whispered to her, ‘You cannot withstand the storm!’ She whispered back, ‘I am the storm.'” ~ Unknown