Sure, it’s not that easy to get the things you want the most. There’s so much time, money, and hard work to invest in the process of getting the things you most desire. But hear me out.

I was 18 years old when I learned about the law of attraction and manifesting, thanks to Leeor Alexandra and her videos about manifestation and the law of attraction.

I did what she told me to do: I journaled, I wrote down my goals, I wrote letters to my future self, I did the 2 cup method, and meditated…a lot. And let me tell you, this works.

I don’t want say that you’ll be entirely happy with the way your life turns out, but if you take the time for yourself and work on your goals, you could potentially find some contentment with life. You just have to do something about it. If you need some motivation and inspiration, I am here to help…with Leeor. Tag team!

1. Write a letter to your future self.

Get yourself in a comfortable position. Maybe you’re wearing pajamas, in bed. Maybe there’s also a candle burning and your favorite song playing. Meditate a little – breathe in, breathe out. It is so important to get yourself feeling comfortable and good because your vibrations will be at their highest. Then, find a piece of paper and a pen (or a laptop or tablet, whichever you prefer!) and start writing.

Write the date as one year into the future – so if it’s March 19th 2019, write it as March 19th 2020. Then, start writing.

Write, as your future self addressing your past self (which, is really your present self) and talk about everything you have and everything you’re grateful for. 

I’ve done this once before, and it’s honestly scary how much has come true. At the beginning of 2018, I wrote that I wanted to be a writer in New York City, living in my dream apartment, and in a happy, healthy relationship with someone who respects me, loves me, and understands my love language. Now, in 2019, I’m a writer in New York City, living in my dream apartment, and in a happy relationship with myself…and still waiting for my dream man. Though not everything is true (yet!), it still happened for me. It works. 

2. Rewrite your limiting beliefs.

Limiting beliefs are statements that we have decided are factual, based on what we’ve been programed to believe: from media, our childhood, etc. It dictates our behavior and how we manifest (or don’t manifest) the things in our life.

First and foremost: sit down with yourself and be a bit introspective. What are your beliefs? Is money too hard to obtain? Do you believe that you’re not going to find love because you’re not good enough?

Write down your limiting beliefs and change your relationship with these beliefs. 

In other words, rewrite them. Write down the beliefs: money is easy to get, I am loved and I am good enough and I am capable of finding love.

I’ve done this many times before, because this is something that I struggle with (I doubt myself a lot and I question whether or not I’m good enough for love) and it’s slowly becoming an easier thing for me to do. I write: “I am so happy and grateful now that…” and write down my beliefs. For example: “I am so happy and grateful now that money is flowing in and that I am so desirable and so deserving of love.”

I am so happy and grateful, I am so happy and grateful, I am so happy and grateful…

3. The Two Cup Method.

Get two cups and a couple of sticky notes. The cup on the left is your current reality and the cup on your right is your desired reality.

With a sticky note, write down whatever is making you feel so low. For example, “I feel undesired and unloved and that’s probably why I’m single,” or “I don’t have an income,” or “I’m not able to travel for reasons x,y,z,” – and place it on the cup on the left. Then, fill the cup on the left with water.

With another sticky note, write down what you want, in relation to whatever is on the left. For example, write down “I am desired and loved and in a happy, healthy relationship,” or “I have a steady income!” or “I’m traveling so much!”

Sit with these cups in front of you. Think about how the reality on the left side makes you feel. Think about how you’ll feel when the reality on the right side manifests itself. Amazing, right!? 

Pour the water from the left cup into the right cup. Think about those good feelings. Then, drink the water from the right cup.

Writing down your goals will make your dreams a reality, but you have to have faith in that.

Believe me, I know how hard that it is. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression and I know how it can make you feel unmotivated and undeserving of the things you want. For me, that’s what made me want to keep going. I wanted something better for myself and I worked towards making that happen, despite all the negative feelings and thoughts I fought against.

You have to visualize what you want. You have believe you’re deserving of it. You have to have faith in that these good things will happen for you.

Remember: your thoughts become things.

1. Just having a job of any kind is already a huge victory. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting a “better” job, or one that pays more, or one that sounds cooler, but you can’t lose sight of important it is to have a job at all.

2. Being self-conscious about money is the silliest thing you could do in our generation. If you have debt, you don’t need to be embarrassed about it. You just have to work hard to make the best of your situation, and be honest with your budget. There is no shame in saying “I can’t go out this week, trying to save money.”

3. Never judge anyone else about the kind of job they’re working, or the lifestyle they are living. It’s a hard battle for everyone.

4. You’re probably going to get broken up with, and have to break up with someone. Both of them are going to be horrible in their own way, but it’s important to remember how terrible it can feel on both sides, so you’ll be kinder next time.

5. It’s always a good time to call your parents.

6. A new purse might look nice, or a better apartment might be more comfortable, but nothing should come before health insurance.

7. When your friends are having a special moment and sharing it on Facebook, always take a moment to show your support and excitement for them. You may think it’s cheesy to collect 400 “likes” for a picture of an engagement ring, but that’s someone’s special day, and it doesn’t make you any happier to not be happy for them.

8. Some people around you are going to get married in their early 20s and everyone will have something snarky to say about it. But always try to err on the side of believing in love, because even if they do end up divorcing because they got together too young, would you really feel better saying “I told you so?”

9. The sooner you realize there is no real “too young” or “too old,” and only “the right time for that person,” the happier you’ll be.

10. You aren’t required to be friends with anyone. This isn’t middle school where you’re in constant proximity to them and need to put on a good face — if someone is hurting you, you can cut them out as a friend for your own mental health. And that doesn’t make you a bad person.

11. That said, we often attribute to malice what was just ignorance. Give people a chance to explain themselves and apologize, because jumping to conclusions can make us miss out on great people.

12. “Staying friends with an ex” is one of those “I’m a grown up, look at how mature I am” ideals that rarely works in practice. If you can’t be friends with an ex, that’s totally legitimate, and it doesn’t make you immature.

13. Deleting someone on Facebook can seem so final and aggressive, but often it’s the best thing you can do for your healing process.

14. If you have money to go out to bars, get takeout, or buy new clothes, you have money that you could be saving for travel. If traveling is important to you, you have to prioritize it, and that means financially.

15. Being on social media will always be a double-edged sword — you get to stay in touch with people you love, but are too informed about their lives, blah blah blah. But ultimately you get to choose what you share and what you keep secret. No one is forcing you to log on or to post multiple times a day.

16. What happens online is permanent, but that’s true for everyone, and one picture of you drinking on Facebook is not the end of your career.

17. Drinking is the most expensive activity in the world, and among the least rewarding. If you’re going to go out, get to know the good deals in your area, or at least have a drink or two at home before going out. There is no feeling worse than waking up with a hangover and 100 dollars magically missing from your bank account.

18. Asking for help is not the end of the world, from parents or friends or partners. But always be grateful, and always try to help when someone else needs something.

19. If you’re ever uncomfortable or anxious at a party, you can leave. Saying you don’t feel well and need to go home is a thousand times better than pretending to enjoy yourself and having a terrible time. Leaving is always an option.

20. Take care of your body. It’s not about what you look like, it’s not about what you weigh, but it’s about how tired you get just living a normal life and doing basic physical activity. You can be 120 pounds and still get winded going up two flights of stairs — and only you know if this is really true.

21. Drink lots of water, especially if you have bad skin, but just in general. Water is your best friend, along with health insurance, a good trench coat, and discretion on social media. But mostly water.

Maybe nobody noticed. Maybe your small stretches of the truth that you were “busy” actually fooled your friends. Now that you’re working your way back out of the hole, slowing reaching towards the surface, there are some things that you are doing that people may not realize are because you are recovering from this depressive episode.

1. Your sleep patterns are different than normal.

You’ve had your “adult” sleep schedule down to a science for years, always going to bed around 8:30 PM and waking up around 5:30 AM. You hit a wall about two weeks ago, though, and started spending lots of extra time in the bed, attempting to shut the world out for just a few hours longer. Unfortunately, even now that you are starting to feel “better,” it still takes a while to synchronize. You may become overwhelmed during the day and take a nap, but that leaves you feeling energized and staying up late. If nobody realized you were depressed, though, they won’t notice your weird sleep patterns that go on for weeks, right? (Although they might question why you are suddenly posting on Instagram at 1:00am…)

2. You’ve suddenly become very sentimental.

You suddenly find yourself reaching out to your friends, craving their attention after isolating yourself for a few weeks. It might be something as simple as texting them every day just to “check in,” or sending them a lengthy letter and random care package “just because.” You might even be overly physically affectionate, giving even more hugs and asking for cuddles at random times. Everyone may think you are just being extra loving, but you know the reality is that you are thankful you didn’t lose those that you love and want to make sure they know how much they mean to you in case next time you don’t make it out of the low.

3. You find yourself getting easily overwhelmed or emotional.

You might not have completely stabilized yet, so your moods are still in a state of flux, and the scales can be tipped with the simplest of events. Things may make you cry more than normal, or you may suddenly “need a moment” to calm yourself if you start to feel angry or anxious. You seem thrown off by sudden or loud noises, an overload of information to process takes even longer than usual, and making a simple mistake can start you down the spiral. Nobody sees this but you.

4. Your appetite is all over the place.

One day you may eat everything in sight, then you later spend the next two days living off almost nothing. You get excited at the look of a meal, then take a bite and decide you can’t finish. That’s kind of how the world is for several days when you come out of a very low phase: colors are still dulled, smells are less intense, everything seems to be turned down several notches more than normal.

5. You start spamming social media with motivational shit.

You are usually a very open person. When you get low, it shows, especially with my social media posts. As you try to get back to a place of normalcy, you look to affirmations, motivational quotes, or any small reminders that you think will keep me moving upward. You then become so enamored with these positive posts that you tend to share them daily for at least a week. Everyone sees it as your usual way of looking out for everyone else and taking care of those around you; nobody realizes that all the motivational posts are really just for you.

6. You avoid being alone.

Being alone tends to always be dangerous for you, especially as you recover from a depressive episode. You avoid telling people, “It’s not safe for me to be by myself,” but you make a very conscious effort to either have people physically near you or reach out electronically when you know you’ll be physically alone for an amount of time. People serve both as a distraction and as a safety net, so people are important to have nearby as you work hard to improve.

7. You listen to music constantly.

One of the best ways to regulate and try to control emotions is through music. You were told to use music to help you stay mindful, to stay energized, to stay active. Pop & dance music from the 1990s-2010s are where it’s at if you want to feel happy and pumped up, so people will hear you blasting JT or Ke$ha and just think you are in a particularly good mood or feeling like kicking it “old school.”

8. You buy something new, even if you don’t really need it.

Retail therapy is real, and you take full advantage. Even just window shopping gets you out of the house, and a new outfit is just what you need to feel beautiful and love yourself again after this storm of depression. Everyone else just thinks you are wanting to feel sexy and they don’t suspect a thing.

9. You look for something to “get into.

Your therapist said the best way to stay positive is to stay in the present and “out of your thoughts.” This means trying to stay busy. Picking up a new hobby, starting a new routine, or even just picking back up a craft you lost interest in while depressed can help. Your friends don’t seem to think anything of it because you are always the one who is trying new things and dragging them along.

10. You clean something.

You pride yourself on being organized, but that goes out the window as soon as you start to sink into a depression. You avoid anything that will overwhelm you, and your energy is so low that even a simple task like loading the dishwasher requires a break after you finish. Once you start to feel better, though, the messes you’ve let pile up enrage you and they must go. You don’t even want people to know there was a mess in the first place, because that would be embarrassing.

Depression can hit anyone at any time. While there can be some typical symptoms, the way that depression looks on everyone can be very different. This means that the behavioral “signs” of recovery can also vary greatly. These 10 items are all very small actions or signs, and they may seem like normal things that most people do and go mostly unnoticed. Self-awareness is important, though, so if you suffer from depression, it might be good to think about the ways that depression and the climb back out will look on you. Knowing these small details can make a difference in your life and even help those around you begin to recognize what you need a little easier.

Your hands feel foreign, your stomach twisted, your heart weighed down. You are unsure of your next step, dizzy and suddenly terrified to stand back up again.

But this is what you do when you are broken. You pick yourself up, piece by piece. You re-learn the strongest parts of yourself and fight until you break through. You drag yourself forward until your limbs can hold your weight, then you learn to stand up, to walk, to smile again.

You hold yourself together with threads, you distract yourself with things and people that occupy your mind and fill the space around you. You walk, you run, you settle into the rhythm of pounding feet on concrete. You comfort yourself with words and soft blankets and laughter until it no longer feels like you’re pretending.

You may be broken right now, but it will get better.
You may be broken right now, but you are not weak.

You are never weak. Your head has forgotten its capacity to love, to forgive, to hold memories.

Your body has forgotten how to push forward. But you are not this fragile creature that needs to be sheltered, protected, held within a closed fist.

You are not weak. The strongest parts of you are hiding just below the surface, giving you a moment to process. Recharging. The strongest parts of you are building, aligning, bubbling underneath your skin. Waiting for you to believe in them, to set them free.

You are not weak. You do not need to be taken care of. You do not need pity, or gentleness, or someone to carry you, or to hold your hand. You have the strength to stand on your own, the confidence to rebuild, the passion to continue, and the love to forgive.

Though the world may be pulling you down today, though you can’t lift the shadow from your eyes, though you are scared of the future, though you are broken, you are not weak.

So close your eyes, take a deep breath, and silently remind yourself of the person you are, of your incredible strength, and begin to piece yourself together again.

Not literally, of course. I don’t want to drag my feverish ass on an airplane and infect the whole Boeing with phlegm. But it’s always when the idea seems to hit the hardest: perhaps because it’s when I’m at my most vulnerable. I miss everybody when I am sick. I miss my mom. I miss my ex-boyfriend. I miss my best friend who moved across the country and can no longer crawl into bed with me and read me tacky Internet quizzes to distract from my nausea. I miss everyone I’ve loved and lost and feel estranged from when I get a simple stomach flu and that makes me want to disappear from my entire life.

That’s something I’ve noticed about the urge to wander: It hits the strongest when we’re the most powerless. The desire to strap on a backpack, slam the front door and not look back is the ultimate “F*ck you” to whatever about your life is getting you down. “You could leave this all behind,” Your brain coos. “It could all be that simple.” And for those of us who’ve chosen the escapist route before, we know it’s true: there is nothing complicated about leaving. Nothing difficult about packing a bag, buying a plane ticket and finding an apartment someplace new. It’s not an art. It is a habit and it’s one that becomes all too easy with time.

Perhaps that is a product of the society we have created: one where possibilities are limitless and no mistake is ever inescapable. We idealize leaving it all behind as the ultimate answer to our struggles. We see place as the problem and so we move on every time the urge to wander hits: we simply pack our bags, say our goodbyes and move along. This place wasn’t the right place for me, we reason. So onwards I go.

But here is what I’ve noticed about so many people who wander: No place is ever enough. No destination is final. Happiness is fleeting, escapable, volatile as the weather in a given destination. We go where the sun shines and we leave when skies darken. It’s the philosophy we live by both literally and figuratively. We are eternally in search of a better city, better job, better relationship, better life. When things are good, we stay. When things get tough, we pack up and move on. It’s our way of taking control of a given situation: we abandon it before it has the chance to wear on us. We control it by destroying it all and then marvelling over our power. The irony of our own actions evades us. We don’t see what we’re leaving behind when we jump ship. We’re onto the next, onto the new, onto the always bigger and better.

When the urge to wander hits, it’s never random. It is almost like a knee-jerk reaction for many of us. It is our lives telling us, if you stay, things will change. And change freaks us out. We want change on our own accord – change that we decided on, change we orchestrated. The compulsion to move is an eternal game of cat-and-mouse in which we misidentify our role. If we’re the ones choosing to move, then we’re the pursuers and never the chased. We have the power. We’re in control.

But here’s the truth about wandering: It does nothing but delay the inevitable. Change happens to all of us. If it does not find us on the road, it encircles us when we return home – we see the age in the faces of our family members, the progressions that our friends have made at work. We attend engagement parties and baby showers. We catch glimpses of the lives we don’t necessarily want but which force us to grasp the absurdity of the choices we’ve made. We haven’t run from change, we’ve run alongside it. We’ve kept an even pace with everything that’s shifted. And suddenly it seems like we may not be the cat in the game after all.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with travel. It can be eye-opening, perspective-shifting and life-changing. But it can also be escapism. And when it’s the latter, it begs us to re-evaluate. What is it about staying in one place that makes us tremble? Why do we so definitely need to move at every opportunity? What would happen if we stayed? Could we survive it?

Just as there’s a time to travel, there comes a time to stay put. And sometimes when the urge to wander hits, we have to learn to counter-act it. To step outside of ourselves and determine if it’s truly the time to depart or if we’re simply feeling threatened. If the changes life is trying to impose on us necessitate an escape or if they’re a storm that we could weather. That we could maybe even grow from. That we might benefit from once it’s all said and done.

Next time the urge to wander hits, ask yourself: What am I running away from? What would happen if I didn’t? What if I stuck to one place, to one commitment, to one way of living and saw it through right to the end?

Who would I become as a result?

And would that be so bad after all?

2. Photoshop so good you don’t even realize there’s Photoshop (and so your perception of “normal” is totally skewed.)

3. The attitudes of the first people you dated/were intimate with, and whether or not they appreciated your body for the completely awesome thing it was (and is.) For whatever reason, people’s body hang-ups can often be traced back to those initial experiences, especially if they were negative.

4. How you judge other people. What you first reach to insult someone with — especially when it’s physical — says infinitely more of you than them.

5. The way your friends treat their bodies and behave. In this case, it’s less about what they say to you or about themselves, and much more what you pick up on through their actions. We begin to subconsciously adopt the collective mindset of the group of people we hang out with most.

6. What media you consume. The books and magazines you read, websites you visit, TV shows you binge watch all combine to create your concept of what’s “normal” and what’s “ideal,” and you usually derive these ideas from the characters you identify with most.

7. Your heritage and your hometown. Food is such an integral part of culture — it’s largely the thing we socialize around — it can’t not also be tied to the culture in which you were raised. Emotional eating can start young and passing judgments about your figure from not-ill-intentioned relatives can really settle into your psyche after a while.

8. Whether or not you’ve been in a relationship in which you felt that your connection was more than just skin-deep. It’s hard to believe that love can exist without hinging on physical expectations, until you experience it, and you start to realize that appearance really doesn’t matter most. 

9. If you are associating fitness with being a means to an end — that end being a different body — as opposed to being something holistic to keep yourself running (PUN INTENDED.)

10. How genuine your friendships are. If you only maintain relationships with people out of convenience — if you don’t have anybody in your life to whom you know you are important for who you are not what you do for them, your attentions will generally be focused on maintaining a physical, exterior kind of acceptability.

11. The comments people yell on the street — even if cat calls are “meant” to be complimentary (this is arbitrary, but bear with me) they still reduce your body down to a commodity.

12. How much you understand about health vs. genetic build, the fact that we don’t ever lose fat cells, they just shrink, and the concept of big vs. small/heavy vs. light is completely subjective to each person. If you only gauge your body’s acceptability by comparison, you’ll never be enough.

13. An assignment of “good” and “bad” to foods in terms of how they’ll make you look, how how they’ll make you feel or how good they’ll be for you. It skews your idea of what’s important for your body in general.

14. Not spending any time outside. The sun regenerates your body — we are as solar-powered as the foods we eat — and to deny your body that source of warmth and light is to deplete your feel-good hormones and everything else you were built to live in.

15. Not having anything more important to base your self-worth on. When you don’t feel like you have anything more important to offer the world, it’s inevitable that you get stuck on what’s most easy to see and judge.

16. Unrequited love. It’s easy to pin something physical to being the reason someone isn’t interested, but someone who only loves you when you’re 20 lbs thinner is not someone you want to be with anyway.

17. The constant attention given to celebrities’ bodies, how frequently you consume it and how seriously you take it. Whether they’re “bouncing back” after having a baby or simply going through the ebb and flow of life, they’re under the kind of scrutiny that would almost make it seem that obsessing about 10 lbs after you’ve had a baby is normal. Part of their job is to endure this, and it’s terrible, but you don’t need to be another person entertaining yourself with it. It’s not helping anybody. Hold yourself to your own standard.

18. Forgetting what our bodies were meant to do — laugh and play and jump and hug and love — and there is literally zero evolutionary advantage in having chiseled hipbones to help you do any of that.

I am twenty-two. And if there’s something the last five months have taught me—as I transition from a college graduate to a full-time employee, as I move out of my parents’ house, as I pay for bills and file my taxes and cook my own meals and navigate a completely unknown future—it’s that it is perfectly okay to be selfish.

To know what I want and what I deserve. To make dreams, tiny and manageable or giant and unrealistic. To lay out plans and wishes and hopes. To get up early, to stay out late, to binge-watch Netflix, to spend all afternoon at the gym, to get drunk on a Monday, to fall asleep before 9PM. To eliminate negative people and surround myself with happiness. To forgive.

Right now is the time in my life to make decisions. For myself. To stop worrying about what my mother, aunt, significant other, best friend in the entire world, or ex thinks about what I’m doing.

The time to let go of my self-hate, my anger, my resentment for others and focus on myself. What makes me happy? What is important to me? What do I want? What do I need?

“Selfish” has always been a dirty word. You are selfish. That means you put yourself first. That means you don’t care about anyone but yourself. But is that such a bad thing?

To be selfish means to know who you are as a person and what you need. It means taking the time to do things that you want to do. It means not changing your plans, your thoughts, your words, your actions, yourself for the sake of someone else. Sure, it means you potentially have the power to hurt others, but this is an unintentional part of the process of becoming you, becoming whole.

To be selfish means to know who you are as a person and what you need. It means taking the time to do things that you want to do.

It is awesome to be selfish. To stop over-thinking, over-analyzing, questioning every decision you make. When you are selfish, you give yourself the opportunity to grow. You do things solely because you feel compelled to. You chase your emotions, you follow what your heart and head are telling you. And most importantly, you do things because you want to, not because you are told.

It is healthy to be selfish. To decide, for yourself, that you want to spend the day exploring nature, napping all afternoon, or partying until 3AM. You allow your mind and your body to connect and do something that you want to do, free of distractions, fears, inhibitions, and regrets.

So as I sit in a quiet library, watching snowflakes press their miniature selves against the windows and wishing for something more, I remind myself that it’s okay to be selfish, to take the world, swallow it whole, and claim it as my own.

As 2026 starts, I place my family into your hands – not with fear, but with trust. You know every person I love, every worry I carry for them, every silent prayer I’ve whispered when I didn’t know what else to do. Thank you for sustaining us this far.

In 2026, l ask for health that is steady and protected – in body, in mind, and in spirit. Where there has been strain, bring restoration.

Where there has been exhaustion, bring renewal. Guard our days, our routines, and the quiet moments we often overlook.

I pray for happiness that is rooted, not fragile. Joy that shows up in ordinary mornings and shared laughter. Peace that settles our hearts even when life feels uncertain. Help us treat one another with patience, kindness, and grace, especially when things feel heavy.

Cover our home with your presence. Guide our steps with wisdom.

Keep us close to what truly matters. And as this year unfolds, remind us that we are never walking alone – not as individuals, and not as a family.

I place what’s ahead in your hands, God.

Amen.

If you’re a woman looking to deepen your understanding of Scripture and yourself, we have our new book available now from the God & Man team. It’s called 111 Devotionals For Women Healing Through Faith and you can find it here.

Finding peace doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from trusting the one who does. Trusting that God sees the road ahead more clearly than you ever could. Trusting that he knows what needs to fall away, what needs to stay, and what needs time to grow. Trusting that even in seasons where nothing feels settled, he is still arranging the details with care.

And the more you trust him, the more you begin to recognize His leadership in the gentle shifts — the opportunities that align effortlessly, the friendships that feel like provision, the strength that returns when you thought you were finished, the sense of “this is where I’m meant to be” that settles in your spirit.

God doesn’t lead you aimlessly. He leads you intentionally, lovingly, and with perfect clarity. You might not understand every step, but you can rest in the truth that every step is held.

You will end up exactly where you need to be — not because you forced it, but because God guided you there with a wisdom you’ll one day be grateful for.

Rebecca Simon is the author of Let Go, Trust God and Finding God Every Day. Read those books here.

If you’re ending this year tired but hopeful, uncertain but still trusting, know that it’s enough. You don’t have to have everything figured out tonight. Let this be the moment you exhale, give thanks for what carried you through, and step forward lighter than before.

God,

As this year comes to a close, I come to you honestly – aware of what this year asked of me and how deeply it challenged me. You saw the strength it required, the patience I had to learn, and the moments | held on when letting go felt impossible. Thank you for staying close through every high and low, even on the days I didn’t feel strong or faithful.

Tonight, I place in your hands what I am ready to release. The disappointments I still carry. The questions that never found answers. The versions of myself that existed only to survive. I trust that nothing I walked through was wasted, even if I don’t yet understand the purpose behind it.

As I step into a new year, I don’t ask for certainty or perfection. I ask for peace in my spirit and courage to move forward without fear. Help me enter what’s next, lighter than I was before – trusting you more, resisting less, and believing that good things can meet me without pain attached.

I give you what’s ending, and I trust you with what’s coming, God.

Amen.