i hope you have the courage to just be you

For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.

– Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay, inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s – 

There are a few core beliefs that I have that shape the way that I live.

One of them is that we have the power to create the life that we want.

Now, let me just address the cynics and non-believers out there first… I know that many people are stuck in crazy, tough, and even horrible situations. I know that we all suffer from pain, loneliness, disappointment, fear, and frustration at various times, and in varying degrees, all throughout life. I fully admit that creating the life that we want to live is no simple feat. And that it most certainly is not all rainbows and unicorns and sunshine-y days.

But, that’s just it. Life is not like that. And yet, we still have the power to live the life that we want. We really do. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves surrounded by. No matter what might be going on during any given day, or week, or god forbid, year.

I mean, isn’t it up to us how we choose to see things? How we choose to respond to things? What kind of attitude + energy we bring to our day and the people we encounter throughout the day? *

No one can give us the life that our soul wants us to live. No one can make our dreams come true for us. Life will not just magically make everything the way that we want it. We have to work for it. We have to create it.

However, we do not create it ourselves. When we tap into our soul and are seeking to live life as our true selves, then the universe, the divine, the mysterious and mystical will co-create the life that we want with us. It’s that “everything is falling into place” feeling. Like things are just happening and turning out the way they should. And we have those days every now and then, don’t we?

But, they haven’t just happened, have they? Something inside of us chose to believe that something else was possible. Something inside of us helped us dare to dream that we could live an amazing life.

I love the quote that I shared above because it’s focus is the same as mine. In order to live the life that we want to live, it’s up to us to create it. It is totally possible. Any time, any day, and in any place. And we all deserve to live the life that we want to live.

All it takes is a little bit of courage. Just a tiny bit to get started. And then, after tapping into that courage once, it gets easier + easier, and soon, before we know it, we are one big bad ass, living life to the fullest, machine.

So, my friends, as Lina + I said in our latest podcast on courage, here’s to being brave + summoning all of the courage that we can to create the life that our soul is calling us to live. A wide, big, deep, amazing life – however you want it to be. It just takes one tiny step to begin. And, trust me, you have all of the power that you need already within you. I promise.

Be brave, wild ones!

xoxo. liz.

*In no way do I mean to downplay the pain and frustration and suffering that some people are experiencing in the midst of their own mental health issues. I am also fully aware of the difficulty of choosing how one wants to live when suffering from a mental health issue. In no way am I saying that one can just “snap out of it”. There are times in life when professional help is warranted  + needed. This, of course, comes first and foremost. Seeking professional help, though, is in itself deciding to taking control of one’s own life… choosing to begin that journey of getting help to begin to create the life that one desires. I honor all people who find the courage to reach out to get help. And I have the utmost respect for all people who are suffering and fighting.