In the last year, I have seen victory in my life over things I thought I would struggle with forever. I've learned to combat lies with truth and speak that out. I want to share with you girls the freedom I've found.
Dear girls, there are many things you will grow up being told. And if someone doesn't tell you directly then they send you messages. They tell you the person you are supposed to be and the story that you are supposed to have. Some of it is good, so take the good. But a lot of it is damaging and false. They'll make you believe that you're a certain way just because you are a girl as if that makes it inevitable for you to struggle with certain things. But the truth is, you can be whatever you want to be.
They tell you the person you are supposed to be and the story that you are supposed to have. Some of it is good, so take the good.
You might grow up believing that you have to look a certain way to succeed. You might grow up thinking that every mark and blemish on your body is noticeable to the world and it might be all you can see when you look in a mirror. And then people might tell you that you will never change and you will always feel disgusted when you look in the mirror. But that's a lie. Keep fighting through those feelings because you can get to the other side. You can love yourself without needing to drastically change. Don't buy into that.
Keep fighting through those feelings because you can get to the other side.
You might grow up believing that there's drama in being someone who doesn't know their worth. The movies might make you feel like it's romantic to not love who you are and need someone to make you believe it. Please ignore that. It's actually so cool to know who you are and love that. It's amazing to think highly of yourself and not need a single person to acknowledge it for you to believe it. And loving yourself doesn't mean being obsessed with yourself or thinking about yourself all the time, it actually means thinking less about yourself, just being yourself, and not needing someone to tell you who you are. You don't need to explain it to anyone, you just simply are. The world might make it seem like it's the best when you're insecure in a relationship and someone makes you feel secure. Let me encourage you to be fully secure in who you are and then when you're in a relationship you don't need to figure that part out.
It's actually so cool to know who you are and love that. It's amazing to think highly of yourself and not need a single person to acknowledge it for you to believe it.
You might grow up believing that you need to belong to someone, that you need someone to complete you. But let me say this: it is possible to have even greater romance in knowing that you don't need someone but you want them. It's beautiful to know exactly who you are and know that you could live a lovely life without someone, but find someone that you don't want to live without. You don't need to belong to that person in terms of possession. But you can choose to give yourself to them, to trust them, love them deeply, and allow them to love you. It doesn't look like putting up walls, it looks like allowing someone to enter into them. You can live a wild life and never need to belong to someone. You can be partners with them. You don't need any person to complete you. It's a beautiful thing to find someone you can live without, you just don't want to.
It's beautiful to know exactly who you are and know that you could live a lovely life without someone, but find someone that you don't want to live without.
You might grow up believing that because you are a woman you will always let emotions control you. But that's not true. You can have self-discipline and self-control. You can be full of joy and peace. You can feel things deeply without being overtaken by them.
You might grow up believing that where you're at is where you'll be forever. That's not true. It comes and goes so quickly. Face your fears boldly and don't let the world tell you who you are. You are lovely. You are strong. You are full of life that I know you haven't even tapped into. You will see lovely things and go to lovely places.
You might grow up believing that where you're at is where you'll be forever. That's not true.
Please, grow up believing that.