Make This Your Mantra: I Am Blessed, Loved, And Strong

I don’t know what you’re going through right now. Maybe you woke up this morning to some terrible news. Maybe while getting dressed you listened to the radio with a heavy heart. Maybe you’re stumbling around your apartment, trying not to see his or her things littered in every corner. Maybe you’re reading the Bible, or flipping through your social media feed, or staring blankly at the television, hoping for a sign that something will change.

I don’t know if you’re happy, if you’re lonely, if you’re content. I don’t know if you’re burdened by yesterday or looking forward to tomorrow with open arms. I don’t know if you’re still stuck on someone who walked away, or if you were the one who left and you’re wondering whether you made the right choice.

I don’t know the specifics about you—what makes you unique, what you care about, who you are when the lights are off and you’re all alone—but what I do know is that when all the layers are peeled back, we’re not that much different after all.

We are human. And we are all fighting through this mess together. We all have days where the sun seems to be shining just for us and days where we can’t shake darkness, no matter what we do. We all have half-broken hearts, dizzying steps, vices, problems, successes, and fears.

We’re all so vastly unique, and yet, we share the same hopes for a good life, same desires for love, and same longings for the strength to carry us through. So I hope today—wherever you are, whoever you are—you repeat these words to yourself: I am blessed. I am loved. I am strong.

Because these words are truth.

No matter who you are, you’ve overcome so much. No matter how many times you’ve fallen, you’ve been able to right yourself and get back on your feet. No matter what heaviness has been laid on your heart, you’ve found a way to love and let go. And no matter how separated or distant you feel from the rest of the world, at the end of the day you’re not alone.

So please speak words of kindness to your tired heart. Tell yourself that you are capable, that you are powerful, that each day above ground is a day you’ve already won, and that you are worthy of all that you desire.

You are not a perfect person, not always going to do the right thing or be a shining role model, but you are filled with love and light.

You have too many things yet to accomplish, too many hearts yet to love, too many steps and chances left to take, too many dreams to pursue. Your time here is not done, so don’t sell yourself short. On the days where you have lost your way, know that you will find a path in time. On the nights where you cry yourself to sleep over lost love, remember how love is already within you. On the mornings you want to give up, remind yourself that you have already conquered so much.

And in the moments where you don’t know what else to do, repeat these words over and over until they stick: I am blessed. I am loved. I am strong.

Because you are. You are blessed by air, by lungs, by legs, by light. You are blessed by people who care for you, even when the wrong ones don’t. You are blessed by nature, by laughter, by art. You are blessed simply by being alive. Don’t take that for granted.

As for love, you will find it. Though the truth is, you already have it beating wildly in your chest. And that heartbeat? That’s strength. Each pulse a reminder of who you are and the places you will go.

So speak only positivity, only courage, only hope to yourself. Know that you are a person worthy of being here, and know that even across oceans, highways, time zones, and computer screens someone else is writing these exact words and rooting for you.