1. You have a space of your own. Whether it's a home, apartment, room or desk, you have somewhere that you have claimed as your own. It's yours to do with as you please. Whether you write, think, or rest there, you have the authority to do as you please with that space. It's a beautiful provider of pride, authority and ownership.
2. You're not worried about when your next meal is coming or where it's coming from. There's food in the pantry or you have the money to take yourself out to dinner. You have the ability to choose what you want to eat and when you want to eat it.
3. You have some form of income. You're earning money to buy and pay for things, whatever they may be. It doesn't have to be the best job in the world, but it's nothing to complain about if you're earning money and being independent and responsible.
4. You paid your bills last month. Maybe you even had some money left over to spend on some stuff you wanted. You figured out how much needs to go where and you made sure it happened.
5. You have a decent amount of clothes to choose from. You don't have to worry about getting frostbite in the winter or overheating in the summer. You have clothes for different circumstances and you can appropriately dress your body for whatever comes your way.
6. You can afford to do things that are beyond the bare minimum, time-wise or money-wise. You could afford that tank of gas, those tickets for next month's Dave Matthews concert, a new book you want to read, or the tall cup of coffee you've been craving all day. You don't have to work 24/7 and you have time to do things that you want to do, even if it's just watching a couple episodes of your favorite show on Netflix.
7. You're working towards something that you're interested in. Even if it seems to be out of reach, you have goals. But at the same time, you're aware of the fact that things may not work out for that goal, and you know that that's okay, too. And whatever the goal is, it's aimed towards something you like and that you want to further explore.
8. You can take care of yourself. You know what food you like when you're sad, and what song gets you going when you need an energy boost, and how much sleep you need to wake up in a good mood.
9. You. Sometimes you feel like everything is the wrong thing, but you don't really know what the right thing is. That's okay. You're open to growth and open to figuring out what you need.
10. You've loved, but you've also lost. You've opened up and let people into your life, and some of those people have left. You've realized the good part of a crappy situation -- the relationship wasn't meant to be, and the fact that it ended means that something better is out there and you're already on the road that leads to it.
11. You have friends, and you also have truly close friends. You know who's there for you, and you know who truly accepts and loves you at the end of both your best and worst days.
12. You've been through hell and back, and you've changed because of it. You've made it through things that you thought you'd never get over. You learned and evolved, and you know how these things changed you.
Keep pushing through. You've got this.
