Dear Me,

Even though you're always here physically (because we're the same person, lol), I have to say that a lot of the time, I don't know where you are mentally. It sometimes feels like you're just kind of floating, out there searching for something that you can't quite figure out the name of. Lately, you've been wandering, feeling like you don't have a purpose or a direction.

I'm here to tell you something that we both know: the person you've been lately isn't you.

It's easy to let the busyness of life and your everyday issues get the best of you. But it's not okay to let the little things bring you down so far that you can't find your way back up. You've been down recently, and you and I both know why. However, in the grand scheme of things, how important are the things that you've let get to you?

While the little things can add up, I can assure you they are completely inconsequential to your future life. Don't let them get you down when you have so many other things going on. You like to challenge yourself to stay busy and work hard to achieve your goals, but becoming hyper focused on everything that goes wrong in your day-to-day life keeps you from being productive. Those things make you more negative, which ultimately keeps you from being the positive, upbeat person you strive to be.

You've gone through some tough things lately: going to college, enrolling in 20 hours this semester, questioning a change in career path, and wondering if all of the choices you've made up to this point were really what were best for you. With so much going on in your life, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and to question what you've decided to do. For this, I have one piece of advice for you...trust your gut.

I know how indecisive you are, how much you think before you make a decision, and how much you continue to ponder your decisions after they're already made. However, you have to trust that you've done the right thing. Even if it turns out later that you didn't make a right choice, it's never too late to make another choice and keep moving forward. Try not to get so bogged down in your worries about the past or the future. I know for a worrier and a planner like you, this can be hard, but it's so important to appreciate the present.

Don't let the opportunities of right now pass you by because you're too busy being sad about a little thing that ultimately will have no bearing on your life. Focus on you and where you want to go. Don't be afraid to make a wrong turn. You know who you are, and you shouldn't allow situations to change the person you know is inside you. You are smart, you are driven, and you are important, no matter how down on yourself you may feel. Never lose sight of the person you are, because she is so special. Don't let what anyone else says or does change who you are on the inside, because ultimately the only opinion about you that should matter is your own.

I know things are hard, and I know that sometimes you doubt the path you're on. But that's not you. You know who you are and you know where you want to go. Don't let stupid things get in the way of who you really are. And when you get extremely down, remember:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

Keep fighting to be the person you know you are, finish what you start so you can accomplish your goals, and keep faith in God that He will never present you with a situation you can't handle. Be present not just physically, but also mentally, in everything you do. Give everything your all and face challenges with the confidence I know you have inside you. Live your life, love yourself, and let the little things roll off of you. I know you've got this, and now it's time for you to realize it too.

Keep striving to be the person you are inside. I know who she is, and it's time the world got to know her too.

Love,

Me