"When you start to feel like things should have been better this year, remember the mountains and valleys that got you here. They were not accidents. And those moments weren't in vain. You are not the same. You have grown and you are growing. You are breathing. You are living. You are wrapped in endless, boundless grace. And things WILL get better. There is more to you than yesterday." -Morgan Harper Nichols.

IN CASE YOU NEED THIS TODAY:

You are not a failure. It has often been said that doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. All of the power you need to create a life you love is inside you. If you failed, what really matters is that you bounced back. Don't allow thoughts of failing enter your mind. You are not your thoughts. You are your thoughts. You are not your thoughts until you decide to become your thoughts. Think about that. Stay for the storm if you can take it, but pray for a raincoat.

You are not a waste of space. You just have to be who you are, even if it feels weird. Do more than just exist. Find your peace and live there, even if means letting things go. The peace I have now was worth everything I lost. Your potential is endless, go do what you were created to do.

You are loved. Choose every day to forgive yourself. You are human, flawed and most of all, worthy of love. Exhibit endless, boundless grace. Always. I cannot count the number of people who applauded my grace this year, grace that I didn’t know I had. But as people began to draw my attention to it, I thanked God for the ability to showcase grace when doubt, fear, and anger overwhelmed me. Everything will be so good, so soon. Just hang in there, and don't worry about it too much.

Life goes on. It doesn’t stop when things get hard. It doesn’t follow some magical plan you’ve mapped out. It continues, whether you like it or not. Let’s be honest, what’s the alternative?

You're so hard on yourself. Take a moment. Sit back. Marvel at your life: at the grief that softened you, at the heartache that made you wiser, the suffering that strengthened you. Despite everything, you still grow.