I believe that life should be more than just making it through the next major event. 

I believe that “I’m fine” is a lukewarm answer but it often feels safer than the truth. 

I believe that it’s more common than people think, to not feel deeply connected to yourself or to your loved ones.

I believe that getting drunk every weekend is a sign that you’re seeking something in your life that you’re just not getting. 

I believe that allowing others to make decisions for you allows you to stay small, and sometimes that feels synonymous with being taken care of. 

I believe that way too many people were taught that they were the problem in childhood, by parents who didn’t know how to handle their own emotions at the time. 

I believe many of those people pass the same pain down to their own children, or take it out on themselves in small ways every day. 

I believe that this is why we see bullying and name calling and abuse in the world, because that’s what they learned would prevent them from feeling powerless and abandoned.

I believe this is also why we have self proclaimed perfectionists and people pleasers and nice girls/guys, for the exact same reason. 

I believe that change is possible, but when you weren’t shown how to embody your own authority and power, change and growth can feel fucking terrifying. 

I believe that so many people are distracting themselves from the inner message that, deep down, they want to pursue that growth and change. 

I believe this is why we drink, this is why we smoke, this is why we overeat, under-eat, numb ourselves out, seek out toxic relationships, and sometimes sabotage opportunities to grow.

I believe that many of the diagnoses we receive and medicate, are often just human traits that have become over-sharpened to compensate for what we weren’t taught.

I believe that most people you see are bumping around the world, still toddlers, trying desperately to find love and fill the holes they still have from childhood.

I believe that this bumping around often causes pain for other people, and even further pain for the ones inflicting it.

I believe that none of these things make anyone a bad person. 

I believe that the emotions we’ve become ashamed of or numb to, have actually been guiding us toward our higher path all along. 

I believe that the lesson we missed in childhood, that we almost all missed in childhood, is that we were perfectly, inherently, and uniquely deserving of love at all times.

I believe we are still worthy of that now. 

I believe we are here to uncover that truth within ourselves, that we are still worthy of love, even after what happened to us or what we have done.

I believe that finally uncovering and experiencing that truth is what helps us connect with ourselves and others.

I believe that we’re all here to do that in our own unique way, that our emotions and traits and quirks are our friends here to help guide us. 

I believe we’ve been conditioned to be afraid of these guides, to be ashamed of them or to have forgotten how to trust them. 

I believe that viewing our life story from a zoomed out, objective perspective can help us start to analyze those painful pieces that keep us from feeling safe in the daily moments.

I believe that identifying the parts of our identity that aren’t actually authentic to us is integral to achieving that zoomed out perspective. 

I believe that, when feeling safety in emotions becomes easier, we are better able to zoom back in and experience life rather than react to it. 

I believe that a safe space to process our story helps us feel empowered to zoom out and view it with curiosity. 

I believe that self-compassion helps us zoom back in and experience presence. 

I believe that all of these skills can be modeled and learned. 

I believe that every person who undergoes this journey can add their own unique perspective.

I believe that we are all able to learn from one another, even when we feel this journey has been “completed.”

I believe that the journey happens again and again, with deeper levels of self-awareness and self-acceptance every time. 

I believe that this shift in perception can truly change the trajectory of the rest of a person’s life. 

I believe that we store every memory of every moment we’ve ever lived within our body’s cells. 

I believe that those memories are still there, informing our daily reactions to things, even when we don’t realize it. 

I believe that this journey of shifting our perspective can help us start to recognize when our reactions are being held bound by the past.

I believe that the changes we’ve been seeking in our own behavior come much easier when we learn to release the shame of “I don’t know how to do it.”

I believe that taking imperfect action and learning from mistakes is better than never taking any action at all. 

I believe that many people feel unable to begin this journey of self-discovery and that’s actually half of the battle. 

I believe the world around us largely profits from us being uncertain, self-critical, insecure, and looking to others for instruction and authority. 

I believe that reclaiming our own inner authority is the only way to feel truly equipped to handle whatever comes next. 

I believe that the universe is constantly giving us signs to nudge us toward growth, but that we have to practice recognizing them and taking action to start to see them more. 

I believe that we’ve never actually been alone in this, all along. 

I believe that our parents were here to show us that we can be relaxed and taken care of, and unconditionally loved in the same way that the Creator unconditionally loves us.

I believe that this journey is about releasing the pain of not having that, and recognizing the beauty in the vulnerability and strength of human existence. 

I believe that connection with others is the best way to be shown these gifts and lessons. 

I believe that Jesus walked the Earth as a man to show us just that. 

I believe He set an example to show us how we can speak firmly and tread gently, how we can love fiercely and cry openly, and how we can live humbly and have gratitude. 

I believe that He was telling us all along, that this journey of our “old self” dying was going to be painful, but that it would bring great reward unlike anything we’ve seen before in our time on Earth. 

I believe that, if every human could recognize their inherent worthiness and experience Divine unconditional love for themselves and others, that we would truly see what one might call “Heaven on Earth.”

I believe all of this in my heart, and I also believe that living in a world where this wasn’t visibly true to my human eyes, was extraordinarily painful for me as a child. 

I believe that the human experience is quite possibly the most complex thing I’ve ever had the ability to comprehend in this life.

I believe that it can be astonishingly painful, at times even excruciating, but that it is also heart-breakingly, devastatingly beautiful. 

I believe that every human I encounter is a precious gift, and that every interaction is a sacred encounter. 

I believe that I am still learning what all of this means in practical, real-life application, even though I know it in my heart. 

I believe that healing is individual, and experiential, and owes no explanations to anyone. 

I believe that we may backtrack or falter, maybe even crumble at times. 
I believe that we are still worthy. 

I believe that we are loved. 

I believe that, at our core, we are love. 

Aloha.