A late bloomer who completely undermined the seriousness of adulthood; is who I was in 2021. I cannot really say that my previous entries even scratched the surface of what post-graduation life experience had in store for me. The fogginess of the path that was never properly established was extremely hard to walk, especially with the heavy distractions that not only added obstacles on the path ahead, but also broke my character allowing me to eventually see my shortcomings and giving me a chance to later rebuild a better more solid version of myself. It was bitter-sweet. It was both the best and the worst year. 

I’d been exposed to so much in the deep end. I’m glad it all happened, because I may have needed to learn all those lessons before going any further in life. 

1. Self-kindness
2. Discipline 
3. Picking your battles wisely

These three things are make me the best, most functional version of myself. To me, practicing self-love lies in practicing these three things. 

Knowing that you need to grow is not an easy thing to accept, because we assume that it would mean that who you are now isn’t good. If we treat ourselves fairly, we can openly understand that it simply means that you aren’t the best that you can be. That should be a compliment in itself. 

Potential is a beautiful, beautiful gift, that when nurtured, shapes the most amazing human beings. What builds character is effort. We need to put effort into personal growth. We need to put effort into aspirations. We need to put effort into our mental health. As an adult, all these things are now your responsibility. It is no longer your parents’ responsibility, and not an institution’s responsibility (unless you’re raking in the felonies).