Dear Ann,

I love you more than anyone else ever could and more than anyone else ever can.

Love,
Yourself.

There are days when I feel something stirring inside me. It starts in my chest and begins to grow and expand, until I can no longer stand it. And then, I must do something.

I must create.

I must move.

I must – DO SOMETHING.

This kinetic energy stirring inside me, reminding me each day that life is short and time will pass. I must travel again and conquer the world. How I unintentionally let each hour, each day pass me by. I'd love to take gourmet cooking classes. Without realizing how each moment was sacrificed, I allowed small opportunities and small parts of me to fade away with the clock. I want to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and build homes for needy families.

There are days when I feel my soul trying to jump out of my skin, trying to break free from its physical limitations. I have a lot more to offer than what I am today. Do you ever feel like you have untapped potential inside yourself waiting to be discovered? I'm a born leader. That's how I feel. It's like I have this great untouched lake sitting inside this big cave I call myself. And, I'm searching through my own cave for my own Holy Grail. I know it's there, I'm almost there, but I'm just beyond reach.

There are days when I feel the fire bursting inside me. Days when my creative itch, my kinetic energy won't rest until I harness this power inside me. There are days when I feel like I'm a force to be reckoned with. Days when I feel powerful and invincible. Like, the world is mine for the taking.

And, then there are days when ...

... the world is mine.

If you can't stay true to yourself, there's nobody else you would stay true to.

If you'd be willing to sacrifice and compromise who you are, there's probably nothing else you'd value in life.

If you don't love yourself, there's probably nothing or nobody else you could love.

I promised myself I would break free. I promised myself I would break through this writer's hiatus.

I promised myself a lot of things.

The only way to stay true to myself and reclaim the fire in my soul is to keep striking the match that will eventually light and spark the fire from within once again.

The only way to stay true to myself is to let go...

And, change.

"When I let go of what I am,
I become what I might be."
~ Lao Tzu

You shouldn't need an external factor (like the New Year) to motivate you to change and become a better person.

You shouldn't need an excuse to force you to start living your life the way you want to.

That should come within.