Dear teenage girl, 👧

You are young, smart, and beautiful. Your potential is boundless. The world is waiting for you to make your mark. Expectations are high, and rightfully so. You’ve been given so much. Blessed with family, good education, friends. There is nothing that can hold you back. That’s what you’ve been told since you were a wee tot.

What examples of success have you been shown? And are those examples what you want for yourself? Who is your positive role model? Who do you look up to? Who do you trust?

If any of these questions have been difficult to answer, perhaps you haven’t figured it out yet.

Well meaning family and friends will try to “encourage” you. When you’re not living up to pre determined expectations, (theirs, not yours), they will reaffirm the belief that you are destined for something more. Bluntly stated, you are a disappointment. But that doesn’t bother you, right? This is a “pep talk”.

Meanwhile, your friends have followed their dreams, walking their own paths. You still can’t decide which path is yours, which direction to go. So, you wander. Your lack of motivation further solidifies your “disappointing” status.

If anyone truly understood you, they would not question your apparent lethargy, or be judgemental of your choices. Every eye rolling move you make is bringing you closer to the person you are supposed to be.

As you mature, the voices of your critics, (you know, the ones who care about you), will become muffled. You will no longer feel the weight of judgement. Instead, you will become determined to carve a path that may not have been previously foreseen. Deep down, you’ve always known who you are, and what your life will look like. Now, with a carefree heart, you move forward unencumbered by unsolicited opinion.

Hold on to lessons learned. Hold on to wisdom that has been imparted on you from those who only seek your love. Hold on to the belief that your soul is guided by love. Accept others in the way that you longed for. Let go of every painful memory, negative situation, and vitriolic individual.

We free ourselves, or we imprison ourselves. Free yourself, young girl, from yourself.