For the longest time, I’ve lived in fear. No, not fear in general, but I lived in fear online. I’ve lived in fear as a writer that somehow calling myself a writer and identifying my writings as my own would backfire. I feared when talking about touchy subjects, subjects like PPD or grieving the death of a loved one that others wouldn’t get me or…like me.

I cared too much.

Time has changed that, however. Now, I do call myself a writer. And now I do sign my full name on my writings because I’m proud of them and I’m okay with standing by any ideas that I profess on this blog or my other blog.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again that the first step in becoming the person you want to be is taking the steps to be that person. It’s owning your voice and your ideas and being okay with trolls who may hate you or may not agree with you or necessarily like your ideas.

At some point, to become that person, you must learn to be okay with you. You must be okay with making mistakes and not knowing all the answers.

You must be okay that you are better today than you were yesterday and you will still be even better tomorrow.

You must believe this.

STOP.