I hope you find the courage to fight for your ideas and your dreams. I hope you always find the strength to stand alone until you make it to the top, until you find your tribe, until you find a way to stand tall and prove everyone wrong. I hope you don’t let their words discourage you or their advice veer you off the path you’re on. Don’t let their limited minds diminish your big dreams. Don’t let their experiences hinder yours.

I hope you find the courage to take off. Move to a new city, change your career, start over, share your heart with the world, give your talent a fair shot. I hope you understand that this road is not easy or smooth and you might find a lot of bumps and a lot of people giving you wrong directions but I hope you take that road anyway. I hope you keep driving and I hope you navigate your way through all the dead ends and all the roadblocks. I hope you know that the final destination is beautiful and it’s worth it.

I hope you know that getting lost on that road is the best way to get lost and ultimately, the best way to find yourself.

I hope you find the courage to wear your vulnerabilities and your scars like a badge of honor. I hope you don’t let people shame you or make you shy away from your emotions or your feelings. I hope you don’t let their own insecurities make you believe that your struggles are not valid or that your voice doesn’t matter.

I hope you don’t let their meaningless words stop you from finding meaning in your life or finding your calling. I hope you don’t let them make you feel small because you’re capable of doing so many great things. So many big things. So many magical things.

I hope you find the courage to believe in yourself even if you’re too old or too young, even if things aren’t shaping up the way you want them to, even if it’s taking you years to accomplish what someone else accomplished in a month, even if you feel like you’re in the wrong dream. I hope you find the courage to be persistent, to try again, to rise up, to build up yourself when others destroy you.

I hope you find the courage to be your biggest fan until you have real fans. I hope you find the courage to clap for yourself when no one else claps for you. I hope you find the courage to know that you’re bound to win no matter how many times you’ve lost.

I hope you find the courage to believe in yourself because that’s the only thing that will protect you from the naysayers and everyone trying to belittle you. That’s the only thing that will warm you up when people turn cold. That’s the only shield you’ll ever need to win your battles. I hope you find the courage to believe in yourself because you have what it takes to live a life you’re proud of. A life dictated by you, not anyone else.