a letter to my future self

Dear Tonia,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this to you with hopes that it will bring some joy to your heart, make you smile, and maybe even make you laugh. 

This is your first blog. You have been wanting to start a blog for awhile and you finally did. Along with that, you started a YouTube channel and plan to make many videos. It's a scary feeling. Hopefully by now you have written many blogs, made many videos, and the feeling that you have in the pit of your stomach is a little easier to deal with now. I hope that you have made new friends and touched some peoples lives because you put yourself out there. 

I want you to know that it's probably not going to be easy. There are going to be many times when you will want to give up. You will want to quit because it will seem like your dreams are impossible. Please don't. Don't ever give up. I believe in you. I also believe that along the way, you will find other people who believe in you too. You just have to keep going.

I hope you remember that as you are on this journey, that there will be other people in your life who have dreams that they have not sought after as well. Do your best to recognize that and support them. We are all in this together. You never know when your words of encouragement or your simple kindness will make the difference in someone's life. You have to believe in other peoples dreams as much, if not more, than your own. 

Live in the moment. That's important. Time slips by so fast. Try not to spend time worrying about the future and harping on the past. You know that will get you nowhere. All that will do is rob you of your time and happiness. I hope that right now you are grateful for everyone and everything you have in your life. I hope you realize how lucky you are. Please make sure you love everyone in your life with your whole heart. Don't miss out on the good stuff because you're focused on the small stuff. Take it from me, you won't even remember half the things you worried about. But the moments, those are yours to keep.

I know it has been hard for you along the way. I know how terrifying going after what you want really is. You are venturing out into the great wide open. You have no idea how it will turn out. It could be a disaster. I hope you remember that the thought of NOT doing what you want is way more terrifying than any awful thing that could happen. This is where you can find your strength. You have to be more afraid of not doing what you want then doing it. I hope you are able to focus on that.

I wish you good luck. If you're in a rough spot right now, I hope these words encourage and motivate you.If things are going well for you I hope that it continues. I wish you good health and hope there is joy in your heart. Take care of yourself and those around you and always follow your heart.

Sincerely,
Your past self