I’m a planner and a doer. I’m a very driven and ambitious person. I like order. I like everything to be in its place. I like failproof schedules and flawless plans. And while these are probably some of my finer qualities, they can also be my biggest weaknesses.

Sometimes I focus so much on where I am going that I miss all the things along the way. I used to really struggle when things didn’t go according to plan. But I have learned that there must be a balance between having goals and living in the moment. Between meeting expectations and achieving success and yet relishing the tasks it takes to get there. Perhaps the key is knowing that the journey is always the most important part. If we can learn how to live in the moment, how to create our own happiness and to find our joys from within, then this life, this journey, becomes one big adventure destined to lead us to exactly the places we desire to be.

Live simply to live. Love simply to love. Do because you enjoy doing. Travel for travels sake.

Take it from someone who finally figured things out; never get so caught up in the end destination that you don’t appreciate the journey you are traveling to get there, for the journey is EVERYTHING.

I don’t remember life with a heart that was whole. From 4 years old there was always something missing and piece after piece I lost. Life for me was always something to endure, never to truly enjoy. I saw it as a challenge, as a test to prove that I could be strong no matter what.

The future was dim at best. The parts of me that I no longer had loomed over what was left. The pain became the only thing that made me feel alive. I learned how to be happy despite my trials. But no matter what version of the future I saw there were always things missing and I accepted that true happiness just didn’t belong to me.

I accepted that I would never be whole. That I would never have the things others had and that pieces of my heart would forever be so far away from me. I prayed my pain away. I begged for a different path. But oh how grateful I am now that he didn’t just take it all away.

I found the missing pieces in the broken cracks within my own heart. They truly did reflect the most beautiful kaleidoscopic view. And that view was mine. I found the “whole” version of myself among all the broken pieces.

The very cracks that I thought made me broken were in fact the pieces that made me whole.

My broken heart is my most prized possession, for within it holds every thing I’ve ever loved and its spaces have given me my greatest joys.

It is the very essence of who I am and it holds my journey to happiness.

It’s in the darkest shadows that I’ve found my light and in my weakest moments that I’ve found my greatest strength.

There truly is so much beauty in tragedy. So much joy that can be found in turmoil. I would never give up my greatest heart breaks. I would never wish away my cracks. My heart will forever remain broken, in the most beautiful and incredible ways.

And that brokenness is the very thing that makes me whole.

There’s a balance to be had between dreaming and pragmatism, wishing and achieving. Between believing and seeing. Between what is doable and what is deemed impossible. But what really are the limits? Where does that line exist and is it absolute? How many things have been accomplished that someone once said would never be. How many things started out as dreams and are now our reality. There are no limits. There are not boundaries. The impossible does not exist and if you want to be a bird all you have to do is look to the skies. Never ever limit yourself, for you just might be keeping yourself from flying.

Wonder is one of my favorite words. It holds so much magic and awe. We all have a yearning for wonder. But as we get older and life gets busy and complicated the sparkle in our eyes fades away and what once held so much possibility is now dark and glazed over. Wonder brings wisdom and lights the fire of imagination. Wonder changes the dullest of views to the most magnificent of surroundings. It encourages growth and stretches our very beings to become greater than themselves. It brightens the world around you and creates the most sensational fascination with even the most mundane. So open your eyes, live with wonder and watch as the world around you changes!

Sometimes the hardest person to be truthful with is yourself. About what you need, about what you want. That you are deserving of happiness and of good things. That your mistakes are forgivable and your flaws beautiful. When you need a break or it’s time to ask for help. When you are unhappy or feeling stuck in place. When you need to make changes and difficult decisions.

We are far harsher to ourselves than we would ever be to another person but we, more than anyone, deserve our own admiration and recognition.

Only we truly know the pains we have suffered and hardships we have endured. Only we know the true intent of our actions and desires of our hearts. We know best our greatest imperfections and biggest disappointments. But we also know our greatness strengths. We know the resilience we have shown and endurance we have braved. We should be our own biggest fans, our greatest supporters. We control our own happiness and own the responsibility of the honesty when it’s lacking. Everyone deserves the truth, but there is no greater kindness than being true to yourself.

You get what you give. It’s true with life, it’s true with love, it’s true with happiness. The world would have you believe that happiness comes in the form of fancy cars or big homes. That the number following the dollar sign in your bank account is a direct indication of the size of your smile. But in reality, true happiness comes from within. When you give of yourself you will find the purest form of joy. Release happiness, be happy. Release acceptance, be accepted. Release love and you will be loved. Always be mindful of what you are giving because it is exactly what you will get in return. And if it’s happiness you seek, always look inward.

Every single day each and every one of us has the ability to literally change the world. The key to such a feat is to understand that the impossible is merely something you have yet to discover how to accomplish. We will always be surrounded by the impractical, unreasonable, inconceivable and even absurd. But it is the chase for the impossible that keeps us strong. That keeps us growing and that gives us the power to control our own lives. BELIEVING IS THE FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVING and once you believe in yourself there is no such thing as impossible!