I found my light.

What would it mean if I didn’t let my success define me?  To be proud of myself despite my accomplishments or the number displayed in my bank account?  I have no idea, really, because my framework is rooted in productivity.  I’ve been taught to base my value in the outcome of my actions.

Recently, I have been reconnecting to the inherent beauty that exists within every single day.  The moment that I open my eyes in the morning, I give thanks for another day. Another opportunity to learn and another opportunity to love.  

But some days are harder than others.

I’m entering back into entrepreneurship and being confronted with familiar thoughts that insist that I simply do not have what it takes.  Though these thoughts are familiar, they are also reciting the same script that they recited in my early 20s.  This year, I turn 33.  I have matured, but it seems my intrusive thoughts have not.

The beauty of getting older is that contentment is much more accessible if you prioritize the practice of contentment. I don’t compete with my colleagues, and I practice awareness when I start comparing myself to others. When I look in the mirror, I want to feel peace. The only way to make that possible is to live in a way that I consciously agree with.

At the end of the day, if I am in alignment with my value system, what more is there to gain?  I know myself, despite living in a world determined to define me for its own benefit. What a precious gift. I am alive, biologically and spiritually.  My passion and my optimism are still intact, and I refuse to let external circumstances shadow the beauty of this life.

For the first time in my life, I am aware of my light and its value.  It’s the most valuable thing I will ever own.