Love letter: It is Time to Write Yourself One

Dear Pam:

You have been filling people up, helping them believe in themselves, find and feel their worth, lifting them up and raising the bar on how women and girls care for ourselves and each other. It is a heavy burden as you have learned, because not everyone has the same spirit and belief system you do—it is both inspiring and at times a challenge. Despite that, you continue to advocate for women supporting women, and also you are learning there is a learning curve, and your job is not to convince everyone, it is to align with the people that share the same beliefs as you.

In all of this work, you are brought back to the number one lesson, and the importance of having a practice where you love yourself first. Self Care and Self Love are essential to living a happy, abundant, positive and spirited life.

Your ability to reinvent and reimagine is key to your growth, it also can be an example to others, we never arrive, we are always invited to assess where we are and how we are, knowing we are empowered to create change and also to embrace choice—and knowing we are where we are suppose to be. You have reinvented yourself multiple times, and at this phase in life, you are now reimagining what mid life and empty nesting looks like, while you are in the sweet spot of kids flying home, and not fully out of the nest, you have time to look back, to be present and to reflect on the wonderment of life. This is a beautiful time in your life, don’t waste it over the angst you will feel or the old beliefs or feeling which at one time were important to you. Embrace this time as you are, and have the courage to use your voice like never before, but before you do that, make self care, self love and balance in your life a priority. While not a word many thought leaders want to use, you understand how important it is and how women need to hear it more. You are brave bringing up a word that is misunderstood and not embraced by many modern day women, “balance”. Yet your heart desires it, your nervous system requires it, and your wisdom at this age has learned that ambitious endeavors are good, but living in the present and taking time to pause, to breathe to be is what matters most. The magic is in the moment and you are the magic, you are the one you have always been waiting for. It is your second act, and let me remind you it is not an act, it is the real thing, and time is the most precious gift you have, as is your health: mental, physical and spiritual. Feed your soul with good vibes, feed your body with things that are good for it, feed your mind with positive thoughts and affirmations. Remember, the most important conversation you have in your lifetime is the conversation you have with yourself. Speak love, speak encouragement, speak spiritually, speak positive, speak truth, to those around you. More importantly, speak this to yourself and practice the power in that, words have power and how we speak to ourselves matters, it matter a lot.

Pam, I am so proud of you, I know your heart, I know your big love, you love: love and that is one of your super powers. Not everyone is on this same wavelength, and that is a reminder to serve those around you first, the ones that appreciate you, respect you and love you.

You preach positive living, but you know it is not about always being positive, happy or cheerful, you are real, you encourage all the feels, always keep it real, with yourself and others. God gave you a spirit and energy to rally people, your voice matters, share it generously and widely. Keep moving forward with good intentions, always promoting progress over perfection, as we are humans that have emotions, opinions and our own story—this compassion is important, give it to yourself as much as you give it to others. You have known what it is like to be loved by many and also you have experienced the ugly truth around the work we still need to do, that work is not your responsibility, your responsibility is to practice self care, self love and to inspire this daily practice in others. It is time for women to give themselves permission to slow down and not rush and race through life, busy is not better, it’s a distraction, be the gatekeeper of your precious time and energy.

Let’s talk about love, I love you. I sincerely love you and your heart, and your love for love, you love those in your life deeply and powerfully, and you are loyal and protect those in your circle. Continue to be unapologetic about being you, vibrant, happy, joyful and fun, alongside vulnerable and time for restoration, healing and time for reflection. While you love to laugh, be light and be fun, you have tremendous depth and your soul is meant to shine, your light is bright, let it light the fire within and radiate out in the world. Keep being you, keep sharing your positive vibe, keep standing up when others try and bring you down, and remember, that has nothing to do with you. You knew since the moment you understood your place in the world that you were special, you might not have all of the credentials but you have a spiritual knowing, invitation and voice inside that does not require validation, it is in your DNA. Your spirit is big, your energy is bright, and you have a quiet side that you like to turn down the noise around you, and tune into the wisdom within. Daily practices of gratitude, yoga and journaling/writing are tenants to how you live HIPP. You crave and seek balance, but in order to be your best self and to live HIPP, you require balance, which is a daily practice, and requires your facilitation and permission.

You are a blessed woman, seriously, think about the life you live, the love that surrounds you and the deep love you feel inside, this is your gift, this is your dharma and it is important for you to stay centered and grounded in this space. You have worked very hard to be where you are, your hard work is no longer the grind, you did that, the hard work is the ability to not be and do all the things, it is taking care of yourself first. You have learned to say no to people and things that no longer serve you. You have been able to build boundaries better than you ever have in your life. You have learned to (and continue to learn) to not be a people pleaser, you genuinely like to please others, but that can lead to a need for validation and acceptance (you have a seat at the table, because you built your own). You speak truth and try to do so with some sincerity, this will always be an art, and one that gets better when you create more time and space in your life to be, rather than just do. You have fulfilled many dreams, your life story has been about vision, desire, creating, working hard and leading with your heart. There is no longer a race, and there is not any competition, the only competitor you have is the person you were yesterday, continue with that spirit, not being the best but to be better than you were. It is time to play, time to do the things that bring great joy. Only you know what they are, and it is only you that can create that in your life. Laughter is your love language, continue to laugh, to sing, to dance and to let your spirit soar, it is ageless and timeless. Love is how you live, if you don’t love it, don’t do it. You find such satisfaction in the simple joys in life, keep doing the small things each day that bring great joy. You have enough love in your heart to share with many, share it, unapologetically, it is important to do, and it is important to teach. But remember this and don’t ever forget to love yourself first, love bomb all over yourself, because you deserve it, being kind so often and generous to others, keep doing and being that, but also invest in yourself, put your health, heart, spirit, mental health and well being first.

Your vision has been to age gracefully, you are ding it and growing into the woman you knew you would always be, it is a beautiful thing. You are present, you are joyful, you care about those around you, you care for yourself. You love beauty, and inner beauty remains to be the most important part to your beauty regimen. You are passionate, and voice your opinion, always do so with good intentions and when you make mistakes, own it and make things better.

Your younger version used to try and dull down or not shine, because of the opinions of others. You learned their opinions have nothing to do with you. Shine bright, lead with love, let your essence and your beauty be iconic in the life you live. You are a beautiful woman living a beautiful life, while you feel a tug for a bigger purpose, this is your purpose right here, to become your higher self, and in doing so, you inspire others to do the same. You are a visionary, you look beyond circumstance or probability and you believe in more. You manifest your dreams and also understand that it is not all in your control. You believe in magic, that zest for life, effervescent feeling and you create magic, it is within you. Learning to balance this magic with mindful moments is the art you are creating, the canvas is blank, the colors are bright and the artist is you, and you are here to paint a beautiful picture and inspire others to do the same.

The wisdom that you hold, is the anchor and foundation of how you live. You learned from the best, and it is your responsibility to continue their legacy, and to produce an even better example for the next generation to follow.

Every day is a gift, stay in gratitude, continue with a positive attitude and surround yourself with those that embrace this spirit of kindness and humility. We are not racing anyone, we are on a journey, and it is the scenic route that you will enjoy the most. Keep sharing your spirit, stay the course on living HIPP and know how loved you are, you are surrounded in the most precious, spiritual, authentic love. Go where the love is, because that is where you belong. You Belong.

XO

Pamela (your mother’s daughter)