When you release the pressure, let the expectations go, change can be an enjoyable experience. When you strip your image of opinion and labels, you allow the energy of discovery to take up space in your life. Give your schedule and your mind room to breathe as you figure out what that means for you. Dig in. Take your time. In the meantime, may these affirmations inspire you to embrace the unknown and move closer to that which you love.

This poem, titled "Hurricane," is an example, as all true poetry tends to be, of exploring an element of life with such clarity and finding cause to look inward. If we're mindful and willing, what happens around us can be a catalyst for self-understanding. We learn that we see in the world what we carry in our hearts.

The newness of another year and another passion inspired me to write a letter to my future self. About all the things I hope for that person: healing, fulfillment, self-companionship. It's an enlightening practice because it sheds light on what matters most this year and right now. May this letter be what you needed to read today.

These November affirmations are my tribute to a time of sacred intent and a token of my growing fondness for the journey that links all things. These affirmations are small decisions to carry on with the meaningful and often demanding work you feel called to do. To stay true to the process. To trust in what we love.

This is a prayer for peace for all of us who've known the power of grief and the balm of friendship, who've been touched by the hands of despair but who still choose life. Wherever you are now -- wherever you've been and wherever you're going next -- may you open your heart to the freedom that's still available to you, whatever it is you decide that freedom means for you.

Courage is the virtue that drives us to follow through with our intentions & to embody all the virtues we identify with. Courage is many things: showing up for difficult discussions, choosing vulnerability over comfort, forgiving ourselves & each other. Together, we can practice courage in small ways. It's how we grow.

When I was in my lowest place, that was sacred ground. Thinking about how desolate I felt being in that place, it reminds me that I’m a much stronger version of myself only because of the weakness I’ve felt. May these words of strength help you see that you, too, can bloom from nearly anything.

Life after the most difficult things isn't easy, but I’d rather live one lifetime like that — heartbreak, love, heartbreak, love — than a thousand lifetimes with my heart closed, feeling nothing at all. Read this letter if you need inspiration for how you live your "life after."