When I was at one of my lowest points in 2020, I received a journal from a friend. The journal had a quote inside that made me cry when I read it. It said, “You are not broken. You are already whole.” I held that journal to my chest and wailed like a child. That was the beginning of my discovery.

If you are reading this, chances are you are like me. You’ve read every self-help book that resonated. You feel like you’re missing some magic ingredient to fix what feels broken. You have this feeling of hurry sitting heavy in your chest- but for all your trying you’re spinning your wheels without true movement.

You do not need the perfect podcast, the perfect self-help book, or guru to fix what’s wrong with you. You are not broken. Your road map to the life you crave is already inside you. The problem is that you are struggling to see the road because you’re too busy looking at all the signs and attractions out the window instead of listening to your inner GPS.

You are watching what works for everyone else. You might decide to try it. You even stick with it for a week or maybe a month or two. Then it doesn’t feel good anymore and you fall back into the cycle of self-doubt. You blame yourself for not working harder, but the problem is that you’re following someone else’s road map. Your map must be unique to you and it must be written from a place of true honesty and self-compassion.

In my last post I addressed the struggle so many people have with journaling. They don’t know what to write because they do not have a purpose for writing. Or perhaps they feel silly or like it is a waste of time. For this, let’s be a little silly. You are not a waste of time. This time belongs to you. Your purpose for writing? Creating your own road map to building a life that feels good to you.

If you follow me on Instagram, I urged you to choose a notebook you love and to write a letter to yourself for you to read when you finish filling the last page of your journal. We tucked the letter into an envelope and glued it to the front page of the journal. For the next part of your road map I want you to EARNESTLY name all the things you truly admire about yourself. No caviats. Don’t minimize or justify. I truly want this page to be all the beautiful things about the you that exists in this moment. This is important because we are going to build on this later.

XOXO

Winter