A Letter to Myself

I sit here in the middle of the night, resting days after the Fourth of July celebrations.
The future me will reflect back, analyzing the steps that got her to where she is,
looking for that exact moment—
the one that led to whatever crisis she’s in.
Maybe one of her own doing,
or one of someone else’s design.

I’ll give you the advice now that I wish past me would have internalized a decade ago:

Yolo.

When they say no, you have a tendency to say challenge accepted.
When they say do not, you often say why not—and do it anyway.
When they say cannot, you can’t resist proving them wrong.

This has led you to amazing places, and amazing successes.

It’s also been your undoing.
I know you hate failing, but it’s okay.

It’s okay.