Now What?

Someone walked out on you?
Someone doesn't care?
There were people who didn't recognize your abilities?
There were people who didn't think you were talented enough?
You gained a few pounds?
You were let go from a job you where you were giving your best?
They don't believe in you?
You failed at something you worked hard at?
You were judged unfairly in a situation?

NOW WHAT? 

What are you going to do now? How will you let those events and circumstances affect you? Will you let it paralyze you? Will you let it make you afraid? Will you stop believing in yourself?  Are you going to let them define you? Are you going to give up? It is time to make a decision! Stop letting the negatives affect you negatively. I say let it be fuel to the fire of progress! Rise up from the ashes! Let the past go! Forgive and forget! It is not easy, but it is a step in the right direction. Take small steps if necessary. Decide to leave the hurts and disappointments behind. Dig a grave and bury them. Leave the grave unmarked. Do not return. Move on!

They gossipped about you. They made fun of you. They hurt you. They lied about you. They gave up on you. They left you. They didn't care. They didn't encourage you. They made you feel less than. They were mean. They were unkind. They didn't recognize your beauty or your gift. NOW WHAT? Admit it was disappointing. Cry a few tears if you must. But then....you must decide your future. Will it be defined by the pain or will it be defined by the joy in new blessings?

If they walked out, they were not true friends. Guess what? There are new friends to make out there. Believe. Have faith again. If someone didn't believe in you, so what? There are ten more that do! Be thankful for them. If you failed, know this....others have failed too. Failure is often the fuel that is burned to ignite the fire of progress. For every negative comment someone has spoken about you, there are twenty positive comments that have been said about you. Stop listening to the negative messages and start listening to the positive messages.

You are awesome! You are capable! You are talented! You are smart!You are beautiful!
You are YOU!!!
Embrace the love people around you give in the simple compliments, the hugs, the texts, the phone calls, and in the notes you receive from time to time.
Embrace that you are uniquely you. Embrace your imperfections knowing that no one is perfect. Embrace your beauty on the inside and in the mirror. No one else has your smile or those eyes. Embrace your abilities and talents. Even if you cannot sing a five octive range, embrace the three octives you can tackle like a beast! Your tone is unique and no one else has it. Your laugh is like no one elses.

Never give up! Keep on keeping on. Love again. Love yourself again. Be brilliant and do not be afraid to shine. Let your light shine. Do not let the pain and negative experiences dull your sparkle. Be the person you are meant to be. Do what you are meant to do.

In life, we all have our struggles, disappointments, and frustrations. No one is exempt from them. We all get a hand dealt to us we do not particularly like from time to time. We still get to choose how we play the cards and we still get to choose how we will respond. This is what defines who we become. So......now what?