We live in a world of excess. And more and more these days, I want to shed this excess. I read somewhere once that “emptiness is a place of possibility.” It intrigued me and it enticed me. I am very well-versed in the concept of “starting over,” for I have lived through many phases in my life. But the intentions behind those new beginnings were always so that I could fill my world up again with a different form of determined excess.

This time, I seek a new beginning where I am intentionally keeping my world empty. This new desire is not a desire for the material or superfluous. It is a desire to understand, to listen, to see, to love and to feel. How can I truly indulge in these senses if I were already filled up with my own thoughts, opinions, perspectives and feelings? This is not to say to become mindless, heartless or have no sense of self. But rather, the question is, can you open your heart, mind and soul to what is unfamiliar, foreign and new?

There is a joy in finding pleasure in the simple things. And perhaps that starts with emptying our minds and our hearts. So that we can fill it up again with the possibilities that we once could not see.

It is a lifelong journey of refining and defining as you learn to find what brings you joy. A type of joy that cannot be taken away. Because it comes from within you. A place no one can touch. The possibilities are endless. But first, can you empty yourself?

The most vivid memories of my life are the ones of pain. Because you see, in the face of pain, we forget all else. In those moments, when the pain is searing into our senses, nothing else seemed to matter. Nothing could matter. Or so it seems. 

In my short life, I have learned that the most pivotal moments of our lives are the ones where we have experienced unbearable sorrows and loss. Whether it’s a loss of our identities, a loss of our loves, a loss of our safety, a loss of our innocence…

Unknowingly, those very moments will come to make up the blueprint of our minds and the decisions we make moving forward. It is in our DNA to protect ourselves from pain. Thus, once we experience it, our inner program will do its very best to make sure we never cross paths with it again. This comes in the form of different coping mechanisms that may seem to be serving us, but in essence, it is only delaying the growth in which we can achieve.

Pain doesn’t show up in our lives for no reason. It is a sign that something in our lives needs to change. So, we must be honest with ourselves. Brutally honest.

As you go through life, you will realize that every next level of your life will demand a different version of you. Remind yourself just how lucky you are to be where you are. That everything is happening for you and not to you. Sometimes it takes just a slight perspective shift to see your world with a completely new set of eyes.

We must be grateful for pain. Because pain is our teacher and the processing of pain is what we must master. This is what hitting rock bottom reminds us. That the only way is up from here. 

Know this: you can start over each new morning. Will you do that?

I've had a broken soul, tried to put it back together and watched it fall apart. I started over from the start. It's a bittersweet feeling. To be overwhelmed with emotion to the point of being paralyzed yet liberated at the same time. In a world of contradictions, I stand right in the middle. Here is my vulnerability, because in a world that tries to be so loud and harsh, I would rather keep my quiet and softness.