Stay there for a moment.
Listen.
What matters to you? What do you stand for? What do you want your life to stand for, even when it comes at a cost?
Think about what you have been through. What you have weathered. The days you did not quite know how you would get through, but did anyway.
Feel your heart beating beneath your palm.
This heart has kept beating for you through it all.
And your mind has found ways forward before, even when you could not see them at first.
Allow yourself to feel what you truly want. Who you truly are.
Not what you are supposed to want. Not what looks good. Not something other people are chasing.
What do you want?
But you do not have to do this alone.
Find the right people.
The people who tell you the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.
The people who lift others up.
The people who dare to take chances themselves.
The people you can learn from and grow with.
Be that person for others.
Stand by your people. Celebrate their wins. Tell the truth when it needs to be told.
Choose carefully who you give your time, trust and space in your life.
Do not wait for everything to settle down.
Do not wait for the fear to disappear.
Do not wait to give praise.
Do not wait to give a hug.
Do not wait to show your love.
Do not wait for next year, the right moment or for everyone to understand what you are doing.
You are here now.
Begin.
Try. Learn. Talk to people. Practise. Put in the work.
Show up again when the excitement has faded.
When nobody applauds.
When the idea is no longer new.
When all that awaits you is the work that needs doing.
If the path you meant to take closes, find another.
Call again. Ask someone else. Try a different way.
Do not confuse the first no with the final answer.
And when things get difficult, remember what you felt when you placed your hand on your heart.
What matters to you.
What you stand for.
Why you began.
And who stands with you.
Find yourself.
Find the right people.
And then fucking go for it.