Courage begins as a whisper, often too quiet to recognize. It might be the soft voice that calls us to finally leave a place that no longer feels like home, or it’s the spark of a new idea, small but persistent, that keeps showing up in quiet moments. Perhaps it’s the urge to forgive, even when forgiveness feels like a risk, or the whisper to start over, even when starting over seems impossible.

It is from an opened heart that we must forgive. A heart that has begun to heal. To find a moment of empathy and understanding. A heart that understands that we do not forget the pain, but we must forgive to set ourselves free. We forgive to release ourselves from the darkness of bitterness and hate. We forgive to move forward, because without forgiveness, we will always remain a prisoner of the pain.

You know the voice within. The one that speaks to you when the world around you is silent. That whispers your truth as you settle in to sleep at night. The voice that longs to keep you safe and always guides you back home when you have lost your way. That is the voice of your intuition. Your guiding light. It is with you no matter where you are, or how far you wander. And will always guide you to the life you were meant for…

If you have the courage to listen.

It happens when you least expect it, the losing of oneself. It can happen in the most mundane moments. The moments in between the big stuff. The moment when you choose to neglect your needs instead of prioritizing yourself. The moment when you stay silent in an argument instead of voicing your opinion. The moment when you chase a dream that’s not for you, because you want to please someone around you. We lose ourselves in those simple moments the same way that the moon fades with the sunrise, slowly at first until we can no longer see who we are.

Busy has become the world’s favourite excuse. We can find a million reasons why we need to be doing the things that we’re doing. Why someone needs that thing to be done “right now”. Why the meetings, the lunches, and the client events are far more important than moments of stillness and reflection.

But are they really?

I have been lost. For the past three and a half years I have been on a journey of self-discovery, spirituality, sobriety, and healing. I had always imagined that when I got sober the first year would be hard but eventually everything would miraculously fall into place and the battle would be over. I had no idea that nearly 4 years later I would still be figuring it all out.

You cannot become who you are truly meant to be, if you do not take the time to get to know who you are. Deep self-reflection is the way we open hearts and remember the very essence of our soul. Learning to connect with yourself on a deeper level is one of the most important steps in self-discovery.

You cannot live your best life, if you're not being your best self. You need to learn to give yourself permission to put YOU first. To acknowledge what you need and to show up for yourself. To get to know yourself on a deeper level. A level that allows you to love yourself and everything that makes you, you.

Love YOU. Nourish YOU. Be friends with YOU. Embrace YOU.

Journaling is meant to be a tool on your journey to discovering your authentic self so sit down, breathe and get ready to remember who you truly are.

Here are 10 Powerful Self-Discovery Journal Prompts to get you started.

Self-abandonment happens when we ignore our own needs and silence our inner desires. Driven by our deep seeded need to please, we set aside our own wants to prioritize the happiness of others. This type of behavior causes us to lose our voices, our sense of self, and our personal identity. Self-abandonment is the first step down the wrong path in life.

When you take the time to honor what you need, to really listen to what your soul is telling you, you open yourself up to the life you have always dreamed of. Loving yourself first, is the key to happiness.