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Love is worth it. It’s been said a million times over for good reason. The immense gravity of love and connection is the biggest life lesson of all. It doesn’t need to look how anyone else says it should. It doesn’t have to check all the boxes that your family, your therapist, your friends, or society have laid out for you. What matters is that the love in your life touches your heart and resonates in your soul. Lean into it and let yourself be raw – in that rawness you will stretch your boundaries and live more deeply than you knew to be possible.

Many lessons need to be learned more than once and that’s okay. It is okay, desirable even, to take the time you need to think clearly, then change your mind and, sometimes, to then change it back again. You are the one who has to live with the choices you make in the end so give yourself absolute permission to be as thorough and thoughtful in making those choices as you need to be to feel confident.

You do not need to define yourself in absolutes. Some days I am vibrant and shiny and some days I am subdued and dull. I have learned to embrace the variations and not apologize for the inconsistencies. If you do not want to be static in your life, then change and growth require you to be willing to be something different today from what you were yesterday.

Boredom and loneliness are gifts. They show you where you need to place some attention and where you want to shift. If you are too busy chasing the still or painful moments away with the next mindless adventure, you miss out on an opportunity. You miss the chance to reflect for a moment and choose the next path so that it is one that opens you up further instead of simply filling a hole in your schedule. You need to feel the discomfort to become more intentional in how you live.

Don’t get distracted by the trappings of other people’s dreams. They look beautiful on someone else because it is their dream borne from their unique experiences. Though it can be fun to “try on” someone else’s role for a moment, be sure to always return to your true self. Your aspirations glow on you because they are birthed from who you are, what you believe and the lessons you carry. So share your own wisdom with pride and with grace.

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Crystal Johnson is a Registered Clinical Counsellor in Vancouver, BC. She specializes in working with people facing life transitions including the challenges associated with health concerns such as diabetes, stroke, tinnitus, chronic pain, Parkinson's disease, Crohn's disease, cancer and other medical issues. As a diabetic and a hospital employee, she knows the challenges of health management as both a client and provider.

Her approach focuses on moving past grief, learning coping skills and embracing strengths. She uses evidence-based practices that incorporate elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Therapies into her clinical work. She can be reached here for more information.

For more information, please visit crystaljohnsoncounselling.com

This Post Has 22 Comments

  1. Your words mostly resonate me and my beloved relatives, and thank you so much for those inspirational words.:)

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