Dear Ashley – A Letter from My Persistence

When was the last time you celebrated something you accomplished?

When was the last time you thought, “Holy cow – I am a badass for doing (insert the badass thing you did).”

Often times, we are always running to the next thing.

We are never satisfied enough.

We are always looking for more. Something bigger. Something greater. Something newer.

Through the chaos and rush to keep moving, we forget to look back what everything we overcame. We forget to reflect on what changed us because we didn’t freaking give up!

At RISE with Rachel Hollis last week, she led a meditation and got us into the right mindset. Then, we wrote a letter to our persistence. This is exactly what I wrote down:

Dear Ashley,

I am your persistence.

I am the part of you that never gave up and this is what I want you to know.

I am the piece of you that busted down locked doors. I am the piece of you that always found light in the darkness.

I have helped you build a shield after the hurtful words of others.

I have helped you pick yourself off the ground when you were covered in physical and emotional bruises.

I have helped you find forgiveness and love.

I have helped you through college financially on your own.

I helped you end bulimia.

I helped you fall in love without apology or fear – I helped you find your home.

I helped you birth the most magical baby boy.

I helped you lose 100 lbs.

It was ME who helped you run your first mile – which turned into your first 5k, half marathon, and half IronMan.

It was me who never gave up on you in the darkness. 

From here on out, I promise to celebrate my strength, lift myself up just as I lift up others, and continue to seek light on the darkest days.

I always stand up.

I will always fight for the love and life that I want. 

Sincerely,

Your Persistence 

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A tear fell on my journal as I wrote that last line. I encourage you to take 10 minutes out of your day to write about how you never gave up on yourself. Reflect on what you fought through to get to where you are today. I imagine you’ve fought through more than you realize. I imagine you deserve more credit for your accomplishments. I imagine you deserve some celebration, honey!

I will continue to write about my journey at RISE with you. I came back home feeling refreshed, connected, and aligned with my purpose in life.

Here are five quotes that I have held close to my heart after this past week:

1. “Forward is a pace.”
2. “No one is going to save you – the only person who can dig you out of the hole you’re in is YOU!”
3. “The biggest disability is a bad mindset. We are handicapped by the beliefs of others and our own limiting beliefs.”
4. “Your problem is your platform.”
5. “It is emotionally impossible to feel sad and grateful at the same time. Start your day off with gratitude.”

Finally, I want to share with you the magic of writing down your dreams. In my journal each day, I write down 5 practices of gratitude each day. They are never general sentences, such as, “I am thankful for family!” Or, “I am thankful for my job.” I always write down something specific, such as, “I am thankful for having the exit row seat on my flight, which was 50% full and peaceful!”

In addition, I write down 10 dreams I made happen! This is a concept from Rachel Hollis that encourages you to write down all of your dreams. Obviously, my first dream is, “Write and self-publish a best-selling book.”

A few weeks ago, I started writing down, “Meet Rachel Hollis on June 15.” That dream was detailed. I didn’t just say, “Meet Rachel Hollis.” I picked a specific date. I didn’t care where I met her – it could be at the conference, in the bathroom, on an elevator, etc.

Now, something really cool happened – I didn’t end up meeting Rachel – but guess what? While running out of the conference after almost peeing my pants from dancing so much, I met Dave Hollis. I met Dave Hollis on June 15th.

Want even more proof? Ever since I started writing in my journal this summer, I wrote down a dream of mine: “I want to see my sister Brittney walk again before her wedding.”

And guess what, darling? Last week, Britt stood up for the first time in TWO YEARS! The video is filled with emotion and pride. I watched it probably 87 times and cried every single time.

Nothing is predictable. Nothing is guaranteed. And you can’t control anything.

But, you can give yourself some credit.

You can be grateful.

You can have a positive mindset.

You can show up for YOURSELF every single day.

And don’t tell me you can’t do that because you have kids or other priorities. Your kids or co-workers or loved ones don’t need you to be perfect, they just need you to show up for YOU!

Take care of yourself.

Love yourself.

And let the magic happen from there, my love.

Much love,

Ashley