You've got this! Love, Lauren

“Not every year is going to be a perfect, skyrocketing year, but these are the years where strength is built. 2024 is the year you will rise again. Your message gets out there, visibility increases and life feels good again. You've got this! Love, Lauren.”

I received a letter in the mail the other day. I just assumed it was a birthday card, but when I went to open it, I saw a tiny folded-up piece of paper inside. Being the neurotic person I am, my brain went to…someone is sending me a note to let me know I wronged them in every possible way.

Instead, I discovered a letter from me that I had written one year before.

In October 2023, I went on a retreat with Amy Pocsik and a crew of incredible women from the Bold Moves by Amy Pocsik community. During the retreat, Amy had us write letters to ourselves as our 2024 selves, and she promised to mail them to us in one year.

The above text is the final line of the letter.

Embracing Lessons, Focusing on the Future

That retreat came on the heels of a very dark few months. I was depressed on top of losing my uncle to cancer and my good friend to suicide. When I arrived at the retreat in the White Mountains of NH, I was in a very fragile state. My friend’s funeral was only a few days before, so I was still in a state of shock and disbelief.

I almost didn’t go, but part of me knew that getting away was a good idea. I wasn’t my normal chipper self on the retreat, but everyone understood, and I am so glad I went. It was a meaningful experience and a beautiful way to begin the official grieving process. It also allowed me to think about the past year and dream for the year ahead.

2023 was not the year I wanted, planned for, or dreamed about. I thought these types of years were done. I thought that because I was living my dream life, the bad days wouldn’t feel that bad. But, I learned a harsh lesson—even when you are living your dream life, the bad days (months or years) can still feel really bad. So, when I wrote that letter, I was coming to terms with that lesson. I felt like I was barely surviving, so thinking about my future self was challenging.

Yet, reading this letter, I see a woman embracing the lessons and focusing on the future. I see a woman setting the stage for what has been an incredible year of self-love and growth. Everything I wrote has come true. Maybe that’s what manifesting is, or maybe it’s just growth.

I know that even five years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to write a letter like that or see the light at the end of the tunnel. I would’ve been bogged down by sadness and harping on the woulda-coulda-shoulda.

The Gift of Growth

My words for 2024 are self-love and habits. For the most part, I have nailed the self-love part. I still struggle with body image, but I am learning to embrace it. Habits have been a bit harder to implement, but I am not down on myself as I would’ve been in the past. I’ve finally found a workout regime I have stuck to, which is huge for me. So, for that change, I feel proud, and I know that continued habit will help with the body image struggles.

I guess for my birthday last year, I unknowingly gave myself the gift of growth.

That is all to say that growth isn’t always apparent. Maybe you think you haven’t grown over the past year, but take a step back, and I bet you’ll see small changes. And we know that small changes lead to big impact.

Remember, you've got this!

Love, Lauren