The only heart that you have the power to change, Dear One, is your own.

Make every excuse you can think of to feel good (or better) today, Dear One.

That is all.

Decide right now, Dear One, before you do anything else, how you are going to approach this day.

Are you going to react to it, and all of the people, circumstances and events in it, or are you going to intentionally create it? Are you going to approach it with confidence or with fear?  With trust or with doubt? With excitement or with dread?  With self-pity or with gratitude? With an open heart or a closed one? With a belief in limitations or in endless possibilities?

Think carefully about your answer, Dear One, choose it very consciously, because whatever you decide right now, is going to impact every other decision that you make today, and your experience of every single thing that follows.

Forgiveness isn’t about condoning, accepting, forgetting, or dismissing their poor behavior, hurtful words, or damaging actions, Dear One.

It is about making a choice to prioritize yourself, your health, your happiness, and your well-being, over your pain.

Giving up is nothing to feel bad about, Dear One.  Did you know that it’s OK to want to give up from time to time?  That it can actually be good for you?  Giving up is the ultimate form of surrender.

When you have nothing left to lose – when you stop trying – when you stop resisting what is –  when you reach your point of surrender – anything can happen, if you let it.

Surrender does not need to be hopeless, devastating or an indicator of weakness.  It can be intentional, exciting and an indicator of strength. Don’t give up and expect the worst.  Give up and expect the best.  Give up control, fear, remorse, guilt, agitation.  Give up negativity.  Give yourself a break.  Try embracing surrender today and allow something unexpected to happen.

How do you achieve mastery of your own heart, Dear One?

You trust it.

Everyone makes mistakes, Dear One.

But not everyone is brave enough to take responsibility for them, learn from them, let them go, and move on.

Are you?

Don’t worry so much about trying to write a story with a happy ending, Dear One.

Today, instead, focus your efforts on writing a story about a happy journey.

If someone that you love, Dear One, is not living up to your expectations of them, instead of being disappointed, instead of trying to change them, instead of trying to fix them, instead of trying to force yourself to stop loving them in order to put an end to your unhappiness, why not simply change your expectation of them instead?

That contrast that you are cursing Dear One, is the teacher that you have been asking for.

You can rage at it or learn from it.

The choice is yours.