If you could commit to one thing this year, just one, let it be this, choosing yourself.

Not the version of you that performs.
Not the version that adapts to be liked.
Not the version that shrinks to fit the room.

The real you.

We live in a world that quietly, and sometimes loudly, rewards imitation.
Be more like this.
Do it the way they do.
Follow the formula.
Tone it down.
Speed it up.
Smooth the edges.

And over time, without even noticing, many women drift away from themselves.

Not because they are weak.
But because they are caring, intuitive, and deeply relational.
Because they learned that belonging often required adjustment.

The Cost of Not Choosing Yourself

When you don’t choose yourself, the cost is subtle at first.

You feel disconnected.
You second guess your decisions.
You seek validation before trusting your own knowing.
You feel tired, even when life looks good on paper.

This isn’t burnout from doing too much.
It’s exhaustion from being misaligned.

Your body knows when you are not listening.
Your nervous system feels it.
Your creativity feels it.
Your joy feels it.

Courage Isn’t Becoming Louder, It’s Becoming Truer

Choosing yourself doesn’t require bold declarations or dramatic changes.
It requires honesty.

The courage to say, this no longer fits me.
The courage to admit, I’ve been abandoning myself here.
The courage to pause long enough to hear your own voice again.

This is not selfish.
This is self leadership.

When you choose yourself, you stop asking the world for permission to be who you already are.

Your Superpower Is Alignment

Your power does not come from becoming more like someone else.
It comes from alignment.

From living, speaking, creating, and loving from the same place within you.

When you are aligned, people feel it.
They trust it.
They respond to it.

And the ones who don’t, were never meant to walk with you anyway.

There is no one else like you.
Your story, your energy, your way of seeing the world, it cannot be replicated.

The world does not need another copy.
It needs your truth.

A Grounding Practice to Return to Yourself

Before you move into the rest of this year, try this simple practice.

Sit somewhere quiet.
Take a slow breath.

Ask yourself,

Where in my life am I trying to be someone I’m not, just to feel accepted, chosen, or safe?

Then ask,

What part of me is asking to be honored right now?
What would it look like to choose myself here, gently, without justification?

Finish by writing,

When I choose myself, I give myself permission to ______.

Let the answer come without editing.

Carry This With You

Choosing yourself is not a one time decision.
It’s a practice.
A return.
A remembering.

And every time you choose yourself, you reinforce the truth that you are safe to be who you are.

That is your superpower.

If you’d like a journal prompt to help you stay grounded in this commitment throughout the year, comment myself and I’ll send it to you.

Because the most powerful version of you has been there all along.