And no, I am not referencing Beyoncé's latest album.
It was only from 2010 onward that I started to embrace the true meaning of the word Happiness.
I got married at 23, thinking that the world was at my feet and that I was invincible as long as we were together. Everything was perfect in my mind, until I quickly realized that our life together was exactly the opposite of what I had envisioned it to be. We were getting divorced two years later.
I refuse to sit here and write about everything he did wrong because we were both in the relationship together and we're both to blame that our marriage didn't work. But what I will say is that, boy, am I happy I got out when I did.
I was tired of holding myself back. I knew that I needed to face the world on my own but I was like a deer in headlights. I needed to discover that I was capable of overcoming anything that came my way. And I had to stay focused on the life I wanted because I had fought too hard to not get there.
I unwillingly crawled back into my parents' house for about 6 months, to save up enough to live on my own and in retrospect, it was the best decision I could have made because it allowed me to focus solely on getting back on my own two feet. When I moved into my tiny 350 sq ft. studio downtown, I was so proud of what I had already accomplished, in only a few months of having made the decision to move on with my life.
And I can't believe it's been almost 6 years since I embarked on this journey. I am a different woman today. I know that now because I know that I am enough.
Because with the lemons that were flung at me in 2010, I have made delicious lemonade. And here's what I learned:
Humility. A friend asked me this a few years ago and that's exactly how I responded. I fell from my High Horse. I found out that I knew nothing about what I thought I knew. And by that I mean, about myself and about what I really wanted in life.
About Judging Others. The phrase "oh, that will never be me", disappeared from my vocabulary because I know that I can and will make the same exact mistakes that everyone else makes. Because I'm Human.
I stopped trying to be Perfect. I forgave myself for making a mistake and focused on moving on.
I can do anything I set my mind to, as long as I want it badly enough.
I truly stopped looking to others for approval. If it makes me happy, then I decide.
In Love, I am vulnerable again and will let my heart break if it needs to. BUT I also know that I will be just fine.
I am learning to take care of myself and making myself a priority.
I started listening to my Inner Voice, the one that I should have started listening to a long time ago.
Be good to yourself. Life will always throw you curveballs but your attitude towards them truly determines what kind of impact they have on you.
Most importantly, learn from them. Forgive and move on. You'll thank yourself years later.
And know that it's never too late to recreate yourself.