When I was little, my parents painted my world in infinite hues. “You can have anything,” they said. “You can be anything.” They meant it, too. They spoiled me in the way parents do when they want their child to see a future without limits.
Back then, it felt like magic—this boundless world they described. I carried that belief with me as if it were a talisman, a promise that life could be as expansive as my imagination.
But somewhere along the way, I took it too literally.
The belief that I could have everything followed me into adulthood. I said yes to the shiny things, the tempting things, the things that whispered, “You deserve this.” And maybe I did. But what I didn’t realize is that saying yes to everything means saying no to balance, to stability, to peace.
I lived above my means. I chased a lifestyle that felt like it should be mine because, after all, wasn’t I told it could be? The bills piled up, the weight of it all pressed harder, and eventually, I found myself in a hole I dug with my own hands.
It didn’t feel like loss, exactly, but more like a reckoning. I had to sit with the reality I had created and own it. And as painful as it was to admit I’d pushed too far, I also felt a strange sense of clarity. Life isn’t about gathering everything in your arms until you’re overwhelmed by the weight. It’s about holding the right things close, the things that truly matter.
I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of choosing carefully. I’ve learned that limits aren’t walls; they’re invitations to focus. To breathe. To let go of what doesn’t serve me and pour my energy into what does.
The child in me still dreams—wildly, recklessly, with abandon. But now, the adult in me steps in as her guide, helping her sort through those dreams and pick the ones that can truly take flight. And in that balance, I’ve found something even better than magic: I’ve found freedom.
My Journey 
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