#Dear20 – Melanie Santos – Stop Exhausting Your Time

[Tweet “”I know who the f*ck I am – an unapologetic goddess created to shine.” – Melanie Santos”]

[one-half-first][/one-half-first]

[one-half]If I had to give my 20-year-old self one piece of advice, it would be difficult to narrow down because I was agonizingly delicate, naive, and unabated. To summarize everything I needed to hear at that age, I would tell myself:

Melanie,

Stop exhausting your time and energy trying to hook onto people that you think can give you what you’ve always had within you. You were created from the deep, sensual, attentive love that you incessantly crave. You exist to bask in it, cultivate more it, and share it with the world using your God-given gifts. You hang onto these peoples’ fickle words like a gospel, all the while you’ve been your own light all along. Peel yourself away from anyone and everything that steals your power, drains your energy, and makes you forget that you ARE worthy. You are worthy of true love and unconditional affection. You are worthy of more than just happiness. You are worthy of uninhibited joy. You are worthy of someone else’s time. You are worthy of your own time. You are worthy of space. You are MEANT to take up space. You are worthy of a life you absolutely love. You are worthy of being absolutely in love with yourself.

Mel, you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.
You are a goddess beyond your wildest dreams.
I love you now, but please love yourself now too.
You’ll thank yourself 10 years from now.

…And I would hope I would listen.[/one-half]