☆ a dream itself is but a shadow ☆

Build a life that is unmistakably yours. Form your identity. Explore and refine your taste. Know what moves you, what inspires you. Be your own muse, go to shopping malls and smell new perfumes/try the clothes on instead of getting your inspiration online. A woman without a strong sense of identity risks losing herself in this world.

I remember my mother once saying that she had "nothing." That sentence has stayed with me. Many women were robbed of their identity whether by marrying the wrong man or by being reduced solely to the roles of wife and mother. They were never truly given the opportunity to explore their womanhood in all its depth.

Gene Tierney as Poppy

Working hard from self worth = building

Being independent from fear = avoidance

Being independent from wholeness = freedom

Overexplaining from anxiety = seeking approval

Explaining from clarity = communication

Staying busy from discomfort = escaping

Staying busy from purpose = creating

Chasing someone from fear = attachment

Choosing someone from confidence = alignment

Avoiding conflict from fear = suppression

Choosing peace from standards = discernment

Overgiving from fear = earning love

Giving from fullness = generosity

Withdrawing from fear = self protection

Taking space from awareness = regulation

Seeking validation from lack = dependency

Receiving validation from wholeness = appreciation

Controlling outcomes from fear = anxiety

Leading outcomes from trust = stability

Being chill from fear = self abandonment

Being calm from security = groundedness

Holding back feelings from fear = disconnection

Pacing vulnerability from wisdom = emotional intelligence

Clinging from fear = scarcity

Allowing from trust = abundance

Perfectionism from fear = never enough

Excellence from self respect = pride

People pleasing from fear = losing yourself