Dear Ciera of 2016,

Well here you are another year older. You made it to 2017! And here I am writing this letter to you. Last year you began your journey with much uncertainty. Uncertainty of your future, your relationship, your career, and most importantly… of who you truly are.

See Ciera, life truly is what you make of it. Yes all of those cliche saying are true! Yes all of those things that your mama and daddy have told you over years are indeed helpful and are key to your happiness. Last year you kept saying, “I want to be the woman, I’m truly meant to be.” But you didn’t listen to your truth, your gut. You led yourself by fear and uncertainty.

Low and behold you learned that you couldn’t live like that forever. You can’t live in doubt nor can you live under the grandiose expectations you places on yourself and most importantly you can’t live by what everyone else is doing.

In August you took a big leap of faith. With little to no money in your bank account and tears in your eyes, you jumped. And you flew. You flew with bricks being thrown at you, wind blowing you back, and weights weighing you down. You shed so many tears of not knowing how you were gonna “make it”. Wondering how you were gonna “survive”.

But one day, sometime in December, you made a vow to STOP the damn worrying and keep flying and trust that you will get to your destination. Here you are, celebrating another year on this earth with three amazing jobs, beautiful supportive friends, and stronger and better than ever. Yea may not be in your mansion….YET. Nor are you with the man of your dreams….YET. But you know that will come to pass…SOON!

So my little hummingbird, trust yourself, love yourself, your mistakes, your flaws, your insides and outs, for you are now the woman you are truly meant to be and so much more. Oh and don’t afraid to stand up for yourself. It’s ok to say no! Use it! That’s what queens do! So smile babygirl, this is only the beginning!

Love,

Ciera Payton of 2017

Photo: @vaughntastic Life through the lens Photography