Cut away the excess of your life, leave only the necessity. Do not create space for that which does not better you.

I've spent my entire life caring about what other people think about me; I've been criticized and judged on the basis of my appearance, personality, background, possessions, prospects—anything and everything.

I'm exhausted. I cannot be the agreeable, amenable person who satisfies everyone's expectations. I cannot be that pitiful hypocrite, that sad martyr. I have betrayed my spirit for my entire life by attempting to become that person. I know now that only I can love myself as I am: completely, wholly, without expectations or hesitations. I must surround my being with a loving embrace from herself; a perfect ouroboros of love and healing.

I must be true to myself, and let everything and everyone else fall to the wayside. The people who come and go in my life will either accept me as I am, or they will not. I cannot control the people in my life; I can only control myself.