“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. 

He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.”

-Henry David Thoreau

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Dear {{ subscriber.first_name | capitalize }},

I’ve read this quote many, many times. 

But recently, one specific line landed like lightning in my spirit: “Put some things behind… and live with the license of a higher order of beings.”

That phrase stayed with me, and I found myself journaling about it later that night. 

Because here’s what I’ve realized: sometimes what makes change feel hard is the part of us still trying to bring the old self along for the ride.

When we begin to step into the life we truly envision, there’s often a grieving process—grieving who we’ve been, how we’ve coped, and the parts of ourselves that once kept us safe. It’s tender and deeply human. 

But the truth is, the version of ourselves that fits our vision may not match the version we’ve been. And they’re not meant to reconcile. They’re meant to evolve.

I’ve noticed this in my own life. I was trying to match my old identity—my old ways of thinking and behaving—with the person I now feel called to be. 

And that mismatch created resistance. It felt like trying to zip a suit over another suit that no longer fit.

But when I gave myself permission to say, “Thank you for everything you gave me,” and consciously left those outdated parts behind, something shifted. 

The shame that used to arise when I thought of past moments… it just wasn’t there anymore. I’d outgrown the story.

One specific shift I’ll share: I used to carry the belief that I was responsible for making everyone feel okay. 

And if something in the past didn’t feel fully resolved, I held that heaviness. 

But I’ve come to see that story for what it was—a pattern. Not who I really am. And letting go of that identity gave me room to expand. 

To love who I was then, who I am now, and who I’m becoming.

This is how transformation works. It’s not always about striving. Sometimes, it’s about surrender. 

About letting go of outdated molds and stepping into the sacred permission to be new. Not better—just truer.

So if something in your life feels hard or stuck, I invite you to ask yourself: Am I trying to carry something forward that no longer fits who I’m becoming?

Because when you stop trying to reconcile two versions of you that don’t match, things get lighter. Scales fall away. Space opens up. 

And the vision you’ve held in your heart begins to manifest—not someday, but now.

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Opportunity for Growth:

Repeat this affirmation multiple times daily: 

I love who I was then. I love who I am now. And I love who I’m becoming.

With so much love and possibility,
Cynthia