Things you should always remember but, tend to forget often

No one gives better advice than your mother. This still surprises me and I don't know why. She's the only woman in the world that solely has your best interest at heart. When your mind is jumbled and confused and your heart and brain are fighting your mother knows the right things to say and the right rational to have. I forget sometimes that my mother sees me as her daughter, a being for which she has unconditional love, and not as a conduit to fix, what she perceives to be, her mistakes. She has more strength and sense than I can ever pray to have.

Talk out the thoughts in your mind or they will overrun you. I keep forgetting that the people in my life love me for a reason and accept me for all of who I am and not just a part of who I am. So, when calm, rational Shawna meets crazy, insecure Shawna the people in my life have chosen to love both together (lucky them!). I get nervous to let the emotions dislodge from my mind and spill out of my mouth but, once they do, I always feel ten times better.

People will love you even when you make mistakes. Human perfection is unattainable. We were all made with flaws and no one will ever overcome all of their flaws, in fact most of the time, we end up acquiring new ones. The people who truly love you will forgive you, support you, and are still able to love you. The people who do not truly love you will be unable to find forgiveness. These are not people you want in your life. There is no point in catering to people who are willing to give up on you or people you've scarred so badly they are unable to trust you again. Focus on the love you have in your life, it's stronger than chasing the unattainable.

Fear is the greatest barrier to achievement. You have the capabilities to do and achieve anything. We fear the unknown, the risk involved, the consequences of our actions, whether we are able to handle our new situation, and whether or not it's sustainable, i.e. "worth it." It's a healthy emotion to have so acknowledge it but, don't let it consume you. Once it takes over, you can't see anything past the present and you are unable to have a future. There will be pros and cons to every decision, taste the fear and then swallow it, your best decisions come when you let the fear disappear.

Instincts are there for a reason. They tell you how to best assess the situations with which you are presented. They also are your best weapon at "reading" the people around you. You cannot predict the future but your instincts will most likely lead you to the best possible place. Ignoring them will nine times out of ten lead you down the wrong path. People will tell you what you want to hear, instincts will tell you what is true.

Love is really, that powerful. It actually does span time and space. The connection between two people in love is unexplainable, undeniable, and witnessed in every action. Two I's become we, two bodies become one, two minds tick together, and two hearts beat in unison. Your thought process is changed immediately from I mode to we mode. The feeling is indescribable, there are not words sweet nor strong enough to explain it, the only way to truly know it is to feel it. Besides, feeling it is the best part.