I stared down the barrel of change in the past few days, the philosophy that by changing yourself, your lifestyle and your patterns that you somehow become a better person. You keep your insecurities to yourself, re-plaster the emotional walls that you have built, and let go of people who bring you down. Change is inevitable, it’s part of life, but Is change good? Does changing yourself change your situation, your acceptance by society, your health? There are countless articles and quotes stating: Do not change yourself for anyone. Society has us in an invisible room, a comfortable room. A room which makes us feel safe and grounded, taken care of and accepted, even if the foundation of this room is built on insecurities, comparison and unreachable standards. Stay as you are, they tell us, then bombard us with appearance issues, weight control images and mental health stigmas. All of the above, including a recent self-loathing, has led me to think: What if change yourself isn’t...

Failure is something no one wants to deal with. It makes us feel hopeless, worthless and tired. So tired that when we fall, we stay down. Our spirit is too weak to stand up and try again, so we give up and fall down, defeated... What if I told you that people who have failed are the strongest and most successful people. People who fall down, and get back up, are MUCH stronger than people who never fell down at all. They gain a tenacious attitude and strike the world with fire. Yes, failing SUCKS. It puts out your spark, and that's ok. But when you stand up again, don't just stand with a spark, but with a whole damn fire. You are not your failures. You are your progress. And failure is a part of progress. It isn't a sign to give up, but rather to take a breath, get up and fight harder. Don't let your failures allow you to miss out on your destiny. To fail is not the opposite of to succeed. It just means that your journey will be prolonged. And isn't the journey th...