Tag: life

2021, I’m Ready To Let You Go

2021, I’m Ready To Let You Go

by Rania Naim ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
  • Domino Park- NYC, June 2021…The day I felt alive again.

I’m ready. Ready to let you go.

You were a year like no other. A year of revelations and self-reflection. A year of small highlights that made a big difference and a defining year for me. It’s the year I can safely say, I found myself. Every month was an answer. Every month gave me closure. Every month healed the pain 2020 brought.

With all that being said, I’m ready to end this chapter and start a new one because I am now equipped with so many lessons and so much resilience that will empower me to face anything fearlessly because thanks to you, I now know I can survive anything. Thanks to you, I now know how to fight back.

I’m ready to put an end to the nights I spent trying to understand myself and revisit my childhood wounds so I can heal them, they definitely weren’t easy because they reminded me that all the things I thought I got over were very much still alive within me. I had to say goodbye to some very dear parts to me but I knew it was the right thing to do. The parts of me that served me in the past are not going to serve me in the future and I had to look ahead.

I’m ready to put an end to all the lectures I’ve given people, teaching them how to treat me, setting boundaries with so many of them, taking back my power, and giving everyone what they deserved. It was the year I finally put my foot down and I wasn’t afraid of the consequences. I wasn’t afraid of losing people because I wanted to put myself first.

I’m ready to put an end to the inner battles and the battles between my heart and my mind. I’m ready to let go of the defensiveness that permeated my body this whole year because I didn’t want to allow anyone to hurt me again. I’m ready to ease up again because now people know where they stand with me and they know what they can and can’t get away with. Now I’ve finally taught people that I’m not going to be in their lives if they don’t know how to respect me or value me. Now I’ve finally taught people that my feelings matter and my voice matters. I’m no longer suppressing how I feel to accommodate anyone.

2021, I’m ready to let you go even though you gave me so much power and self-love, it’s time to take it easy now. It’s time to reap the rewards of what I sew. It’s time to start allowing love, light and abundance into my life. I’m no longer holding back any part of me. I am ready to shine, I’m ready for my comeback. I’m ready for the world to see the new and improved me and I’m thankful that you gave me the time and that courage to do that. You taught me how to be insanely strong and now it’s time to be insanely happy.

2022, I hope you’re ready for me. The show must go on, and this time it will be better than ever.

The Difference Between Us

The Difference Between Us

by Rania Naim ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I hope this is the year where you get reintroduced to yourself, your potential and your worth. I hope this is the year where you find the road to your wishes easier to navigate. I hope this is the year where all your (1)

The difference between us
is that I say how I truly feel
and you say what I want to hear
and somewhere in the middle
we failed to understand each other.

The difference between us
is that I find homes in people
and you find excuses
and somewhere in between
I found myself closing my door

The difference between us
is I walk away when I’m confused
but you convince people that you’re sure
but eventually your hesitation prevailed
and it became harder to trust you

The difference between us
is that I heal myself when I’m broken
but you break people when you’re hurt
and then my heart starts to wonder
if this is where it truly belongs

The difference between us
is that I don’t find joy in dishonesty
and you find pleasure in deception
but eventually your manipulation
brought the end of our story

The difference between us
is that you expect me to wait
and I expect you to show up
but somehow your absence made more sense
and I found myself much happier without you

2019, I’m Ready To Let You Go

2019, I’m Ready To Let You Go

by Rania Naim ♥ 1 Comment

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2019, I’m ready to let you go.

This time, I’m saying goodbye to what could be the most challenging year of my life. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was challenging. It gave me so much to remember yet so much to forget. It brought me so much joy but also a lot of tears. It gave me so much to be thankful for but took away a few valuable things.

2019, this is my bittersweet farewell to you.

Farewell to the day I had to break my own heart because I knew deep down I wasn’t getting the kind of love I deserved. I had to choose myself instead of settling for being an option to someone else. I had to pick being alone again over someone who was never going to value me or make an effort to be in my life. I had to once again admit to myself that I made the wrong choice and it was not too late to right my wrongs. It’s never too late to realize that you made a mistake because you can always make things right again. Farewell to the day I had to break my own heart to save it. Farewell to the day I decided to do things the hard way because I wasn’t ready to lose myself again in the arms of the wrong person and I wasn’t ready to go back on what I always believed in just to make someone else happy. Especially someone who didn’t take my happiness very seriously.

Farewell to the days I saw my loved ones suffer; either from illnesses or losses or painful experiences. The days that make you reevaluate your life and your choices. The days that make you reflect on the meaning of life and security. The days that teach you the hard way that you’re not always in control and that God will always have the last word. The days you’re never prepared for but have to face anyway and utilize all your strength, faith, wisdom, patience and resilience. The days that present you with the hardest tests in life, the ones you didn’t study for, the ones you need to pass anyway. The ones that force you to burst every bubble and step out of your comfort zone. Farewell to the days that broke my heart in irreparable ways.

But more than anything, farewell to the old me, the person I was before this year started, the person who was fearful and confused and scared. The person who didn’t know if they could start over or make things happen or walk away from certain people. Farewell to the person who was stuck either professionally or personally or romantically because if 2019 taught me anything, it’s that if you can take every challenge, every setback, every painful heartbreak, every loss, every tragedy and every missed opportunity as a sign that you need to grow or change your life or yourself and you actually do something about it, then you’ll never have a bad year. You’ll always win even if you don’t have the right cards dealt for you as long as you learn how to play them. And if you can search for the truth within you and among others even if it hurts, you won’t lose yourself, you won’t end up living a lie. You won’t pretend to be someone you’re not.

Farewell 2019, the year that forced me to find myself and my truth, to stand on my own, to watch everything I feared unfold before my eyes, to make all the difficult decisions that I was running away from, to protect my own heart by breaking it over and over again and still survive, and still hope, and still dream of better and bigger things.

2019 will always be the year that tried to kill me but I survived and the year that prepared me for whatever challenges 2020 plans on bringing, but for now, all I can hope for, just like I do every year, is for 2020 to be kind. I hope 2020 is the calm after the storm. I hope 2020 is the year I thrive but regardless of what it plans on bringing, I’m ready.

2020, I’m so ready for you!

A LETTER TO THE ONES I HAD TO LET GO

A LETTER TO THE ONES I HAD TO LET GO

by Rania Naim ♥ 2 Comments

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Photo by Ömürden Cengiz on Unsplash

Letter Fourteen from my book All The Letters I Should Have Sent. 

Let me tell you how I did it. Let me tell you how I got your ghosts out of my system.

I stopped thinking about you late at night when I was alone wishing you were there so I could talk to you. I started talking to my best friends. I started reading. I started writing. Because I realized they’ve all been there for me in all the ways you weren’t and they’re still here with me but you’re gone.

I stopped staring at my phone when something good happens hoping you would say something and I stopped staring at it when something bad happens tempted to call you and tell you about it because you never wanted to celebrate with me and you never wanted to give me a shoulder to cry on when my tears wouldn’t stop falling.

I remembered that I couldn’t count on you to make me smile when you’re the ones who made me cry.

I stopped comparing anyone I met to you. I stopped believing in the same spark that burned me—the flames that turned to ashes.

I’m done living in this illusion I’ve created with you and I’m ready to face my new reality without you.

And finally, I stopped thinking that you’ll come back one day. I stopped wanting you to fight for me because the truth is, I don’t want a fight—love shouldn’t be about fighting and it shouldn’t be a war. It shouldn’t be a battle of who cares more and who’s going to fall harder. It shouldn’t be about winning and losing.

And if it is, then I don’t want it. Maybe I’m just a dreamer but I believe that love should be easy, it should be simple and clear. It shouldn’t be all questions and games and it shouldn’t leave you wondering or waiting.

And maybe I’m just a dreamer but I believe that love should be magic and it should leave you in awe.

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It Sucks That I’m Happier Without You

It Sucks That I’m Happier Without You

by Rania Naim ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2019-05-03 at 3.23.13 PM
Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

It sucks that I’m happier without you.

It sucks that when I sleep at night, I can only think of how good it feels to sleep without wondering what you’re doing, who you’re talking to or trying to find the truth between your lies.

It sucks that when I wake up, I don’t miss your good morning text. The one that was probably sent to many. The one that eventually stopped meaning anything if I wasn’t the only one you think of when you wake up in the morning. It sucks that when I wake up, I have one less thing to worry about. One less burden.

It sucks that when someone brings up your name, I have to nod and agree with everything they’re saying about you. It sucks that I can’t defend you or your actions because you didn’t prove any of them wrong. You didn’t even try.

It sucks that when I think about my future, I feel better that you won’t be in it. Thinking of all the ways you could have screwed me over. Thinking of all the ways you could have ruined it with your presence. It sucks that walking away may have been the best thing I did for myself.

It sucks that you were once an important somebody who quickly turned into a nobody, but you know what sucks even more, staying when I know I’m not being valued. Staying with someone who can’t handle their own baggage or their own problems. Staying with someone who finds it so easy to lie instead of facing the truth. Staying when every day felt like I was losing a part of myself.

What sucks even more, is staying with someone who doesn’t make me a better person. Staying when I know I can find someone else who wants to give me the world. A world where I don’t have to apologize for my heart or regret trusting someone or giving someone my all. Someone who can’t picture his world without me in it.

It sucks that your memory is now grimy and dusty….but I guess that’s how I became clean. I had to see who you really were underneath all the glitz and the glam. At the end of the day, an empty heart, an empty soul will never recognize a heart that’s full of love. A shallow heart will never understand a deep one. A selfish heart can never give. A dead heart can never beat.

The Truth Is, You’re Meant To Fight Some Battles Alone

The Truth Is, You’re Meant To Fight Some Battles Alone

by Rania Naim ♥ 2 Comments

 

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Photo by taylor hernandez on Unsplash

If I have learned anything over the last few years, it’s that you have to always be ready to face certain battles alone. Your inner demons, your worst fears, and your own suffering because at the end of the day no one will truly understand your demons, no one will understand the damage, no one will understand the storms you hold within, no one will understand but you, so you have to always safeguard yourself with the tools you need to fight certain battles alone and walk through certain paths by yourself.

If I have learned anything over the last few years, it’s that you can’t really predict what life will bring you because things can change overnight. One day you’re on cloud nine and the next day you’re hitting rock bottom. One day your phone lights up with the exact words you want to hear and the next day you’re receiving the news you’ve been fearing. One day you’re planning a future with someone and the next day you’re packing your bags and leaving. One day it looks like you’re finally getting things right and the next day your life is turned upside down forcing you to start over.

And sometimes there’s nothing you could do about it except learning how to survive alone, how to be your own person, how to count on your strength and hold on for a little while longer until things align again or until the world sets you free.

And I know that on some days you just want life to slow down, you wish that you could stop battling and start living. You want to be fought for instead of being the fighter, you want to be held instead of holding everything together and you want to be understood instead of drowning in a sea of your own confusion. But if you’re meant to face the hardest of battles alone, if you’re meant to keep fighting with little to no help, then maybe it can only get better from there, you can only rebuild after destruction. You can only find peace after war.

And I know that it’s harder on some days to keep the faith and stay hopeful, but maybe that’s how you make it through, staying hopeful when things seem hopeless, staying intact when things are falling apart, knowing that eventually, life will straighten itself out again, the picture won’t be upside down and the answers won’t be so confusing or so hard to find.

I guess what keeps me going is knowing that we all get what we deserve in the end, what we work so hard for and what our hearts truly desire. Because just as things can change for the worse overnight, they can also change for the better. Just as things suddenly disappear, life can magically hand you more blessings.

And maybe you’re not meant to win every battle or get all the answers right but as long as you still know how to stand tall every time life knocks you down, you will prevail.

Ironically, life becomes easier when you know that even if you lose all your battles, as long as you haven’t lost yourself, you’re still a winner.

I Hope This Is The Year Where Everything Changes

I Hope This Is The Year Where Everything Changes

by Rania Naim ♥ 1 Comment

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Photo by Gian Cescon on Unsplash

I hope this is the year where everything changes.

I hope this is the year where you find yourself.

I hope this is the year where you stop being lost and finally take the right turn that leads you to your true path.

I hope this is the year where you take a leap of faith and it changes your life.

I hope this is the year where you get rewarded for all you’ve endured during the past few years.

I hope this is the year where you heal from everything that caused you pain.

I hope this is the year where all the things you’ve been waiting for happen.

I hope this is the year where you dust yourself off and start seeing things clearly again.

I hope this is the year where you get reintroduced to yourself, your potential and your worth.

I hope this is the year where you find the road to your wishes easier to navigate.

I hope this is the year where all your broken pieces come together so you could feel whole again.

I hope this is the year where you find the answers you’ve been looking for.

I hope this is the year where you get the closure you’ve been seeking.

I hope this is the year where you find hope again and renew your faith in life and in yourself.

I hope this is the year where you fall in love with yourself again and release everyone who couldn’t love you.

I hope this is the year where you stand tall and shine again.

I hope this is the year where you find things easily coming together instead of falling apart.

I hope this year is the year to remember.

I hope this is your year.

In 2019, I’m Leading With Faith

In 2019, I’m Leading With Faith

by Rania Naim ♥ 1 Comment

 

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Photo by Yoann Boyer on Unsplash

In 2019, I’m putting all my faith in God. I’m going to let him guide me without trying to interfere with his plans. I’m not going to keep knocking on the doors he decided to close. I’m not going to rush things anymore because I’ve learned to trust his timing. No matter how much I want things, his timing will always bring the best results. His timing will always make the imperfect situations perfect.

In 2019, I’m following his signs. Without trying to change the direction. Without trying to manipulate what these signs mean. Without trying to follow my own flawed sense of direction. I’m going to truly listen to his answers even if they’re not what I want to hear. I’m going to run to him when I feel lost.

In 2019, I’ll talk to him about my problems. I won’t talk to other people, I won’t keep getting advice from people who are just as confused and lost as I am. I’ll talk to him because he’s the only one who can fix them. He’s the only one who has a real solution. He’s the only one who can truly understand.

In 2019, I’m detaching. Detaching from what’s not meant for me. Detaching from all the expectations I had for myself and people. I’m detaching from trying to make everything work or having control over every single aspect in my life. I’m detaching from my own obsessions and my own demons.

In 2019, I’m trusting him more. Because God knows what’s in my heart. God knows what I need. He doesn’t need reminders. God doesn’t forget. I’m counting on him to make me whole again. I’m done trying to mend everything myself. I’m done trying to pretend like I know what’s best for me when I have the ultimate teacher waiting for me to put all my faith and trust in him. I have the ultimate healer.

In 2019, I’m leading with faith. Faith that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Faith that the new year will bring more blessings and more positive transformations into my life. Faith that even if things don’t work out the way I want them to, they’re still working out in my favor. Faith that I’ll eventually receive everything I’ve been asking for because that’s what faith does, it turns everything around.

Do Me A Favor And Know When To End Things

Do Me A Favor And Know When To End Things

by Rania Naim ♥ 2 Comments

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Do me a favor and know when to end things.

When it causes you more pain than joy, end it.

When it makes you feel like you’re not good enough, end it.

When it doesn’t make you proud of who you are, end it.

When you know this is not what you deserve, end it.

Have the courage to end what doesn’t serve you well.

Have the courage to end anything that manipulates you into someone you’re not.

Have the kind of faith that gives you the power to believe that something better is on its way to you even if you can’t see it yet.

Muster the courage to walk away even if staying is more comfortable. Even if staying is all you really want to do.

Because as much as ending things that we’re attached to is difficult, sometimes holding on to them is toxic. It’s toxic to try and fix something that’s already broken. It’s toxic to try and change someone who wants to remain the same. It’s toxic to drain yourself out of love when you’re not getting what you truly desire out of it.

We don’t have to mourn all endings. Some endings may be hard to swallow at first but when you look past the pain, you see the wisdom and the lessons behind them, the new opportunities they brought you and the new person they shaped you into. When you look past the pain, you will find that endings can be celebrated too.

So do me a favor and know when to end things because nothing is worse than knowing you deserve more, knowing you can get a lot more than what you’re getting but you’re choosing to settle instead. Nothing is worse than being with someone who challenges everything you believe about love.

So do me a favor and know when to end things, especially if they make you love yourself a little less.

Do me a favor and choose to end things that don’t make you a better person. Do me a favor and choose yourself.  

2018, I’m Ready To Let You Go

2018, I’m Ready To Let You Go

by Rania Naim ♥ 2 Comments

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Photo by Megan Lewis on Unsplash

I’m ready.

I’m ready to let you go. I’m so ready to let you go. You weren’t the easiest or the happiest and I’m ready to say goodbye to everything you’ve brought. I’m ready to let go of the parts of you that disappointed me, the people who let me down, the moments that I couldn’t hold myself together and the times when I almost gave up on myself.

I learned.

You taught me a few important lessons the hard way. You taught me that nothing is ever predictable, especially people. You taught me that family could easily diminish your value in a moment of anger, friends could replace you when they find their significant other, people can lie to your heart and break it just to mend theirs, but most of all you taught me how to stand alone, which will always be the hardest lesson for me, but you proved to me that the only person I can control is me and the only person I can really count on is also me. You taught me not to get too attached to people or trust too much or love too much. You taught me that I have to always guard myself even from the closest people to my heart. But…..

I forgive you.

I forgive you for all the pain, the betrayal, the unpleasant surprises, and the confusion. I forgive you for the countless nights you made me sleep with tears in my eyes. I forgive you for making the happy times short-lived. I forgive you for not going the way I wanted you to go. Maybe there is something about you that will help me in the years to come. Maybe as much as I want to forget you, you will be the year I look back on to avoid future disasters or think twice before getting close to someone again or maybe you’ll be the year that brought me closer to myself and that will make all the difference. However…

I appreciate you.

You still brought me a lot of blessings. A lot of laughter. A lot of unforgettable moments and people. A lot of memories that will make me smile for years to come. Ironically, as much as you made me feel dead inside, you brought me moments that made me feel alive like never before. You had your way of making up for the bad times or the hard times and I appreciate you for making a few things better. I appreciate you for giving me just enough to keep going, to keep believing, to look forward to what’s coming next and to have faith that the best is yet to come.

I’m going to get over you.

I’m already healing from your wounds. I’m already looking ahead. I’m done living in your sob story. I’m done being your victim. I’m done letting you take so much space and energy. I’m done dwelling on all the things I didn’t do and all the dreams you didn’t let me live. I’m done trying to make everything happen before you end.

You weren’t the year for me and it’s time to move on. It’s time to let you go.

2019 —

I don’t know what to expect, I don’t know what you hold for me, I don’t know if you’ll be better or worse, but I know that I’m ready for you. I’ve survived the worst and now I’m ready to write a new story on your empty pages, literally. I can only hope that this time, it’s going to be a happy one. I can only hope that this time, you are the year for me.