D is for Determination

D was a hard one for me to settle on, baby girl. It came down to Dreams and Determination. The final decision was that dreams are only dreams unless you have the determination to achieve them, so I went with that. But know that dreams are vital. Know that dreams give you direction and purpose.

So, determination. It's really quite simple. All the things we have talked about already, all the things we will still discuss, all of them are fueled by determination. You can attempt to have the best attitude in the world, you can decide to be courageous, but it's when it really matters, when you are faced with challenges that test your attitude, that test your courage, it's then that determination comes into play. Determination is what gives you the strength you'll need to maintain your attitude in the face of negativity. Determination is what gives you the fortitude you'll need to stay courageous.

Sometimes you will know why you are fighting, what you are fighting for. You will know when and why you have to rely upon your own stubborn determination to get you through. Other times, it won't be (or stay) as clear to you. There will be lots of times that a voice inside your head whispers to you, "Give up. Why are you putting yourself through this? It would be so easy to just give up, and it won't really matter in the long run. People fail all the time. It's ok to fail. Just give up." It's those times, baby girl, when you'll have to remember that sometimes you just have to stay determined for determination's sake. Sometimes you just have to keep going without knowing why, without being convinced that it's worth it. You will doubt yourself. It's in those moments of doubt that determination steps in and is your strength for you, when determination alone becomes your faith, your purpose, your motivation.

Nothing great in life can be achieved without determination. Set goals for yourself. Have dreams. A life without goals, without dreams, is a life that is wasted, adrift on the sea of time, until your time runs out and you realize you never got anywhere. So having direction is the first step. Determination is the fuel that gets you there.

You are my daughter. I know you will have it within you to fight for your dreams. Determination will be in your marrow, the deepest cells of your brain, in every beat of your heart, which learned its rhythm from my own beating heart. You will be called stubborn more times that I can tell you. Take it as a compliment. Take it as an observation that you have both a direction and the determination to make it there. Determination is never a bad thing. Never. Sometimes you will need to re-evaluate your direction, your goals, your dreams. They may need revising. The contexts under which they were set may have changed. Be open to that.

But remember, having the determination to achieve whatever goals, whatever dreams you set, no matter how far away, no matter how complicated, no matter how difficult, that is always amazing.

Be determined. Be determined, and no matter where that determination takes you, no matter what dreams you chased, you will have gotten somewhere, you will have achieved something.

And that is what gives life meaning.