Dear Stranger,

First off, let me introduce myself; Hi, I am Elisabeth Melissa Popa. Some of you reading this letter may know who I am, but most of you do not. You may be wondering why I am writing this and why you are reading it, but please do continue as you will not regret it…at least I hope not.

On a constant basis, many of us wonder what are “purpose” is to the world. Now if you are thinking to yourself “I have nothing to offer to the world”, I am here to tell you that you are wrong.

Here is why:

1) Are you alive?

2) Are you breathing in oxygen and out your portion of carbon dioxide at this very moment?

So then it’s settled, I have concluded that you do have a purpose.

And no, please do not try and come up with any lame excuse as to why you do not have a purpose. I believe that everyone has a purpose and the potential to be the greatest version of who they are.

You reading this and to all who is alive, has a purpose to fulfill on this planet. I believe that God created this earth and put us all here for a reason to fulfill a destiny.

Just like everyone else, I also have a list of dreams and passions that I will accomplish one day.

Notice how I said, “I will” versus “I want”? Think about that. Do you say I want or I will?

Do not worry because I say “I want” more than I should too. I am still working on changing that, but I decided to change my mindset to “I will” because no matter what obstacle comes my way, I know that with hard work, my dreams will come true one day.

Since a young age, I have always known that my purpose is going to be something special. I realized that part of my purpose is to inspire, motivate and make people feel confident in their own skin.

Every dream I pursue in return, will be to help motivate others to do the same for themselves. This letter is one of many steps too achieving my list of dreams.

I want this letter to be a symbol of motivation and determination to help not only myself, but to help you take your first steps towards your inner burning desires. They can be as small or big as you want them to be.

I know we all have something we want to go after. Most of the problem is that we overthink every scenario that could go wrong instead of right. In reality we just need to take a risk and go!

Do not follow what others want for you; instead follow your heart and intuition because they will direct you to the right place. You are in control of the decisions you make each day so why not do what you truly want to do? Only you know what is best for you.

I learned that being unique is what makes you a “celebrity”. My dad always likes to remind me that I am a “celebrity” in his eyes. At the time I never believed him because I thought that to be a “celebrity”, it meant being in magazines, wearing the hottest trends, owning expensive things, going to cool parties and dating every other hot actor available. But, my dad made me realize that being a “celebrity” meant to be yourself, not someone else.

We as humans are always striving to own something we do not have, in order to get societies approval. But guess what? We are perfect just the way we are, right now in this present moment!

What we have will never be enough if we are not content with what we already have. Just be grateful to be alive and even have the opportunity, as Gandhi famously quoted, “to be the change you want to see in the world.”

Now, think about that one dream or even list of dreams that you have.

Make a list, set goals, make an inspiration board, or do whatever it is that you need to do, in order to help yourself start on your dreams.

Then, wake up every morning and repeat to yourself, “I can and I will!” Tell others what your dreams are because that will hold you accountable for them. Then, actually do them!

Start a new job or even quit that job that makes you feel miserable and just do whatever it is you want to do to start on your journey to freedom.

It really is as simple as that. No, it will not be easy. In fact it will be hard and scary, but it will be worth it in the end. I always like to remind myself that there is always a way if you want it bad enough.

Think about it…what if you worked because you loved it? What if you could not wait to wake up the next morning to go on your next unknown adventure, doing what you love instead of what you dread?

Envision that and don’t lose sight of it. Let your gut, those burning desires, passions, God or whomever you believe in; guide you to your freedom.

I promise myself, and you that you will get there if you just believe in yourself. It is only a matter of time until it happens. The trick is to stick to it until it does happen. Everything after that will fall into place.

Being yourself will lead you to experiences you did not even realize existed for you. You can be the change you want to see; you just first have to believe it.

Once you believe in yourself, you are already half way there. The other half is you taking the steps needed, in order to achieve your dreams.

You do not need acceptance of how you chose to live your life you just need to believe that you can achieve anything you want. Once you do that, no one and nothing can stop you from achieving your fullest potential.

So, hello again to whomever is reading this. Please, always remember that you are beautiful, you are enough, and you are worthy. Never forget that.

Live life as if it were your last day on Earth. Remember to smile at people passing by you or even be a helping hand. You never know what someone may be going through and your random act of kindness might just change their world.

No matter what anyone says, you are perfect just the way you are. Everyone is beautiful in their own unique way. I know it sounds cliché and you can laugh all you want, but you know it is true.

YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE! Do not let yourself fall into the trap of depression, like I once did. I believe everyone deserves a chance in life no matter what they are going through or did in the past.

At this very moment, I am on that exact journey with all of you to finding my purpose. I want this letter to not only be advice to myself, but advice to everyone who feels lost. I know I am not the only one on my journey to finding my purpose. We ALL are.

Lastly, hold onto this letter and read it to remind yourself just how truly amazing you are. Never forget that, because you never know what is around the corner for you.

Smile lovelies ;)

XOXO,

Firelight Changes aka Elisabeth Melissa Popa