13 Principles For Aria

you can’t be everything to everybody,

aria.


i’m sitting here tonight thinking about that sentence.

the kind of thought that only makes sense after you’ve lived a little.


less than a year ago i was introduced to the law of impermanence.


at first it sounded like philosophy.


now it feels like reality.


everything changes.

everything moves.

everything eventually lets go.


i’m 25 years old as i write this.


still learning.

still rebuilding.

still figuring things out.


but far enough along the road to know a few things

i wish someone had told me earlier.


—


1. you can’t be everything to everybody.


if you try,

you will slowly lose yourself

carrying expectations that were never yours to hold.


service is beautiful.

losing yourself in it is not.


—


2. fear is a greater teacher than love.


love inspires us.


fear forces us

to meet the parts of ourselves

we didn’t know were there.


and those encounters

are what change us.


—


3. peace of mind is not something you pray for.


it’s something you build.


it comes from knowing who you are,

accepting what you cannot control,

and learning how to let things move.


—


4. loss will visit everyone.


friends.

moments.

versions of yourself.


nothing is permanent.


and strangely, that’s what makes life beautiful.


because it reminds you to cherish

the people who are still here.


—


5. time moves quietly.


one day you wake up

and realize a whole season of your life has passed.


so move carefully.

choose your path with intention.


—


6. most people are still figuring things out.


even adults.


many of them are simply older children

doing the best they can with what they understand.


remember that when you judge others.


—


7. discipline creates freedom.


the world will try to convince you

freedom means doing whatever you want.


but real freedom

comes from mastering yourself.


—


8. protect your mind.


your mind is the soil

everything in your life will grow from.


be careful what you plant there.


—


9. choose your circle wisely.


the people around you

quietly shape the direction of your life.


—


10. kindness is not weakness.


some of the strongest people you will ever meet

move gently through the world.


—


11. sometimes the right path feels lonely.


that doesn’t mean you’re wrong.


sometimes it simply means

you’re learning to walk your own road.


—


12. who you are today

will not be who you are in ten years.


and that’s a good thing.


growth means letting go

of the people you used to be.


—


13. be grateful.


the most powerful people i’ve ever met

weren’t the richest.


they were the ones

who learned how to appreciate the life in front of them.


—


one day you’ll read this

and understand that everything i’m building now

is for the life you’ll step into later.


so remember this above everything else:


you don’t need to be everything to everybody.


just be true

to the person you’re becoming.


the rest of life

will figure itself out.


— dad

(Mr. Mak)


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