A box of Letters

A little gift to show my gratitude to all readers

Hi baby,

If you're reading this letter, that means you've received it, and my heart is already overflowing with love just thinking about it. The thought of you brings me warmth and a smile every time. I want to remind you just how breathtakingly beautiful you are, inside and out. And if there's one thing that could be changed about your physical appearance, it would be just one thing—nothing. I can’t help but imagine your stunning smile, the way you walk through life as if you carry the world’s worries on your shoulders, and how you get upset when things don’t work out. I treasure those quiet moments we've shared, lighting a candle late at night, determined to find the one thing that will make us succeed. The way you can whip up something out of nothing, and the way you enjoy that food—it always amazes me. I’m not here to flatter you, but I want to remind you how incredible and strong you are, my second love. But that’s not all. I know how far you’ve come, overcoming challenges, yet there’s so much more ahead of you. So, with this in mind, I want to be the first person to gift you something this Christmas, and I want you to unbox them one after the other, starting with the “Love Box.”

…The Love Box...

You know, love is something so many people talk about, and it’s not a new subject, but it’s subjective. You’ve probably heard this over and over, but I’m going to say it anyway, so listen closely.

Love is not feelings; love is not pain or suffering; love is not insecurity; love is not conditional. What is love? I can’t define it exactly, but I know that loving yourself is one of the hardest things in this unstable world. It’s not just something you learn once, but something you must teach yourself constantly. And you’ll never truly know love unless you’re loving enough. But how can you teach yourself love?

Maybe you don’t know love just yet, but I know for certain that you know yourself better than anyone else. You know who you are, what works for you, what shapes your choices—the work you do, the friends you keep, the books you read, and the way you dress. Understanding these things doesn’t just help you love yourself better—it helps you radiate love wherever you go. It gives you peace, security, and the ability to grow at your own pace without feeling the need to impress others. Studies even show that this kind of self-assurance lowers stress and helps you age more gracefully. So, my love, this is my gift to you—keep loving yourself.

...The Money Box…

Money... money... money... babe, listen, money is important, and I know you’ve spent years searching for it. But here’s the truth—you’ll spend more years chasing it, and you may never catch it. Because money doesn’t really exist. Let me explain.

What is money, really?

The basic definition of money is the medium of exchange accepted by people for the payment of goods and services. Let’s go back in history a bit. You remember the barter system, right? Where a farmer might trade a basket of oranges for a piece of pottery? That’s how people got what they wanted before moving to cowry shells in some parts of Africa. Then the Lydians—now known as Turkey—made metal coins from gold and silver, which other ancient civilizations, like the Greeks and Romans, followed by minting their own coins. Fast forward to the Chinese, who introduced paper money during the Tang Dynasty, and the use of paper currency spread across the world, with other countries adopting it for trade and commerce. But today, digital payments have made money feel even more intangible. I hardly carry cash myself anymore.

So, here’s my point: money doesn’t truly exist. What does exist is the value you bring—the skills, ideas, and talents you have, which you can trade for what you need. Think about it—why does your company employ you? Is it because you need money? No. It’s because you offer value. The company hires you to solve their problems, not to fulfill your needs. Your position at work is simply the exchange of your value. That’s why when your value runs out, your job may disappear.

But having value isn’t enough—you need to package it and present it to those who can benefit from it. You can’t sell a sanitary pad in a boys’ quarters. So, my dear Beatrice, identify your values, find those who need them, and focus on serving that value. Don’t fixate on how to make money—focus on how to make an impact.

...The Fear Box…

I have to be real with you on this—you are afraid, and that’s frightening. You fear leadership, fear growth, fear stagnation, fear failure, fear success, fear disappointment, fear loneliness, fear socialization, fear change, and fear staying the same. You’re practically afraid of everything in life, and that’s why you’re not seeing massive progress despite all the effort you put in.

Here’s the thing—life doesn’t come with a roadmap, and that’s both scary and beautiful. Nobody on this planet has it all figured out—not your professors, not your bosses, not anyone. We’re all just trying to figure it out as we go. So take the first step. Nothing will come to you if you don’t move.

And think about it—what would faith, hope, grace, favor, and believing even mean if we all knew exactly what life was about? Life would be dull. You’d wake up, go through the motions, fulfill your duties, and die lol. But the uncertainties, disappointments, rejections, suffering, and joy make life... life. The unpredictability of tomorrow adds humor to our journey. Sometimes, Sometimes, I feel like the one who created this world and put us into it is playing Squid Game with us—like we’re in a green light, red light challenge. Funny enough, sometimes it feels like you're seconds away from your dreams, and then the universe goes, 'I gotcha.' Lol

But hey, stop trying to figure life out. Live every second it gives you. Life isn’t an acid test, so stop the preliminary testing. I’ve yet to meet someone who wants to go to school but needs to test if the school will work for them first.

Everyone feels fear—that’s part of being human. But it’s not the fear that’s the issue; it’s what you choose to do with it. As Susan Jeffers said in her book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to feel the fear and do it anyway.”

So, my love, let the fear guide you to action. Write that book you’ve always wanted to write, start that business, become the leader you’ve always dreamed of being, and know that it will all make sense in the end, even if it doesn’t at the start.

...The Gratitude Box…

This is the last box, and if you’re reading this—congratulations for making it to the end of the year. Despite everything, this year has been a great one. Now, I want you to take some time alone this month to reflect on your life. Life happens to all of us, but in so many different ways. What are you grateful for?

If you're unsure how to go about this, here are a few tips:

• Thanksgiving: Think about the blessings you've received this year and acknowledge where they came from.

• Review your progress: Go back to the resolutions you set at the start of the year. What did you achieve? What didn’t you achieve?

  I break my review into six categories:

  1. Spiritual Life: This is subjective and based on my own model. So, in this aspect, I ask myself: What is my passion for God? How accessible is the illumination of His word to me? What do I know now that I didn’t know last year? How is my character—am I becoming a person of character? Am I useful to my society? Etc.

  2. Mental Development: What valuable knowledge have I gained that helps me stay relevant?

  3. Health: How well did I take care of myself—diet, exercise, sleep?

  4. Assignment: What is my greater purpose? What brings me fulfillment beyond just work or money?

  5. Finances: How’s my balance sheet? Remember, financial freedom equals time plus financial abundance.

  6. Relationships: Who have I allowed into my life this year? Do they contribute to my growth or hinder it?

  I didn’t mean for this letter to be this long, but there’s so much I wanted to say. Until we speak again, remember, you own every second life gives you, so enjoy it.

  Merry Christmas in advance, my love

Your lovely writer,

Beatrice