That’s the question we must ask ourselves when we become so committed to standing up for other women and those same women won’t stand up for us. This of course is time that one can never get back. Learning to be your biggest cheerleader is the flex we believed we never needed. In an era of petty, fake, false, and deception by proxy holding and uplifting yourself demonstrates self-care to the maximum degree.

I’m not saying we don’t need each other as women, because this magazine is about Sisterhood. But the lesson that we should not expect ourselves in others, is real. The entire premise of this magazine relates to women and the need to be better at sisterhood. Right now, I can honestly tell you real-life true stories about countless women and shenanigans created to disrupt my life. The tactics are so contrived, you’d think it’s a made-for-TV Lifetime movie classic.

I feel like a prisoner. I feel trapped in someone’s dark fantasy. Every time I try to escape, it’s like I’m running in tar. That’s that dark magic that the handler hasn’t researched or by someone who is so set out on destroying me, they’ve cursed their entire bloodline. We are designed for connection. When you pervert that and use ways to damage others, you destroy yourself in the process. That is none of my business. I am showing up for myself. I am aware of things that are off. I see how people move before they do physically. When you’ve chosen light, it will always guide you and reveal to you at the right time those who are frauds.

The toughest part of this journey is accepting that sometimes you do have to walk it alone. You cannot force people to see your light, in ways you want them to. The truth is they see it—they don’t like it or want it. They cannot have what’s yours and you cannot have what’s theirs. They have chosen their paths. They will  have to stick with it and endure the same traps they have set for others. I have only empathy for their lack of knowledge. The universe is always working for our good. Life is designed to be good. Not perfect, but good. Suffering, and hard breaks because someone set you up or sabotaged you is not what we are here for.

We are designed to make the world better. Help those less fortunate. Help those who have been crippled by the deeds of evil individuals, through no fault of their own. Help others learn their gifts and purpose and not prevent others from walking on theirs.

The self-care tool we must adopt is to know our weaknesses, so nefarious people won’t try and use them against us. If you like money, please learn that not all money is good. If you want a wealthy man, make sure he’s not going to beat you, disrespect you, and force you to live under his thumb because it’s his money. If you want to help others, make sure you have boundaries and limits. For peace and safety, we must learn it is okay to be kind and generous from afar. Some dark individuals will work tirelessly to snuff out your light. They won’t win, but the time and energy, to duck, bob, and weave, can be better spent sharing your light with those who deeply need it.