My Story
“I am strong because
I’ve been weak”
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“I am fearless because
I’ve been afraid”
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“I am wise because
I’ve been a fool”
Meet Melissa
Hello and welcome to Project Choose Love!
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My name is Melissa and I am the founder and CEO of this magnificent movement. Being a life and mindset coach with a background in mental health and masters in education, I started this project because I know the power of exploring and challenging the confines of human potential from my first hand discovery.
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​I have to be honest with you that this journey of self-love was no easy feat, and who I am today is not someone you would have recognized 9 years ago. I had done everything I was told I should: attended a private school, graduated university, held a stable career, supported my family. I had followed the step-by-step blueprint that has been set out for so many of us, yet I felt constantly fatigued, unfulfilled, and unhappy. It took me a while to realize that this supposed ‘blueprint for success’ was created for me—not by me.
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And instead of completing that ‘blueprint for success’, I only became the product of what everyone else wanted. Growing up, I would put others first, have the tendency to people please, wear a mask to look like I was doing “fine”, and lived in a constant state of anxiety and depression. I was running at a million miles per hour, every hour, meeting the demands of my grandparents, my parents, my coworkers, my friends, and everyone around me.
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Need a ride to an appointment an hour away?
I got it, I’ll take off work.
Need someone to blame for the family dinner blowing up?
It’s okay, my fault since I was 2 minutes late.
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I thought that if they were happy, I would be too. Throughout it all, I forgot about myself, and I missed the fundamentals of meeting demands for my own needs. I’m no physicist, but when you’re going at a million miles per hour in every direction, you will undoubtedly run out of fuel or spin out of control. That’s exactly what happened to me.
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I was in a cycle where I would not live up to someone’s expectation, feel upset with myself for not being enough for them, physically and mentally ridicule my self-worth, which further lowered my confidence and ability to serve others. I felt so lost and empty, and I realized I had no idea what self-love meant. I realized I cannot move forward until I learn to forgive myself and others. I realized only I have the responsibility of my happiness. I realized I must stop looking outside of myself to find fulfillment and start connecting with my authentic self.
So over the last few years, I have transformed my mindset and perspectives, improved my relationship with myself, and created healthy boundaries. Seeing the difference this has made for my happiness and love for life, I want to be able to help other individuals do so as well. I am never one to judge and truly believe that everything in life is an opportunity to grow and evolve, so let’s work together and have you learn to choose yourself too.
The Beginning
Project Choose Love was born from my own journey of self-healing and path to accepting self-compassion. I had struggled with setting healthy boundaries, initiating positive self-talk, and finding confidence in any of my talents. I was only a shell of who I am, just smiling and living everyday for those around me instead of for myself.
I had forgotten the power I have to change the course of my own life and needed a small reminder that this ability to shift my perspective, mindset, and outlook is well within my grasp. To get where I wanted to be, I began to tell myself I need to choose love. So, “Today, I choose love over fear. I am making more loving choices with everyone - including myself. I replace judgment with compassion, bitterness with forgiveness, and hatred with understanding. I choose to lead a life of love. I CHOOSE LOVE.”
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A simple yet powerful phrase, to “Choose Love” means to put your mind, body, and soul above all and love yourself fully. This can look like letting ourselves rest when there is still work to be done, unashamedly setting our boundaries with loved ones, or laughing over our mistakes—all of these instances and more where we mindfully and intentionally choose what is best for our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. It is an understanding that we are human, we have moments, and we can grow each and everyday to become closer and closer to what our true meaning of happiness is.
It took me a while to learn how to choose love and how to confidently choose myself in order to attain my happiness. So, with all I have to offer from my experience and lifelong journey, Project Choose Love was created to help you reach your happiest you.
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Melissa has been a Life and Mindset Coach since 2020. Not only does she have lived experience with mental health challenges, she also holds certifications as a Project SUCCESS instructor and consultant since 2021, which allows her to teach an extensive life skills curriculum with topics ranging from emotional development to personal growth.
Connect With Melissa
Check out some (or all) of Melissa's personal most viewed TikTok's below
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Melissa enjoys posting positive, uplifting, and educational videos that help people practice self love as well as opportunities to heal from past or current traumas through knowing their worth, choosing themselves, and choosing love.
