I’m facilitating a writing group called “Manifesting your Dreams.” I create the prompts as well as respond to them. Here is my response to the second prompt.

Write for at least 5 minutes about this question:
What do you love about yourself? In other words, what are your talents and strengths?

I decided to do it in list format, because I’m a virgo and I love lists.

Name: Amberly Young
Age: 23
Favorite Colors: Yellow, White, Red, and Turquoise
Occupation: World Traveler, Writer, Musician, Artist, Teacher, Philanthropist… but I don’t want to shut any doors, so my occupation is Student and Teacher of Life! Anything and everything.
Interests: Freedom, Generosity, Ultimate Frisbee, Swing Dancing, Healthy Eating, Spirituality, Goal Setting, List Making, Reading, Writing, Drawing, Painting, Talking to Strangers, Yoga and Meditation, Practicing Infinite Love! Everything.
Right now: Wearing fuzzy maroon bathrobe, in the living room of my parents house where I grew up in. Maple the lovable yellow lab maple is snoring.

My Talents and Strengths:

1. Courage. To travel, talk to strangers, to be free, to have no inhibitions. To teach and to be taught. I regained my innate child-like total freedom feeling recently, at the raw food yoga detox center I lived at for 2 months the Philippines. I am turning back into a child! YES! This comes in handy, and is connected to everything.

2. Creativity. In everything I do: Art Cooking Music Daily Life, it just exudes out of me. I can’t help it. I play piano, guitar, flute, drums a little, and I sing A LOT. I know that I am capable of any creative project I set my mind to. Same with sports or anything expressive. Recently I’ve been trying to apply this attitude to everything, such as math and science, which are subjects which intimidated me in the past. Now I know I can do anything.

3. Enthusiasm!!! I throw myself into things one hundred percent without holding back. In the Philippines I had a spiritual awakening because I was SO OPEN and eager to learn everything. Sometimes my friends and family warn me to be more cautious. While I value their input, I think this quality has taken me very, very far in life so far.

Lots of people warned me not to do a solo motorbike trip in Taiwan, and that was such a life changing experience. For 5 days I zoomed down the coastal highway,  finding my way in a country where there are no signs in English – without a smartphone! I had written down names and phone number of places to stay, and miraculously I made it!

There’s a difference between careful and paranoid, and I think I’ve proven I can take care of myself. I do want to be cautious, maybe, but not paranoid! Read my article about traveling alone as a woman for more info about this.

4. Organization. I am all about making lists (as you can tell) and manifesting my dreams via writing, art, music, and with a calendar. I’m all about TAKING ACTION!! I have a pen and paper wherever I go, and I always carry business cards – I had 1000 made in the Philippines for $25! I am excellent at networking and keeping track of the people I’ve met abroad.

5. Love. I love everyone. I love everything. In this moment my love for the world is so powerful it hurts, sometimes its too much. It’s hard for me to hear about all the wars and violence in the world, so I don’t watch the news much. I’m inspired by more positive stories, as my friends volunteering in the Philippines doing permaculture in a tiny village, watch the video here. Like them, I want to spread joy and light to the world! The next step to this is unconditional love for myself.

One final question: How do I do all of this and be empty and nothingness at the same time? I am everything but I am nothing. Or am I? I feel all powerful, with moments of nothingness sprinkled in between. Any advice? Comments? Critique?

Feel free to do this writing prompt on your own, and if you feel inspired you can email it to me! I’ll respond.

Thanks for reading.