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To The Young Woman I Was, The Woman I Am, And The Woman I’ll Become 🤎

Pauline Gray

6/15/20266 min read

To The Young Woman I Was 19 Years Ago

To the young woman I was 19 years ago,

I wish I could sit beside you for a moment.

I wish I could hold your hand and tell you everything is going to be okay.

I know you’re hurting.

I know about the tears nobody sees.

I know about the trauma you’re carrying.

I know about the heartbreak.

I know about the disappointments.

I know about the moments you’ve questioned your worth and wondered if life would ever get easier.

I know about the nights you cried yourself to sleep.

The mornings you woke up exhausted from carrying so much.

The days you smiled on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside.

I know how heavy it feels.

I know how lonely it feels.

I know how many times you’ve wondered why life seems so much harder for you.

I know you’re tired.

I know you’re doing your best.

And I know you don’t see it right now, but you are stronger than you think.

The pain you’re carrying won’t stay with you forever.

The trauma won’t define you forever.

The tears won’t last forever.

You won’t always live in survival mode.

You won’t always feel like you’re fighting to keep your head above water.

One day, you’ll understand that every challenge, every setback, every heartbreak, every lesson and every tear was preparing you for the woman you’re about to become.

Right now you’re simply trying to survive.

Trying to make sense of life.

Trying to find your place in the world.

But one day you’ll realise that everything you’re going through is shaping you into someone extraordinary.

So please don’t give up.

Keep going.

Keep believing.

Because the life you’re dreaming about is already making its way to you.

To The Woman I Am Today

I am so proud of you.

Not because of what you’ve achieved.

But because of who you’ve become.

You survived.

You healed.

You grew.

You broke cycles.

You did the hard work.

You faced yourself.

You took accountability.

You chose healing when it would have been easier to stay hurt.

You chose growth when it would have been easier to stay comfortable.

You became the woman you always needed.

Look at us.

We have the family we always dreamed about.

We became a mama of five beautiful children.

Five incredible little humans who fill our world with love, laughter, lessons and purpose.

Three beautiful little girls came into our lives and completed parts of our heart we didn’t even know were missing.

We became a wife.

A loving wife.

A loyal wife.

A woman who has spent almost two decades building a life, a family and a future alongside her best friend.

We built a home.

Not just a house.

A home.

A place where our children feel safe.

A place filled with love.

A place filled with memories.

A place filled with connection.

A place we once dreamed of having.

And look how far we’ve come.

Remember when we lived paycheck to paycheck?

Remember when every dollar mattered?

Remember when we were constantly looking for the next job?

Remember the stress?

The worry?

The fear?

The tears?

Remember working so hard just to make sure there was food on the table and clothes on everyone’s backs?

Remember feeling like you were carrying the world?

Look at us now.

We created stability.

We created opportunities.

We built multiple streams of income.

We continue building through online business with MONAT.

We stopped surviving and started creating.

Creating wealth.

Creating freedom.

Creating opportunities.

Creating a future.

Creating a legacy.

The woman who once worried about having enough is now building abundance.

And that’s something to be proud of.

But what I’m most proud of isn’t any of that.

I’m proud of the woman we’ve become.

A woman who is kind.

A woman who is humble.

A woman who is loving.

A woman who lifts others up.

A woman who celebrates other people.

A woman who genuinely wants the best for those around her.

But a woman who also knows her worth.

A woman who stands her ground.

A woman who protects her peace.

A woman who has learned that boundaries are healthy.

A woman who no longer shrinks herself to make others comfortable.

For years we sat at tables where we weren’t valued.

Tables where we weren’t celebrated.

Tables where we felt we had to prove ourselves.

Tables where we stayed far longer than we should have.

But not anymore.

Today we say goodbye to the tables that no longer serve us.

The tables where we’re tolerated instead of celebrated.

The tables where our energy isn’t respected.

The tables that no longer align with who we’re becoming.

Because now we know something important.

We are the queen of our own table.

A table built on love.

A table built on respect.

A table built on family.

A table built on growth.

A table built on authenticity.

A table built on peace.

And everyone who sits there is welcomed with kindness, love and respect.

The negativity that once surrounded us no longer lives here.

Today we choose positivity.

Today we choose gratitude.

Today we choose growth.

Today we choose peace.

Today we choose joy.

Today we choose ourselves.

And that changed everything.

To The Woman I’ll Become

I cannot wait to meet you.

Because if the last 19 years have taught me anything, it’s that life has a beautiful way of surprising us.

I know there are still dreams waiting for us.

Still goals to achieve.

Still places to see.

Still lives to impact.

Still opportunities to say yes to.

Still lessons to learn.

Still chapters to write.

I know there are more blessings coming.

I know there are more memories waiting to be made.

I know there are more doors waiting to open.

Keep dreaming.

Keep believing.

Keep trusting yourself.

Keep showing up.

Keep taking chances.

Keep choosing growth.

Keep building.

Keep becoming.

Because the best chapters of our story are still ahead.

And one day you’ll look back at both of us.

The young woman carrying all the pain.

The woman standing strong today.

And you’ll smile.

Because you’ll see that every version of us was necessary.

The broken version.

The healing version.

The growing version.

The thriving version.

All of her mattered.

All of her was worthy.

All of her was enough.

And I hope when that day comes you’ll whisper the same words I’m whispering today:

“We made it.”

“We survived.”

“We healed.”

“We created the family we always dreamed of.”

“We became the woman we always hoped we could be.”

“And we’re still becoming.”

To the young woman I was: Thank you for surviving.

To the woman I am: Be proud of how far you’ve come.

To the woman I’ll become: I’m ready for everything that’s still ahead.

As I sit here today, I don’t look back with regret.

I look back with gratitude.

Gratitude for every lesson.

Gratitude for every setback.

Gratitude for every tear that taught me strength.

Gratitude for every challenge that helped shape the woman I am today.

Because without those moments, I wouldn’t be here.

I wouldn’t be the mama of five beautiful children.

I wouldn’t be the wife I am today.

I wouldn’t have the family I always dreamed of.

I wouldn’t have the opportunities I’m creating for myself and my family.

I wouldn’t be the woman who now knows her worth, protects her peace, and stands confidently in who she is.

To the young woman I was 19 years ago…

Thank you.

Thank you for surviving.

Thank you for believing when life gave you every reason not to.

Thank you for carrying us through the hardest seasons.

Thank you for never giving up.

Because of you, we are here.

Happy.

Loved.

Healing.

Growing.

Thriving.

And still becoming.

And to anyone reading this who feels like life is testing them right now, who feels tired, defeated, lost, or overwhelmed…

Just know that whatever life is throwing at you right now, it will get better with time.

Keep going.

Keep believing.

Keep showing up for yourself.

Keep choosing growth.

Keep taking one step forward, even when it’s hard.

Keep chasing those goals, even when nobody else can see the vision.

Keep trusting that your hard work will pay off.

Keep believing that your breakthrough is coming.

Because one day you’ll look back at this chapter and realise it was preparing you for something greater.

And when that day comes, you’ll be grateful you didn’t quit.

KEEP CHASING THOSE GOALS.

KEEP DREAMING.

KEEP BELIEVING.

KEEP GOING, EVEN WHEN IT GETS HARD.

YOUR FUTURE SELF IS COUNTING ON YOU.

Love Pauline xx

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