I have an army.

Each soldier in it is different, unique in personality, desire, discipline, and heart. They come with their own habits, dreams, and wounds. Some rise each morning with a smile, grateful for the gift of life. Others wake in despair, burdened by existence. And some, many, are simply afraid. Afraid of everything. Every day. Every night.

Among them, I cherish the brave ones most. The soldiers who charge ahead to protect me. Who would give everything, yes, even their lives, to see me happy, to see me win.

As their commander, I tried to unite them. I failed.

Miserably.

They fought each other, pulling in opposite directions. We weren’t a team, we were a crowd of commanders. We never won a battle together. But each soldier fought their own little war, crowned themselves victor, and marched alone.

Today, that ends.

Today, I choose to lead. To care for all of them. To bring order. We have battles ahead, and we must move as one if we are to win.

I’m tired. Tired of working hard and achieving nothing. Tired of letting every soldier take turns steering my life. I’ve sabotaged myself too many times, surrendering to their chaos.

No more.

Today, I will meet each of them. One by one. And I will make them an offer they cannot refuse—an offer of love.

But the last soldier I must face is Fear.

Fear is the strongest. Whenever I give a command, he rises first. Calm, persuasive, relentless. He speaks not in facts, but in disasters. He ignores knowledge, mocks experience, and silences dreams. When Fear speaks, the others fall quiet. They try to resist, but only at first. Soon, they wither like flowers scorched by the sun.

Fear promises safety. He offers shade from the heat. He whispers that survival lies in disobedience.

And most of them believe him.

Some try to defend me. They show me love. But their strength fades quickly in Fear’s shadow. When he is near, trust vanishes. Joy disappears. The soldiers stop seeing, stop wanting, stop believing.

Dreams, Visions, and Good Wishes retreat behind the barracks. They are too gentle to fight Fear. Too fragile. They need Love to bloom and Strength to stand. Not only that, but they need Belief to begin, and Perseverance to grow.

But I have a new battle. It’s the Big Battle.

If I win this one, everything changes. Disappointment will no longer command this army. We will march as one, strong, focused, united. We will win and lose together. And we will be proud.

Today, I reclaim my birthright: to be the commander of my life.

I was born with this title. I was given this army. And I failed them. I let them become lazy, bitter, ignorant, hopeless. We became saboteurs. Bandits.

But today, I say: STOP. BASTA. ENOUGH. STIGA.

I called on Love to shine its light on every soldier. I woke Belief and asked for help. Strength stood ready. Together, we formed a circle around Dreams and Wishes, and we went to face Fear.

Fear was ready. Darker than ever. He brought his allies: Scary, Creepy, Ugly, Liar, Ignorance, and more.

Yet, I stood firm.

I introduced Peace as my new assistant. Love joined us. So did Strength, Belief, and Hope. We embraced Fear and reminded him of his true name: Care.

We told him stories, how Care once saved us by foreseeing danger and urging caution. Not only that, but we reminded him that he is kin to Love. That once, long ago, they were brothers.

Dreams and Wishes stepped forward. They confessed they owe their lives to Care.

And at that moment, I saw the Win.

Scary, Creepy, Ugly, Liar, and Ignorance slipped away into the dark.

Silent.

Defeated.

They have no place in my army. They are gone.

I reclaimed my Love.

My Hope.

My Belief.

My Dreams.

My Wishes.

My Strength.

I witnessed the rebirth of Care and the death of Fear.

I am the commander of my life.