As I stepped past BeBe, my new BF headed to AA. My life was full of letters—D&G, DKNY, CK1, APC, Agnes B. (and DSW on the DL)—so why be scared of two more? As I obsessed over his addiction, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was I just as drunk? My vision of our future blurred because I took in too much of his past? And did we all spend so much time downing someone’s setbacks that we blacked out their strengths? After all, what is AA except a room full of people who had the courage to change. Just like Gucci in '94, sometimes you have to reinvent yourself to survive. In life, everyone's problems are different—but what if the stuff that helps us survive is all the same? The strength to look past a past full of pain. The heart to beat a scary disease. The bravery to look into a broken marriage and believe you deserve more. The courage to look into a mirror, broken, and believe you can be more. The daily heroism of living with anxiety or depression, loneliness or loss. The strength to not let a break up break you. The balls to love your body. The pride to love yourself. The simple power to not let anything—anything—take you down. I realized, every person you will ever pass on any sidewalk in any city has two things in common: We all have pain. And we haven't given up. We hide it on the inside because we think it makes us look weak. But what if our pain is also our power? Because anyone who dares to create a "New You" learns this, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly: You're so much stronger than you think you are. #CarrieDragshaw