Decades from now, Ciara will probably look back on 2016 as one of the best years of her life. She's working on new music, is mother to a healthy and beautiful baby boy, looks better than ever and is about to marry the love of her life, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. 

But the singer didn't get to where she is without going through some ish. Just two years ago, she saw her life go up in flames when she split from her fiancé Future just months after they welcomed their son. “That wasn’t necessarily part of my vision,” she recalls. “But the moment I realized I was going to be a single mother, I had to reflect and reorganize my thoughts. I decided to trust that God had a plan for me, and move forward one day at a time.”
She went back to a tactic she used when she was a teenager and wanted a concrete way of pinning down her dreams. “I made a goal sheet,” Ciara says. “I remember telling my friend the kind of guy I wanted: a God-fearing man with a very fun spirit who loves kids and would really, truly care for me. I was very specific because I do believe you can have it all.”
As we all know, she got it — and then some.

Read more of Ciara's thoughts on life, love and motherhood over at Essence.com.

(Photo: Essence Magazine, May 2016)