It’s not too late to be the person you needed when you were younger.
It’s never a wrong time to give yourself what you need.
If what you need is forgiveness for past wrongs or acceptance of who you are today or appreciation for how far you’ve come, this open letter is yours to read.
These are the things I wish my younger self knew, things you might be able to relate to.
“If you must look back, do so forgivingly.” — Maya Angelou
First things first, you’re going to make it through — through this, through everything.
No matter how terrible things seem, it’s not the end of everything.
If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.
Now… right here, right now… this is yours. This is your life. The way things are right now? They won’t always be this way. Things are going to change, you are going to change. But whatever your life is in the moment, it’s yours to claim. So claim it.
Own your life. Make decisions you can feel good about. Claim every single breath you take. Embrace the moment and make it yours. Nobody else is going to do it for you. Nobody else can think for you, can love for you, can live in your place.
You must do your own believing, your own forgiving, your own living.
And this is how you live with little regret: you embrace everything you experience, even the things that don’t feel good. Because when you do that, you do what you came into this world to do: you come alive.
Every up and down, every tear and thrill. This life is yours and you have no reason to apologize for who you are.
There’s a place and a purpose for everything under the sun, including you.
You don’t have to apologize for figuring yourself out. You don’t have to be like everyone else. You have your own place in the world, your own worth.
In all the millions of ways you can be told you’re not enough, don’t believe even one of them.
Exactly who you are is exactly who you’re meant to be. Accept yourself now, and you’ll be amazed at the person you become.
Accept yourself here. Accept your life now. This is the secret to change and success and happiness — it’s hidden right out in the open, right in the present moment, right in your heart.
Sure, you’re going to stumble. And you’re going to learn. And you’ll grow and you’ll trip over your own feet long after you thought you had it all figured out. That’s okay. You’re in good company.
Some walks you’ll still have to take alone, but that doesn’t stop you from being a child of this earth, with the soul of the whole universe in your lungs.
To be alive is a precious thing — don’t forget that and don’t minimize your own existence. Don’t doubt how important you are. You can’t even imagine how important you are.
But don’t take yourself too seriously, either, because nobody has it all figured out. (Even the ones who think they do.) Everybody has scars, is afraid of something, and wants more than anything to belong.
In fact, the more you learn the more you’ll realize how little you know. That’s the difference between knowledge and wisdom. If knowledge is power, then wisdom is strength.
One day you’ll realize how much strength it takes to lean on others, how being vulnerable means being real, how forgiveness heals.
Pay attention to what heals you, and stay close to it.
When you’re afraid to love again, go ahead and love one more time.
When you’re afraid to ask for help, go ahead and ask anyway.
When life throws you down, consider it a privilege to stand back up again. Show the world how you turn pain into love, an ending into a beginning, darkness into light. Be your own rescuer.
Lastly, for now, know this: that it’s never too late to be who you might have been.
