forgive yourself the way you forgive others

hey -

there’s no doubt you’ve forgiven someone for something they did wrong.

maybe they stood you up for lunch.

maybe they said something mean and it hurt your feelings.

maybe they lied to you.

maybe they didn’t consider you when making plans.

but it’s okay……right? they’re human, they weren’t thinking. they’re bound to make mistakes. they’ve been through some shit. they’re not bad people.

but when it comes to forgiving yourself, it’s different…..why?

i think it’s because we know ourselves more than anybody else,

and we know things about ourselves that we feel disqualify us from forgiveness.

there’s no fixing whatever it is that we did. things happen, and we can’t do anything about it.

i’ve discussed mistakes in a previous entry so i won’t elaborate too much on it.

there’s only one direction we can move in this world and that’s forward.

we can’t live our lives constantly shaming ourselves; that’s not living, it’s misery.

try to treat yourself like you’d treat a friend.

you may hold them accountable, but you’d never tear them down as an individual. you’d never make them feel worse about themselves for what they did. so why should you do the same to yourself? it doesn’t make any sense.

it’s a great trait to be forgiving to others, for your peace of mind and soul.

but don’t think for a second that you’re an exception, the one exception, to receiving your own gifts even if you’re convinced that you don’t deserve it.

if anything, you’re the one who probably deserves your forgiveness the most.

people deserve some compassion, even you. especially you.

see you then.

• Ethan