Forgive Yourself The Same Way You Do Others

Note to self: You are worthy of forgiveness.

Reread that note as much as you need, because it is 100% true. We are so quick to forgive others for the heartbreak, dishonesty, betrayal, and hurt that they bring us but rarely ever give that patience and understanding to ourselves. We allow others to make mistakes and learn from them but hold ourselves to this idea that everything we do must be perfect and that we must have our shit together. Well, let me tell you something: It is time to throw that idea out the window, because it does not belong here.

We are not only worthy of forgiveness, but we deserve it. We deserve it from others, but most importantly, we deserve it from ourselves. We deserve to forgive ourselves for the nights that we sent texts we regret or slept with that person who ghosted us. The nights we started fights with the people we love over things that seem so trivial now. The nights we drank too much and hurt ourselves and others. The days we missed important assignments or work meetings because we slept in and/or made questionable decisions the night before. The times we stayed in relationships way longer than we should have because we were lonely, or blindly in love, or afraid of change. The times we took people for granted or lied to our parents. For all the decisions that led to poor repercussions that were experienced by us or the people we love, we deserve forgiveness.

We are human. We are all human. We are allowed to make mistakes. So often we are told that if you practice something, you will get better at it. But in order to get better at something, you need to make mistakes. That is how you learn how to avoid those mistakes and not make them again in the future, leading to you getting better. So, forget trying to be perfect and start with being human. Allow yourself to be human.

Apologize to those you have hurt and work toward being better. But forgive yourselves for the missteps you make along the way. There will be people who cannot forgive you, and that is okay. It does not mean you do not deserve to forgive yourself and become a better person. You do. You always do. Sometimes we know better and make bad decisions anyway. Sometimes we really do not know better. We deserve to forgive ourselves either way.

Make mistakes. Apologize. Forgive yourself. Learn. Repeat.