This Is What You Should Forgive Yourself For

Forgive yourself for causing hurt and pain in others. In people you loved, in people you didn’t particularly like, in yourself.

Forgive yourself for those times you didn’t do something or try something because you were afraid.

Forgive yourself for those times when you actually did do something or try something and you failed miserably.

Forgive yourself for not being perfect.

Forgive yourself for the times you took the easier path instead of the right path.

Forgive yourself for the times when you failed to use or develop the talents you’ve been given, out of fear or pride or stubbornness.

Forgive yourself for being a bad friend.

Forgive yourself for being a bad family member.

Forgive yourself for being a bad partner.

Forgive yourself for being insecure or vulnerable or uncertain about yourself and your life.

Forgive yourself for being self-conscious.

Forgive yourself for being naive.

Forgive yourself for not being the best at something.

Forgive yourself for not being good at something at all.

Forgive yourself for being great at something and forgetting to be humble.

Forgive yourself for being human.

Forgive yourself for all of this. But let yourself off the hook for none of it.

Take ownership, take responsibility, acknowledge that sometimes you screwed up and sometimes you could have helped it and sometimes you couldn’t.

Learn from these mistakes. Apologize to the people you hurt. Make it right. Fix what you can. Be gentle with yourself but also don’t allow yourself to make excuses. Understand what you can do to avoid making these mistakes next time. Understand what you can do to become better and stronger and more empathetic because of the choices you’ve made in the past and the things you’ve learned from those mistakes and choices, good or bad.

Learn from them. Become better because of them. But remember that it starts with forgiving yourself.