I Hope You’re Kind To Your Past Self
Gentle reminders for the ones undergoing growing pains
I hope you’re kind to your past self. There will be times when you cringe at the memory of what you said and what you did and wish that you could take it all back. And while there are no “take backsies” in life, and regret and remorse are part of growing up and growing as a person, I still hope you treat the you of yesterday with a bit of grace and kindness.
I hope that you recognize what you did and learn from it. Making mistakes is part of being human — learning from them allows us to grow and a better version of ourselves than we were yesterday. It’s ok if you fall, but you must get back up.
I hope you realize that beating yourself up for the things you did as a teenager doesn’t help you at this moment, nor does it serve you well today. There’s nothing good that can come out of self-deprecation — constantly reprimanding and critiquing the things you did yesterday aren’t going to change what happens tomorrow. It’s not going to expedite your growth today. All it’s going to do is infuse humiliation into each step and breath you take — and that will stop you from getting to the place of change and growth and wisdom that you seek.
I hope you embrace the memory of the person you were during…
