Pen a Letter to Yourself

I was recently sent an interesting article on five powerful ways to love yourself.  One suggestion was to pen a letter to yourself highlighting all your good qualities and offering the encouragement that you need to hear.  Anyone that follows me knows my life is an open book.  I decided to write the letter and make it public.  Perhaps it will help someone else or encourage them to write one as well.

 Dear Karen,

Writing the good things you see in yourself won’t be easy.  There was a time you couldn’t see anything good other than your nails and your sense of humor.  You know there are more things than that but actually writing them down feels strange.  Well, here it goes…

• One thing I know is that you are intelligent.  You accepted a job eight years ago that turned out to be very different than you expected.  It required you to do many things that you told yourself for decades that you were too stupid to understand.  I guess the universe wanted you to stop telling yourself that lie.
• You are loyal to those you love.  If someone is going through a tough time, you will be there.  Having people walk away during your life for various reasons helped you understand how that felt, and you don’t want to hurt others the way you’ve been hurt.
• Finding gratitude is something that comes easily to you. After 13 years of writing gratitude lists, you still find new reasons to be grateful… what a gift.
• You were blessed with the ability to express yourself in the written word.  It helps you, and it is helpful to others, as well. 
• That you have never met a stranger is a quality that has helped you in countless ways  Professionally and personally, this trait has been invaluable.  It’s funny that you want to attribute it to your father.
• Knowing you can get through anything is very empowering.  Walking through addiction, two abusive marriages, and breast cancer taught you to suit up and show up.  You will be provided whatever you need as long as you do your part.

 Next, I offer the encouragement you need to hear…

• Who you are is enough.  The only one you need to compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday.
• Remember past transitions and how they took you to a better place.  The transition you are currently experiencing is guiding you to your next journey.  Embrace it rather than feeling lost.
• You show self-love each day by not using drugs, eating healthy, and connecting with your Higher Power.  Your desire to add more to your daily routine is a positive thing.  Add one thing to your routine, make it a habit, and move on to the next one.

 This has been quite an experience.  I plan to look back at this every couple months to see where I am and write another letter if needed. 

If you chose to write yourself a letter, please share here about the experience.