Past, Present, and Future: Part 3

"The first step to loving who you are is to accept who you are, including the parts you might not be proud of. Embrace your journey and believe in your potential." ~Jasmine Star

A letter to my present self.

Wow, it’s been a wild ride, huh? Definitely not what you expected life to be. You used to have big hopes and dreams. You wanted to become somebody. Make a difference in the world. Unfortunately, life dealt you a losing hand that forced you to bluff your way through. Because folding was never an option.

However, you have done some amazing things with the cards you were given. You should be proud of that. You did that, and that is an achievement all on its own. Those accomplishments are worth acknowledging.

Take a look at the path behind you. You didn’t get here alone. Opportunities, lessons and different people were placed in your path to bring you closer to who you were meant to become.

You have made it through things you were unsure if you would even survive. You have made mistakes, learned from them, and picked yourself back up in order to keep going. And kept going even when moving forward felt impossible.

You don’t always recognize your own strength because strength has never felt particularly heroic to you. Most of the time, it has simply looked like getting through another day. Maybe that’s what strength really is.

I want you to stop for a second and look around. You’re still here and that matters more than any accomplishment.

What’s more, is you’re still willing to learn. Still willing to love. Still willing to forgive. Still curious about the world. Still searching for meaning. Still dreaming about what you might create with the time you’ve been given.

Still reaching to become a version of yourself that the world needs.

There are still things you need to work on. You still have flaws. You still make mistakes. You still have days when you doubt yourself.

That’s okay. Don’t aim for perfection; aim for a better you. Keep learning, keep writing, keep loving, keep seeing beauty in the little things, keep seeking God.

You don’t have to prove your worth. You don’t have to make your life look impressive or extravagant. You just have to be authentic. You don’t have to become something you’re not in order to give your life meaning.

Don’t worry about the path ahead. I know it looks daunting: hills, valleys, mountains, and forests. You don’t need to figure out what comes next. You don’t have to worry about the things you have yet to accomplish. That’s what faith is for.

Don’t compare your brush covered path with someone else’s gravel road.

Always keep your head up.

Never forget the amazing person you already are.

I’m proud of you.

Until the next Spark,

Kat