TELL A GOOD STORY

I write this as an open letter to myself.

All those moments you spend with your mind trailing down random paths, wondering at all the ways you are simply not enough - what an enormous waste of time.

All the thoughts that sneak in and remain unquestioned, leaving you feeling as though you will never catch up, never get it all done, never have life perfectly in order - you have got to knock that s*** off.

You wouldn’t talk to your best friend like that. You wouldn’t even talk to an acquaintance like that.

You who spends much of your days looking for the good in others, the one who tries to do small things to make her friends smile, the one who longs for even the stranger in the grocery store to feel as though they have worth and value - would you not extend that kindness to yourself?

The truth is you will never feel like you are enough, you will only decide it to be true.

You will never feel like you have ‘arrived,’ you will only decide that was never the point.

In this journey of life you will have failures, you will have things that don’t get done, and let’s be honest with each other, you will likely never have your paperwork fully sorted and filed. But what about all the things you will do?

What about the two humans you birthed that will always know they are loved, imperfectly but consistently loved? What about the friends that know they have your full attention when they talk, the ones that can feel you’re not just waiting for your turn to speak, but actually listening to their story? What about the team members you lead who know you have their best interest at heart, the ones you work with, smile with and cheer for behind the scenes?

What about the thoughts that should fill your mind? 

Thoughts of identity, worth, value and purpose. You decide which thoughts win, you control the story you tell yourself.

So tell a good story.

Tell the story of a girl who is trying - succeeding, failing, running, tripping, falling and getting back up again. Tell the story of a girl whose heart is engaged in the world - she is not perfect, but she is most definitely amazing.

Tell the story of a girl who is real, in all the beautiful and messy ways.

In the words and tales that unravel in your mind, refuse the paths that lead to all the things you could have or should have done, all the things you failed to make happen, all the ways you wish your house and your life was cleaner.

Cheer for your little accomplishments, wonder at the way you choose to give of yourself over and over, celebrate that you walk into life again and again. The girl’s story was never meant to be perfect, it was only meant to be real.

And in the end, please tell yourself the best story.

Tell the story of a girl who never felt like she had it all together, but decided that she was most certainly enough anyway.

I think we’ll like that story.