It is 1037pm and I have decided to write, even though I should probably be asleep. I will continue tomorrow. One of my favorite things about writing is that I often do not begin with a destination in mind. I simply start, and somehow my thoughts find their own path, often leading me somewhere beautiful—at least in my mind. Today, I am reminded that we are often our own harshest critics. It's so easy to focus on our flaws, but that is not a healthy place to live. I paused on an Instagram video where someone shared one simple piece of mental health advice that I think will stay with me for the rest of my life: love yourself. Accept yourself. No one has it easy. Every person carries struggles that others cannot see. The same love, patience, and compassion we so freely give to others are the very things we should learn to give ourselves. Look how far you have come.
We spend so much of our lives searching for validation from other people, especially strangers. We want to be noticed, accepted, and loved, as though our worth depends on someone else's approval. In that pursuit, we often forget that God already loves us. We overlook the people who genuinely care for us because we become distracted by those who never truly knew us in the first place. Maybe peace begins when we stop chasing acceptance and start recognizing the love that has been surrounding us all along.
We also spend too much time trying to fit in when, perhaps, we were never meant to. We were born to stand out. The world does not need another copy of someone else—it needs our uniqueness, our diversity, our perspective, and our differences. Each of us brings something to the table that no one else can offer. When we learn to love ourselves, accept ourselves, and embrace who God created us to be, we stop living for the applause of others and start living with purpose. That is where freedom begins.
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