Forgive yourself because...

When I look back at my younger self, I sometimes cringe. I acted impulsively, selfishly, and had no clue what I was doing.

If I could get to the center of why I struggled, I would have to say that I was afraid of being abandoned.

A part of me felt like a cast off because my father had abandoned us after my mom and he divorced.

The little kid in me grew up thinking that I wasn’t even good enough for a Christmas card let alone financial support from him. He became a ghost in my life that haunted me always.

And when I started dating, I found the same patterns of dysfunction repeating themselves: I found myself attracted to someone who wasn’t emotionally able to be with me, so I tried to “fix” or “save” them and the whole relationship blew up in a ball of flames.

I made many mistakes over the years.

I could continue to dwell on the past and blame myself, or I can forgive myself (and where necessary) make amends to the people I hurt.

How can you forgive yourself for mistakes you’ve made?

As we continue our 2024 journey around the sun, let’s take time to start at a basic step: Let’s look back and then learn how we can build a strong support network when we need it.

P.S. Remember, volume 1 of the Let Go and Be Free series contains 100 daily reflections to help you on your way.