I saw this and thought, well… somebody came to emotionally attack us before breakfast. 😂
But seriously, this is one of those messages worth sitting with.
We spend an awful lot of time judging our past selves with information we only have because we survived what happened.
Think about that.
You look back and say:
Why did I stay so long?
Why did I trust them?
Why didn't I speak up?
Why did I make that decision?
How did I not see those red flags?
Because, sweetheart, they weren't always red flags back then.
Some of them looked suspiciously like potential, promises, love, friendship, opportunity, or “maybe it'll get better.”
Hindsight is a cocky little thing, isn't it? 😂
It strolls in AFTER everything falls apart, wearing reading glasses and carrying a clipboard like:
“Well, clearly you should've known.”
Oh really, Hindsight? Fascinating. Where the hell were you on Tuesday when we were making the decision?! 😂
The truth is, the person you were five, ten, or twenty years ago didn't have the knowledge you have today.
She hadn't learned those lessons yet.
She didn't recognize every pattern.
She may not have known her worth.
She might've been afraid.
She might've been trying to survive.
She may have genuinely believed she was making the best decision with what she knew at the time.
And yes—sometimes she made an absolute mess of things.
Welcome to being human. 😂
You Can Take Responsibility Without Punishing Yourself Forever
Forgiving your past self doesn't mean pretending every decision was wonderful.
Some choices deserve accountability.
Some require apologies.
Some require changing your behavior so you don't repeat them.
But there's a huge difference between saying:
“I wouldn't make that choice today.”
and
“I'm going to hate myself forever because I once made it.”
Growth means you're supposed to look back occasionally and cringe.
If you wouldn't handle certain situations differently today, then what exactly did all those expensive life lessons teach you? 😂
Stop Expecting Yesterday's You to Have Today's Wisdom
The woman you are now was built partly by the woman you're criticizing.
Her heartbreak taught you.
Her mistakes taught you.
Her bad judgment taught you.
Her failures taught you.
Even those times she ignored approximately 17 red flags, three flashing warning signs, two concerned friends, and her own gut screaming, “GIRL, NO.”
Yeah.
Even those taught you something. 😂
And here's the part we sometimes forget:
She survived long enough for you to become you.
Maybe instead of constantly criticizing her, you could occasionally thank her.
She kept going.
She figured things out.
She learned.
She changed.
She got back up.
And eventually, she became the person sitting here today saying, “Ohhhh… NOW I understand.”
Give Your Past Self Some Grace
You cannot go backward and hand your younger self today's wisdom.
You can't rewrite every decision.
You can't unsay something.
You can't unlove someone.
You can't reclaim every wasted year, missed opportunity, or bad choice.
But you can decide what happens next.
Take the lesson.
Keep the wisdom.
Make the apology when one is owed.
Change the pattern.
And then put down the damn whip you've been beating yourself with.
Because your past is supposed to be a teacher—not a permanent residence.
You know better now?
Beautiful.
That's the whole point.
So forgive the version of yourself who didn't know what you know today.
She wasn't stupid.
She wasn't hopeless.
She was learning.
And without everything she stumbled through, screwed up, survived, and eventually figured out…
you wouldn't be the wiser, stronger—and considerably harder-to-bullshit—version of yourself you are today. ❤️😂
No comments:
Post a Comment