It’s Time You Forgave Yourself For The Things You Got Wrong In 2016

It’s time to exhale.

After all, it has been a long year. And we’ve had our breaths baited for too much of it.

So take a moment. Get comfortable. Sink into yourself. And allow yourself permission to let go.

Uncurl your fingers. Slow your breath. Loosen your grasp on the anger you’ve held onto, and forgive yourself for what you didn’t get right this year.

Forgive yourself for trusting the wrong person. You couldn’t have predicted the future and you owed it to yourself to take a leap of faith.

Forgive yourself for choosing the wrong path. Every decision you made was exactly what you needed at the time.

Forgive yourself for making a fool of yourself. You were acting on your most honest desires, which most people are too afraid to do.

Forgive yourself for the risks you didn’t take. There will always be chances to start over, and next time you’ll be ready to take them.

Forgive yourself for the times you weren’t there for others. You still have time to offer heartfelt apologies and to show up when they need you in the future.

Forgive yourself for the times you weren’t there for yourself. You’ve learned how to love yourself better and it’s something you’ll always be re-learning.

Forgive yourself for the ways in which you’ve failed. Your failures mean you put yourself out there. They mean that you didn’t let fear get in the way.

Forgive yourself for what you did not live up to. The strides you took forward matter greatly, even if you didn’t reach the final destination.

Forgive yourself for the times you weren’t true to yourself. You were acting out of self-preservation and every ungenuine action led to a harsh but humbling realization about who you truly are.

Forgive yourself for what you never saw coming, that hit you like a ton of bricks. You couldn’t have predicted the future. And what matters most is how you heal from those unexpected heartbreaks.

Forgive yourself for everything you did not get right. For the wounds you couldn’t heal, the challenges you couldn’t seem to rise to, for the changes you mucked up along the way.

It’s time to let go of every pain and every disappointment you walked into in 2016.

You got here anyway.

You made it through twelve long months anyway.

You arrived at the end of the year, on the heels of a chance to start all over.

You get to bury each mistake with the end of this year.

You get to turn a new page with the new one.

You’ll live better in 2017. You’ll fail better in 2017. You’ll make a whole new batch of mistakes in the year to come, but you’ll know how to forgive yourself, this time.

And as long as you are able to do so, there’s not a single mistake you can make that will defeat you.