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Dear Future Me

by Wendy Lee

September 14, 2018

By Wendy Lee

When I wrote my letter to my teenage self, I was surprised at the wisdom and compassion that spilled out.  I wonder if I can take that same kind of compassion and write a letter to the future me.  It is such a foreign concept and I don’t know where to start.

Start anywhere.

Dear Wendy:

I am so delighted to see that you had the courage to take the steps to write your book and blog, to share a delightful and sometimes challenging story with the world, to continue your personal growth journey, and to dare to stick with a committed relationship.

Do you remember when you were so terrified to even put pen to paper to write chapter one of your book?  Do you remember the days you agonized over the story, knowing that it had to come out but also living in fear that you didn’t know how to do it right?  Do you remember how you asked for help from someone you trust and love?  Do you remember reading books about plot and structure and characters and dialogue so that you could bring your beautiful story to life?  Do you remember making the decision to fictionalize the story?

You overcame all of the obstacles that you personally put in your own way.  You dared to take the brave step to disregard the hurdles and just take a step each day.  And look at you now, providing a bit of solace in a crazy world.  You did it!  I am so proud of you.

You also overcome your life-long depression and anxiety, building a new, healthy life.  You brought others along with you on the road.  You thought you could never do it, but you did.  I am so proud of you.

You were afraid to give yourself to your relationship.  You were afraid that he would leave you.  You tried to sabotage the relationship so you could retreat to a familiar place.  Yet a loving and committed relationship, a partnership, is what you desired.  You vowed to stick with it, and look at you now.  I am so proud of you.  Life is full of uncertainty and you never know what will happen.  Aren’t you happy that you chose love over fear?

I know it was hard for you to overcome all of your challenges, but you did it.  Sure, there is always another level of growth, another level of ascension, another obstacle. But you built a skillset to persevere, to triumph.  Way to go.  I am so proud of you.

You created a vision, and then you followed it.  You accomplished your goals, but more than that, you took steps on a healthy, self-nurturing path.  In doing so, you created a loving environment for all of those around you.  You did things that were fulfilling, allowing you to give freely to others.  You did it.  I am so proud of you.

Take a moment to take a breath and reflect on how far you have come.  It is okay to pat yourself on the back.  It is okay to be proud of yourself.  Just use it as fuel to create the next vision or to expand the current one.  You know that you are never happy unless you are working toward something, so find out what that next something is.  You can do it.  I am so proud of you.

___________________________________________

I admit, it feels a little silly writing this letter to my future self.  But the compassion I seek to provide others, is the compassion I need to turn toward myself.  It is a first step, and I am proud of it.

…with love.