Hello,
Just so you know, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to not be what everyone thinks you should be. It’s okay to be different. It’s okay if someone doesn’t like you. You like you. Deep down, I know that you like who you are, but you’re afraid to like you because not everyone else does, so you think that means there is something wrong with you. There’s nothing wrong with you.
I know you struggle to find the balance between wanting to be invisible and wanting to be noticed and loved. I know that ultimately you want to fit in and you want everyone to like you. I know you desperately want to be something.
Not everyone likes you.
And that’s okay.
You’re pretty. You’re smart. You’re funny. You’re cute. You’re kind. You’re bossy. You’re sassy. You’re creative. You’re generous. You’re unique and you’re special. It’s okay to like you. You should like you because you’re awesome.
In the future, for some reason, you’re going to have a hard time fitting in with people. It’s probably because you’re shy and intimidated, but even though you don’t “fit in”, you’re still all those positive things. You still have a lot to offer the world. And you should still like you.
Someday, you’re going to get it in your head that you can’t think well of yourself because it’s not worth it. I don’t know where this thought came from, but it will try to attack you. I wish so much that you could learn to like yourself for who you are, because that would have changed so much.
You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. I know you think your teachers, your friends, your family, and your frenemies need to know exactly who you are and what you can do, but they don’t. All that matters is that you know you and that you like you. All you’ve ever wanted is approval, but you can give it to yourself right now. You’re precious and loved by Jesus and He already approved of you before you were born.
I look back today and wish that I would have let myself be who I was, who you are. You’re not a bad creation. You’re worth more than you give yourself credit for. I’m still learning this now and I wish I could have learned it back then. The one thing I’ve been trying to teach myself that I wish you understood is this:
Liking yourself isn’t prideful and hating yourself isn’t humble.
It’s a delicate dance. I know you like to dance. I also know you stopped doing it because you care too much about what people might say about you. I wish I hadn’t stopped. I still want to, but I can’t. If only you liked yourself enough…
Take all this into your heart and remember it. It’s going to be a long journey for you if you don’t accept yourself now. I know it’s hard because you crave other people’s acceptance, but I promise you that you don’t need it.
You are good enough.
~Your Future Self