Category: Self Compassion, Spread the Movement, The Best You
i’ve made many mistakes in my time, none of which i am proud of but am thankful for the lessons i got out of them. here are some of the nuggets i’ve picked up along the way.
1. be thankful for the life you have and live it fully
i see death knocking on people’s door every single day and am reminded by how fragile life really is. as a person who was coasting through the storm i took so much for granted including my life, saying Jesus could take me today and i really wouldn’t care. i still wouldn’t care if God called me home but what has changed is the appreciation i have for my life.
2. don’t take your loved ones for granted
i had a bad habit of taking my loved ones for granted… thinking they’d always be there for me. but that changed when someone i loved dearly ended up walking out of my life. i understand there is an ending to every beginning but i never imagined the ending would be like this… so cherish those you care about most because you might not have the rest of your life to show your gratitude.
3. faith and religion are two separate things joined together by God
i was struggling with my faith and for a while, wondered where He was. i had many unanswered questions, disagreed with a lot of values taught by my religion and at one point felt like i couldn’t identify with it. i was upset and angry at God; i needed answers but all i was getting was silence. i started drifting away from Him but one day, i finally received the sign i had been waiting for. and now, i am on my journey home with a slightly better understanding of it all. although i still don’t agree with everything the church teaches, i know i’m catholic because of Him.
4. stand your ground when it counts but compromise when you can
relationships are all about give and take. know your values and understand how important they are in your life. i was too unwavering with values i realized weren’t all that important to me which ultimately left me astray. however, that was the other issue… i hadn’t fully recuperated and jumped headfirst into it without fully knowing what i had to offer but more importantly, who i was. which leads me to my final point
5. self compassion is the key to being true to who you are and what you want
that whole cliche about taking care of yourself first so you can take care of others is true to its very core. i neglected my personal needs and in the end realized the only person i was betraying, was myself. take time to recharge, let yourself feel and get to know who you really are again so that you know what your needs are and what you bring to the table.
these are things that have really hit home for me. living authentically is a choice we make every single day but as long as it’s still a conscious choice i make for myself, i know i’ll be a-okay.
love simply, love beyoutifully,
Anh Thu
