Life isn’t easy if you’re a perfectionist: sometimes we put ourselves under so much pressure that it feels impossible to do anything right. But it’s time we stop holding ourselves to an impossible standard and start forgiving ourselves for our shortcomings, even if that’s stealing a few small items from CVS tomorrow morning.
If I know one thing about forgiveness, it’s that it’s all about letting go of the past, the future, and really anything you don’t like about yourself. Worried you might forget the kid at school tomorrow? Forgive yourself! Sense another challenging day at the office where you sneak a little bite of your coworker’s homemade lunch in the break room? Already taken off the docket! At one point on my self-acceptance journey I even threw nuclear espionage in there. That one I probably won’t do, but you can never cover too many bases, so I went ahead and forgave myself for it anyway!
Once I forgave myself for just about everything I could think of, stealing a few necessary items, plus unnecessary ones if they look cool, from CVS started to seem like no big deal.
What was I ever so worried about?!
Something you will have to keep in mind is not everyone will stay on your side in this self-acceptance journey. When I relayed my personal progress to my therapist, she backpedaled her initial advice and claimed I was “taking an idea and running with it” and “now a top suspect for her missing coasters.” Rather than practicing radical forgiveness, she suggested not stealing from CVS tomorrow altogether! Right, and just live without toothpaste forever. Good one, Esther.
Whether people are with or against me, sharing my journey helps to reveal who my real friends are. I didn’t always know the difference, but I’ve learned fake friends are people who advise you not to steal because they’re secretly jealous of your cool stuff, and real friends support you in whatever you do or might consider doing at any point in time no matter whom it impacts. At the end of the day, it helps to take it step by step and remember that life’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, if marathons had a bunch of CVS’s you could steal from.
