Doyou ever make a mistake and find yourself thinking about it long after everyone else has moved on? Maybe you replay what you said, question how you handled something or focus on the one thing you could have done better, even when there were plenty of things you did well. You might tell yourself that you are simply trying to improve. That you have high standards. That being hard on yourself is what keeps you motivated. But what happens when nothing you do ever feels quite go

What does it actually mean to be empowered and expressive? Because you can be confident enough to speak your mind and still spend your life making decisions based on what other people will think. You can have a voice and still be afraid to use it. You can know exactly what you want and still find yourself saying, “Whatever works for everyone else.” You can tell other people to be themselves while quietly editing yourself every day. So perhaps being empowered and expressive is

When you are not comfortable with yourself it creates constant editing that can feel very draining. You can look in the mirror and find something wrong. You can walk into a room and immediately notice who seems more confident. You can make a mistake and think about it for hours. You can achieve something and still feel as though it was not quite enough. You can receive a compliment and immediately find a reason why it probably was not deserved. And sometimes you can have a pe

You know that moment when someone asks what you want for dinner and you say, “I do not mind,” even though you absolutely do? Or when you have a thought in a meeting, feel it forming, and then watch someone else speak before you because you have already decided theirs will sound better? Shrinking yourself does not always look dramatic. It can happen in tiny, almost forgettable moments. You laugh off the thing that hurt you. You say yes before checking whether you have the time

In the back of our minds there is a question that can feel almost selfish just for asking it. Is it okay to love myself more than I love other people? For some people, the immediate answer will be no. We are taught to love our family. To care for our friends. To put our children first. To be there for the people we love. To make sacrifices. To give. To forgive. To put other people before ourselves. There is something beautiful about caring deeply for other people. But what ha