You used to believe that being ‘better’ meant being loved. That if you could just be smarter, quieter, or more like the ones they admired... you would finally be enough.
Dear little one…,
I see you, the way you try, the way you shrink yourself to fit expectations, the way you measure your worth by how much praise or validation you receive... how you cling to even the most reluctant nods of approval, letting them dictate your mood.
You were always told who to be, how to act, and what to achieve. But no one ever asked what you wanted. No one stopped to wonder if the dreams they placed on your shoulders were dreams you wished to carry.
“Why aren’t you more like your cousin?” they would ask, and you’d feel it…. that sting, like you were always a step behind.
And so, you learned to shape yourself into whatever made you most acceptable. You became a reflection of what others expected, rather than a person with a voice of your own.
But even now, as an adult, the echoes remain.
You hesitate to take up space.
You fear being too much or not enough.
The quiet voice in your head asking, “Am I worthy?”
You say yes to things you don’t want, because saying no feels like disappointment.
You overthink your decisions, wondering if they align with what is expected rather than what feels right.
You struggle to trust your own voice… because for so long, it wasn’t the one that mattered.
But here’s the truth,
your voice does matter now.
Your wants, your needs, your dreams…They are yours to shape. And they deserve to exist outside of comparison.
So, tell me…
How do you learn to listen to yourself when you’ve spent years being told what you should want?
It starts with a single ‘no,’ and the world won’t end. You’ve carried their ruler your whole life... let it drop. It’s lighter than you think.
Give yourself permission…
To question.
To want what they never saw.
To believe that your worth isn’t tied to achievement.
That love isn’t something you earn by being ‘good enough.’
That your wants deserve space, even if they don’t fit the mold you were given.
Healing begins when you stop measuring yourself against the voices of the past and start listening to the quiet truth inside you.
And if no one ever told you this when you were little, hear it now:
You were always enough.