Write a Letter From Your Best Self...

The thing about life is that is full with ebbs and flows. Things go up and down. The reality of life is that everything always crumbles. Love crumbles, life crumbles, bad times crumble, Spiderman crumbles into Tony Stark’s hands (sorry, but I had to).

Avengers jokes aside, it is important to remember that you are going to lose yourself sometimes, you are going to lose people sometimes, and things are going to inevitable change.

It can be easy to lose yourself in the tide, but when the structure of your former life finally crumbles and you are left to look at the remains, it is important to self reflect.

Take a logical stance to your life, understand where your best version of yourself comes from, and how you changed and are evolving into something even greater.

I wish I had this exercise a few months ago, but writing a letter from the perspective of the best version of yourself can remind you that you are a valuable human being. It can remind you of the things that make you awesome, and the things that you need to keep in control and keep getting better at.

When you write this letter in your best state, it comes from a place of security, and it comes from a place of confidence. Something that the ebbs and flows of life can make us forget from time to time. With that being said, it is okay to be sad, but never forget your worth, and this practice will help you remind yourself of that.

In short, it is a letter of your truest values, and deepest insecurities.

Today, I want to be transparent, I want to be open, and I want to be honest with you. So, here is my open letter to my lesser self…

Dear Jack,

You are a man with so many unique strengths. You are cut from a different cloth. You aren’t “normal”. You cry your eyes out, but have emotional strength. You laugh at the simple fact that you are alive and that is tantalizingly incredible. You are a leader without having to fill the role constantly. You have a driven purpose in your life that always makes you feel fulfilled, even if you aren’t playing to your fullest potential at this moment in time. You give value to the world through your creative expression, and because of that you receive value back that is real and genuine beyond measure. You are spontaneous and loving, and you outwardly express it in so many different ways. You have so much knowledge to give the world, and as a result, you have so many ways that you impact the people around you. You are different, but you are secure, even in the face of uncertainty. You understand that in life you have control over what you can control, and nothing else. It is up to you to find fulfillment within yourself. Now, I am here to help remind you why.

You have always been a helper, and you have always offered your wisdom or ear to help carry the burden for others, or at the very least help show them the way to their destination. You gave up a larger paycheck to help care and support the growth of people, and that is extremely admirable. You don’t care about the negative external factors in life, but rather the impact that you have left on the human beings who have been lucky enough to have crossed paths with you. Your friends, family, and significant others have all left you with a little more value than they may have anticipated coming in. You have impacted them to be a better version of themselves, which as at the end of the day all you want for all humans and your purpose in life. You never leave someone wanting more from you, you make sure that they have been filled with your presence and are always there for people. You have provided more value to other people than most will in a lifetime, and that is so awesome. You are unselfish, you volunteer your time, you help those in need, you check up on those who may feel like you right now, and you do it from a completely open and warm place based off of help, not narcissism.

With that being said, you are here for a reason. Never forget that you can never help someone until you help yourself first. Don’t ask for validation or to give help, but rather let the other person ask for it themselves. You love to help, but it has to come from a place of wanting to provide value to the other person and expect nothing in return. You may have gotten in trouble because you gave to validate yourself. If that is the case, know that you are good enough already, and if the other person can’t or does not want to reciprocate that then it is not your fault, nor should you chase that validation because it is empty. Watch, as you might hold on to the point where you see yourself suffer. You care so deeply that sometimes fog can blind you, so just remember that your feelings and values come first, and true love for yourself comes before true love for anyone else.

You love to create things for the world to see and reflect on. The rush of action consumes you, and your unique ability to paint your own picture is an attractive trait. You love to make videos, you love to write, you love to discover, the list goes on and on. You are extremely original, and though some may call it weird, you call it authentic. Regardless of the judgment of others, you continue to shine through as the realest version of yourself. Be proud of that, it may not be conventional, but why should it be? The rest of the world is afraid to expose themselves, and you are on the front lines.

Be wary, however as this has lead you down many wrong paths before. Don’t feel the need to prove yourself to anyone, even those you love. Continue to be you regardless of the circumstances, and screw what the other people say. If you allow the role of being an outside effect this side of you, then stop. It is not your job to fit in, it is your job to stand out and shine. You might find yourself being an alien in a crowd full of conformity, and that is totally okay. You are not responsible for people’s action, but don’t conform along with them. You will only find yourself miserable and judging yourself. Remember, your weirdness is perhaps your most honest trait, so do not lose yourself.

Remember that you are a man of massive action. You take risks, you do things most would be afraid to do, and you go first in life. Failure is something that is in the back of your mind when you want things, and you do whatever it takes to get what you want. You put yourself out there, so an abundance of people feels your warmth and charming presence.

Understand that just because things aren’t as spontaneous or free anymore, that it is not a bad thing. Stop acting off impulse, and start thinking logically. Just because the thrill of something new is no longer there, it does not mean that it no longer holds immense value it. This can include your relationships, your work, and your knowledge. Pick your opportunities wisely, and you know which ones are good and which ones are bad for you based on your values as a human being.

You are a leader in promoting ideas to the world. Your truths are your truths, and you lead the world into understanding your side of things, so that they may get perspective and value for themselves. You are so committed to wanting to learn more and being curious. You are always reading new books, discovering new ideas, and travelling deeper into the realm of self understanding. You don’t have to lean on others because you know you are smart and strong enough to lean on yourself.

You think so much, that sometimes you over think. You draw up a thousand different possibilities when in reality there is only one. You don’t want to see things clearly from time to time, and your anxiety is triggered through compulsive thought. Remember that you have complete control, and remember that you have the ability to interpret things in your own ways. Stop thinking, and start acting.

When people need your help, you are a secure stone for them to lean on. You genuinely listen to the problems of others and do whatever you can to help them help themselves. This allows you to surround yourself with only the highest quality people for you.

When a wrench gets thrown into the works, you can panic. When the ship is not sailing as smooth as it could be, and if the dynamics are a little off you divert from your path to find stability once again. In the end, this only leads to you losing the way on your path, and struggling to find it again. You sometimes try to convince people to change, or try to convince yourself to change when you know it is not good for you. This behavior has shattered relationships in your life, so understand that it is not your responsibility to chase the security of others or of what once was, your job is to chase security within yourself at all times in your life.

You are so confident and you are so decisive. You know exactly what you want, and you know that you will not settle for nothing less. You do what you say you are going to do, you act with conviction and purpose in your life. You are not afraid of what is to come, and see the massive opportunity in every moment in life, whether good or bad.

I warn you that you need to stick to your agenda. Your standards can be compromised on, but your standards must always be met. You cannot bend and twist yourself to meet the needs of others, because in the end you only are sacrificing yourself. You must always recognize the constant state of things in your life. Things change, people change, but your standards must remain stable, even in the greatest states of being uncomfortable. That is true conviction, that is true courage, and it is something you have within you.

You tend to cry, laugh, smile, and show a ton of emotion a lot because you are an empath. You feel for other people, you understand other people, you can relate to other people, and that is a gift that very few have. Use it to help the world and pursue your ultimate purpose in life.

With this great power comes great responsibility. Don’t try and fix people, they are the only ones who can fix themselves. If you try to hard to fix people, then you will find yourself broken when the dust settles. The pain of saying goodbye and good luck to someone else is a lot less painful than the pain you feel when you subconsciously say those things to yourself.

Trust the process, and don’t worry about this. You will come back, you will shake it off, you are so a strong person. Don’t judge the way you feel, and don’t be sorry for yourself. You are better from it; you know you are about to grow exponentially. The night is always darkest before the dawn, and your last day was pretty damn bright. You have seen the depths of your hell, and you know that you will never go back there. Now get up, life sucks, but keep moving. Your value is greater than any problem that you have right now, and people count on you to provide it. It is your only obligation to the world, to pursue your purpose, so go after it and you will only see more happiness and more fulfillment.

I love you, even now,

Jack

…

This letter should be positive, but it should also be realistic, and more importantly honest. If you feel as though your best self has slipped, the answer is always inward and not outward.

You let yourself get away, not the circumstances that were at hand. You are the one at fault for your actions.

With that being said, understand this. Never judge yourself. Your makeup is your make up, the flaws and all, and that make up, flawed and all, is stunningly beautiful and the world would be honored to see it.

You write your strengths to remind you of your crazy power and value you can provide to the world. You write how this strength works against you to refine security with yourself.

You do this to recognize, and return to that dominate version of yourself.

If you feel down or less than your best self, please give this exercise a try, the world needs and deserves the best you fighting on its front lines.

Also, did you catch the second Spiderman reference in the letter?

Thanks for reading, and keep pushing.