On my mind most of the day today were these wise words from the inimitable Maya Angelou.

A reminder that we can’t possibly know everything at every moment. We move through life experiencing it, learning from it, and navigating it with only the person we were then for reference — a past self that didn’t yet have the wisdom of today to lean on.

So it’s important that we give our past selves much-needed grace and forgiveness. We did what we could with what we had: the wounds we carried, the beliefs we inherited, the holes we were trying to mend. We were trying to survive.

I learned quickly that beating myself up for what I did or didn’t do in the past was more hurtful than helpful, because I can’t change what was — and holding onto it and judging it was only keeping me from healing.

But I can change who I am today. I can take the past, heal it, learn from it, and let it shape and polish me into someone with greater wisdom, compassion, self-awareness and love for myself and others. In other words, I can grow.

Because that’s exactly what growth and healing is. It’s messy, chaotic at times, confusing, challenging but also deeply transformative.

And so the next time you’re tempted to judge yourself harshly for something you did, allowed, failed to do or fell short of in the past — pause for a moment and try to shift perspective.

Try to see yourself as the person who was simply doing their best with the understanding they had at the time.

And remind yourself you can only do the best you can with what you have.

We’re not meant to know everything, but to discover it along the way.

That should be enough to offer yourself grace and love.

You are still enough. 💗🤍