Late Lessons for a Former Self

1. Don't rely on others to affirm your sense of self-worth.

2. Stop being the person you think is safe from hate and heartache. Don't be afraid to give kindness freely.

3. Happiness is only a finite resource if you cannot create it for yourself. Do what makes you happy, and kindly share your passion with the world.

4. You needn't compensate for an imagined lack of love by toughening your skin or building walls around your heart. Your compassion is a part of who you are, and burying it will do service to no one.

5. Don't be afraid to share your joy of spirit with others, and learn to acknowledge unfamiliar expressions of this joy in the world.

6. Don't bother internalizing the judgements of those who do not know you. A hateful opinion speaks more to the one relaying it than it ever will to who you are.

7. Who you become when you're most upset says as much about who you are as your most amiable self.

8. Being right is never the objective.

9. Remember that for as much hate and sadness as there is in this world, there is every bit as much love and joy to be experienced.

10. Share as much of both as you can muster, and be the force for good you'd like to see in the world.