Sometimes a love letter to yourself is a mirror, and you allow your own clear and compassionate view. And sometimes a love letter to yourself is an echo, and you let yourself see with someone else’s clarity and compassion.

And so, today’s contribution to the #100loveletters challenge includes something said to me by someone who’s know me a long time.

–

Dear Tiffany,

You are brave.

You think of yourself as ‘anxious’, and you read a subtext of ‘fearful’ into anxious, and you read a subtext of ‘cowardly’ into fearful. ‘Anxious’ is one of your core narratives. And that’s okay – there is nothing wrong with being anxious and your anxiety is such a valuable part of your story and your sense of self.

Anxious does not equal cowardly.

Your anxiety does not make you a coward.

But you forget that, and so when you act in ways that are particularly brave, it shocks you.

So when Ash responds to your shock at your own bravery, listen. He is right when he says:

‘You have always been brave.

This is merely a new expression of your courage.’

You have always been brave. You are still brave. You are so anxious and you are so brave.

Love,

Me