I officially give myself permission to be a work in progress. I do not have to be perfect to have absolute value. I am a student in the classroom of life and I am right on track in my personal process of becoming.

Most bad behavior is about that person’s core fears about themselves; it is rarely about you.

Fear has to be the opposite of God because it is the opposite of love. Fear is selfish, needy and focused on you. It makes no sense for God to want you in fear about Him or your life. It comes down to this: either God wants you to live in fear of Him, always afraid you aren’t good enough and focused on yourself, or He wants you to live in love, knowing you are safe, and focused on loving other people. Which feels more accurate to you?

No one can repair your self-esteem for you. Your spouse cannot fix it. Your parents cannot fix it. Your boss cannot fix it. No amount of success or beauty enhancements can fix it. You have to fix it by changing the way you see yourself. You have to choose to see yourself accurately, to see life as a classroom, and commit to the policy that you have the same value no matter how you perform. It is time to claim the power to do this and not let anyone take your self-esteem from you again.

You might be unsure about the true nature of God (or the life force in the universe) even if you have well defined religious beliefs. I say this because you might have been taught two conflicting ideas about God. You might have been consciously told God was love, but at the same time been subconsciously taught He might condemn you if you aren’t good enough. These two ideas don’t mesh and they cause a great deal of confusion for most people.

You are a divine, irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind soul, and there is no other achievement, title, or role that is more meaningful than that. Your qualities and attributes and how you treat other people are the only thing about who you are that really matters.

You cannot be diminished by what other people think of you. Your value is infinite and absolute. It does not change. What other people think of you is irrelevant.

If you do good things only because you fear punishment or rejection if you don’t, does it really count? Think about it. Are they real choices or are you being held hostage?

Most people spend the majority of their lives in fear, focused on themselves, casting everyone around them as bad guys. They almost can’t help it, because it happens subconsciously and they don’t know any other way to be. When you understand that most human behavior is driven by fear, you will understand why people hurt or offend you. You will understand it isn’t about you at all. Their bad behavior is caused by their fear of failure and loss.

Your number one task here is forgiving yourself and the people who mistreat you. You must learn to do this if you want to experience real happiness and peace in this life. You must do this if you want to feel accepted, valued and safe. The only way to feel innocent and worthy – is to give it to other people. That is just how it works.