leave a little light on

It seems to me that the most wonderful people never see their own worth. They hide their brilliance behind insecurity and confusion. They doubt their talents and social abilities. They constantly tear themselves down, while at the same time inspiring and caring for others.

The most beautiful souls are often the most tortured. These are the people who stay awake far past midnight, worrying about things both in and out of their control. These are the people who are there for everyone else but can't find a way to be there for themselves. These are the people always saying "sorry" when they don't need to.

But you wouldn't necessarily know that. Because everyone does their best to mask their insecurities. Some people use physical aspects like makeup or clothing. Others use humor or aggression. Everyone has a soul toupee- some people's are just less obvious.

I have some truly fantastic people in my life, and half of them may never really believe that they are as wonderful as they are. Some don't have confidence in their exceptional talents, despite loads of evidence to the contrary. Some don't realize how valuable their caring and friendship is to others. Some simply can't see how worthy they are of respecting themselves. To me, seeing someone who doesn't respect themselves as much as they respect others is the saddest thing in the world.

Insecurity comes from many places, but once it's there it's really hard to change. Regardless of how many times someone tries to tell you how talented or beautiful or smart you are, chances are your opinion of yourself won't change.

Certainly, modesty is an important virtue, but humility should come a sense of reality. You have to be honest with yourself, even if that means admitting that you are an extraordinary human being in the eyes of others.

No matter how insecure you are, you have to leave a little room to forgive yourself. You can't deem yourself a bad person based on a single mistake. You can't continue to believe that you are untalented or unworthy. You can't cheat yourself out of opportunity based on an overwhelming fear of rejection, however valid that fear may seem.

You can't believe that you are going to hurt everyone in your life simply because you can't stop pushing away from yourself. Leave yourself just a portion of the hope you have for others, please. Because the people who love and understand you only hope that you learn to quiet your insecurities and treat yourself with the same respect you give others.