Caption: Ayesha Ehris Salazar
Layout: Alexandra Del Villar

The second week of the year has passed, with that, let us ask you something: Have you forgiven yourself for the person you didn’t become?

Somewhere along the way in our journey, many of us lose touch with the person we imagined we’d become. The dreams we once shared might fade. The future we once imagined may seem like a distant memory. Regrets and disappointments come that make us feel that we’ve failed and lost everything. But the truth is, it’s never too late to begin again. When we cling to the weight of “what could have been,” we forget the beauty of “what still can be.”

Allow yourself to be free from these burdens. Forgive yourself, because forgiving ourselves is to accept that we are imperfect, that we’ve made mistakes, and that those mistakes do not define us. It’s about releasing the guilt, shame, or anger that keeps us stuck to the past.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting what we’ve been through or ignoring our past. Instead, it allows us to accept our journey, including the missteps, as part of our growth. It’s a way of saying, “I did the best I could with what I knew at that time, and now I know better.”

Life is a series of beginnings, endings, and everything in between. The person you are today is not the same person you were a year ago—and that’s a beautiful thing. Growth is a continuous process, and every moment offers an opportunity to begin again.

So, forgive yourself for the person you didn’t become. Let go of the life you thought you should have lived. Instead, embrace who you are now and take small steps toward the person you want to be.