Love, Courtney

Your own self-awareness will be both a shield and a superpower. Your willingness to explore your strengths and weaknesses with an open mind, vulnerability and a growth mindset can change the trajectory of your life.

Getting to know yourself: your values, your beliefs and your boundaries will both protect and propel you. It will shield your heart and mind from unnecessary criticisms. It will also create a power in you to discern which criticisms are constructive and meant to make you the best version of yourself, and which ones are meant to tear you down and make you feel small.

Take the ones meant to make you better and hold them close. While they may still hurt a little (as most criticisms do) through pray and meditation you will find ways to use them for your gain.

The others, release them. Let them flow beyond you not giving them a chance to take root in your mind or heart.

When trying to discern which criticisms are for your gain, use your values and beliefs as your measuring stick, not your ego. Your ego will keep you in a defensive place that uses walls and pride to keep hurt out. While this might feel safer, walls and pride also keep joy and growth out.

Check in with yourself often, like you do a good friend. Self-awareness is both a daily practice and a lifelong process. Your relationship with yourself will be the most valuable earthly relationship you have.