How to Apologize to the Stranger You Became

An abstract illustration of a small figure gazing up from a rocky peak at clouds hanging above. The clouds drip vibrant, colored droplets of light, creating a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere. The caption reads: "Imagine a place, any place. Now, that place is yours." In the distance, a crescent moon floats, adding to the ethereal landscape, representing what happens when we finally apologize.
Your Very Own World. The Art of Seth

There comes a moment when you realize you owe yourself an apology. It’s a long-overdue conversation. Not with the version of yourself that follows the rules, keeps up appearances, or does what they expect—but with the Self buried beneath all that. This reckoning becomes necessary when you can no longer live a fragmented life, half out of fear, half out of habit. Making amends to yourself means sweeping the broken pieces into a pile and declaring enough.

 

On the surface, making amends to oneself sounds like something easily dismissed, tossed around by those draped in crystals and wielding sage. But digging deeper, it becomes an excavation of buried desires and long-forgotten talents, of dreams left to rot and a Self neglected for decades. It means undoing years of criticizing yourself for not being enough, for not having it together.

 

Start here: Treat yourself as you treat others. Be on your side. Embody soft, supportive love instead of abrasive criticism. Stop lashing yourself for every mistake and fearing judgment for every wrong move. Uncertainty lives inside you. It is you. Your life will unfold in ways you can’t predict. That’s Nature’s course. And that’s the good news.

 

Making amends to yourself requires you to drop self-criticism as a weapon. Stop trying to keep yourself “safe”—and from what, exactly? From your judgment, your impossible standards? Refuse to let fear and doubt wear badges and carry bats in your mind. Holding your breath, waiting for everything to fall apart, is futile. Here’s the truth: life will fall apart. You’ll experience loss, grief, and failure. They belong to the rhythm of existence. But by letting them flow through you instead of fighting them, you’ll open yourself up to the absolute freedom of letting things be how they are.

 

Making amends to yourself also means letting go of relentlessness in the name of perfection. Life isn’t about making the right decision every time. It’s about connecting. Allow yourself to be human. Block out the noise of other people’s opinions, projections, and judgments. Your heart knows what it wants. There’s no room in your divine consciousness for mass delusion. Let yourself try without the crushing need to succeed.

 

Face reality—not the ultra-convenient reality others impose on you, but the raw truth that plays the drums in your gut. Stop pretending you don’t know who you are. Playing small and pleasing everyone won’t protect you from disappointment; that’s the killer lie. It guarantees it.

 

The worst mistake you can make is to live as though you’re trying to avoid making any mistakes at all. The real risk is playing it safe—living a half-life, trying to shield yourself from failure, rejection, and criticism. In doing so, you also block joy and peace, which demand openness, risk, and vulnerability. Make amends to yourself by letting yourself relax.

 

Ultimately, making amends to yourself means freedom. You free yourself from the expectations of others, the chains of fear, and the lies you’ve told yourself to survive. You step into the world as you are—vulnerable, unsure, but undeniably alive. You don’t need permission to live. You only need to decide, once and for all, that you deserve to.

 

So, let go of the past pain. Release the guilt, the shame, and the need to be perfect. Open your heart to the life waiting for you. You already have everything you need. Trust it. Trust yourself. Step forward into a life that is yours for the taking.

 

Quote: 

“When people make a contract with the devil and give him an air-conditioned office to work in, he doesn’t go back home easily.” ― James Lee Burke.

 

Song Accompaniment: Dominique Fils-Aime, My Mind At Ease

 

Artwork: The Art of Seth

 

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