Beautiful, and True

My Declaration of Self Esteem

I AM ME

In all the world, there is no one exactly like me

Everything that comes out of me is authentically

mine because I alone chose it — I own everything about me

My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions.

Whether they be to others on to myself — I own my

Fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears — I own all

My triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes —

Because I own me, I can become intimately acquainted with me

— By doing so I can love me and be friendly with me in all

My parts — I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me,

And other aspects that I do not know — but as long as I am

Friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully

Look for solutions to the puzzles and for ways to find out more about me

— However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and

Whatever I think and feel at a given moment is authentically me —

If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought and felt

Turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep

The rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded —

I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do

I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive,

And to make sense and order out of the world of me — I own me,

And therefore I can engineer me — I am me and

I AM OKAY

Virginia Satir, 1970

Why did I type this up? Because it is so wonderful. This poem says what I have been saying in each post I have written — I'm not perfect, but I am me and I'm a good person. I want each and every person who reads the Monroe Patch to read this and just think about the words that Virginia Satir wrote. I have had this on a poster in my bedroom for the past 24 years. I love it. I think this about myself and about each and every one of you — not only am I me and I am okay, but you are you and you are okay. This is how I feel about everyone.