We have all made promises during our life’s mission. Most of the time, we genuinely intended to keep those promises, however, there are those inescapable moments when life gets in the way of our promises to others and to ourselves. The most painful are the  broken promises that we have made to ourselves…those really hurt. You know the ones…”I’m going on a diet and lose 20 pounds.” “I’m going back to school, get that degree and earn that promotion on my job.” I’ll apologize tomorrow.” “I’ll apply for that dream job next week.” “This time, I’m not going to let anyone or anything stand in the way of me achieving my dreams.” I’m never going to fall in love again-EVER- it just hurts too much.” Well, the list could go on and on. Do any of those commonly broken promises sound familiar? I’m guessing the answer is “Yes, they most certainly do!” The fact is that most of those self-full-filling promises are painfully or pleasantly familiar to us all. The secret, however, to overcoming the inner pain and disappointment associated with BROKEN promises to ONES-SELF is FORGIVENESS…forgive yourself for making mistakes; forgive yourself for deserving to be loved; forgive yourself for being loved at the wrong time in your life and not being able to reciprocate; forgive yourself for sometimes trusting the wrong people; forgive yourself for the times you were simply unable to trust.

  In the process of forgiving yourself, never stop BELIEVING in the hopes and dreams you have for your FUTURE. The BEAUTY of YOU lies in your DREAMS, your HOPE, your FAILURES, your DISAPPOINTMENTS and your ACCOMPLISHMENTS! Most of us do have plans for our lives but so does the Universe…so does God. What truly matters is never forgetting WHICH is most important.

-— Daphne Knox McClain