Hey friend,

Why do you think it's so hard to say "I'm sorry"? Do you struggle with that? Sometimes you know you need to say "I'm sorry" but it just gets stuck in the back of your throat. I want to encourage us today. If there's a situation where you need to say "I'm sorry" because you've hurt someone -- first of all, I want you to know we all hurt people. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, we can cause others pain. That's not something to feel shame about but it is something to feel sadness about. And if we really love the people around us we are going to care that we hurt them. That's why we need to be ready to say "I'm sorry". But not only say "I'm sorry", but "I'm sorry" comes with an expectation that we are going to change, that we are going to do our best to not repeat the thing that hurt the person we love, or are are in community with, in the first place. So, today is there anyone you need to say the words "I'm sorry" to? This doesn't mean that you're a bad person or you meant to be hurtful. Maybe it means that your insecurity got in the way or maybe it shows a deeper issue that you need work through or some place you were protecting yourself because you're scared of getting hurt. You know? You can be honest with the people in your life, or at least be honest with yourself about those things. From a place of compassion for yourself you can choose love for those around you. You can apologize with the expectation of trying to not repeat that in the future. Because your relationships matter. Because you matter. Because community matters. Because our stories matter.

I'll see you here tomorrow.

Hey friend,

Recently I found myself in a place where I needed to forgive someone and I was finding it difficult. We all have circumstances in our lives where people hurt us intentionally or unintentionally and we need to work through forgiveness for those people. You know there's a saying that if we don't offer forgiveness it hurts us more than the person we need to forgive. I do think that's true, but it doesn't make forgiving any easier. What I did the other day was I walked through a situation in my mind where I talked to this person and I imagined them sitting across from me and how they might respond. For me, this time, it was enough. I was able to let the offense go, I was able to have some closure in that relationship and I was able to move on. Now it's not always that easy or simple. If you have people in your life that have really hurt you and you need to move through forgiveness, for them and for yourself really -- I want to encourage you to talk to someone, a safe trusted adult. You can reach out to us here at the Love, Sophia Project. You could talk to a counselor or therapist or even a good friend. Because it's important that you work through your feelings of hurt and that you learn to forgive and let go. You don't want bitterness growing in your heart. You don't want to become negative or cynical. Remember your story matters too much for that! You have too much influence. So, today take some time to journal. Take some time to think about forgiving and releasing. Because you matter.

I'll meet you here tomorrow.

Hey friend,

Will you do something for me today? Will you write down a few things that make you unique? Think of a few things that make you different than others and write them down. Then, will you celebrate it? Will you write down why those things that make you unique? Or that one thing that you choose that makes you unique. Will you write down why they are good? How they add to your friend groups, or your sports teams, or your extracurricular activities, or the places where you find yourself online or in your family. Will you write down how what you add is good, how it's worth being celebrated? Because you are unique and you are worth being celebrated. Celebrate YOU today! Throw a little party. It's ok. It's good. See your value. See your worth. Your story matters.

I'll meet you here tomorrow.

Hey Friend,

When I was in high school I remember getting ready in the morning and I would say something like (in my head) "well, this is as good as it's going to get" and then I would go to school. Now ,that I am an adult, I still look in the mirror and I look at myself and I go "well I am who I am". But I've added some thing else lately. I've added "and who I am is good". I want that to sit with you today. Next time you look in the mirror and you think "here we go" or "this is what it is" or "this is who I am" I want you to say "I am who I am and who I am is good". I am a person of faith and I believe that we were created by God and when he created us he said "It is good." You're good. Your body is good. The way you think is good. Could we all use some work? Yeah. We will be works in progress until the day that we die. AND we are good. Those two things can be true at the same time. So, today when you look in the mirror give yourself a little smile and say "I am who I am and who I am is good."

I'll meet you here tomorrow.

Hey Friend,
If you've been here with us every week this week you know we've been talking about influence. Earlier I shared that we all are influencing someone because people are watching us. I think sometimes we have a definition of what a leader is and maybe we don't include ourselves as someone who is a leader. I find that a lot. We think that leaders are loud or charismatic or upfront or have certain skills that perhaps we don't see in our own selves. But the reality is -- everyone is leading someone. It doesn't matter how old you are or what you do in life, you are most likely leading someone. Someone is watching what you do. I want to give you a moment today to sit and think about who you are leading. Who is watching me? How can I be a more intentional leader? How can I be more generous with what I've learned? How can I be more encouraging? How can I be more compassionate? How can I be more kind? Think about that today. Because you GET to lead someone else. You get to influence someone else's life. Think about that! Your life impacts others. We never know how our influence and how our impact could be impressed upon someone and what they could do with it. It's encouraging and convicting and challenging! I'm leaving you with that today.

I'll meet you here tomorrow.

Hey Friend,
So, I am a person of faith and in the Bible there is a passage where a religious person asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Jesus responds and says the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength and the second is like it -- love your neighbor as yourself." Now, there is a lot of talk in our world today about self love. And I don't believe that self love is about being entitled or selfish. But I do believe that how we think about ourself, the compassion that we give ourself, the value that we see in our own story directly connects to how we are able to love those around us. Now, I said I'm a person of faith and I believe that love comes from God and if you haven't heard that God is love then I'm going to tell you the truth that I believe today. God is love and he loves you and he loves me. When I think of God's love for me it impacts my identity. It impacts my view of myself. When I am content in God's love then I am able to go love others as I am loved, as I love myself and with the value I see in myself because of who God says I am and his love for me. So today, how you see yourself matters because how you see yourself impacts how you engage with others. I have seen it and know it to be true for my own self, when I am not being kind to myself, when I don't value myself then I don't value those around me. I take myself out of the game and don't share myself generously with them and everyone misses out in that situation. So today, think about how you see yourself. If you want to know more about my faith journey I would love to share it with you. Reach out to us at the Love, Sophia Project.

I'll meet you here tomorrow.

Hey Friend,
I want to start by defining influence. The definition of influence is "the power to change or affect someone or something". So, you have influence. This is true -- whether you believe it or not, you do. Your life rubs up against other people. You have influence. You have the power to change or affect someone or something. The question is how are you using your influence? When you walk into the spaces where you go are you influencing towards positive change or negative change? Are you asking people to join you in something better? Or are you seeing the world as "glass half empty" and influencing change towards negative outcomes? Your outlook on life, when you enter spaces, the compassion you have for yourself, the way that you see your story -- that influences the way that others see their stories. And the way you see the world impacts and influences others in how they see the world. What if you entered the spaces where you have influence and you chose to create positive change and you influenced others to join you? What could happen? What kind of change could you create? I bet the possibilities are endless! Use your power for good today.

I'll meet you here tomorrow.

Hey Friend,
Today I want you to think about the places you go everyday. Do you go to school? Do you go to work? Do you go to community places, like church? What friends do you hang out with? Where are you online? Who do you encounter? And then think about the people. Think about the people at those places. The sports teams that you're on, those who are younger than you, those who are older than you. Do you see their faces? These are the places where you have influence. These are the places where your story and your life rubs up against someone else's. You know, everyone has hard parts in their story. Everyone struggles with who they are. It's the nature of life. It's part of the journey in finding out who we are and how we add value to the world around us. We get to help each other on this journey. So as you're becoming more aware of yourself and more compassionate with yourself you also get to spread that to the places where you exist. How can you be more aware of the people around you? Maybe their joys, their pains, their questions, their struggles. Can you create safe space for others? Can you picture those people? How can you be an encourager today? How can promote authenticity in the places you show up? This is where connection happens. Where connection happens, community happens. And where community happens, change happens. Change for the good. You can be a part of that. You ARE a part of that. Your story matters in the places where you have influence today.

I'll see you tomorrow.