Shadows and all

Your strengths will bring you external success,
but self-acceptance will make you 

indestructible.
When you show yourself mercy and compassion,
you heal the shame
accumulated by not being
perfect.
The world tries to tell you
that your job is to blame, pretend or punish yourself,
or it tells you,
with nicer words,
to achieve, to fix, to improve.
But you only need to remind yourself
of your goodness
even as you make mistake after mistake,
even as you spot flaw after flaw,
even as you doubt, worry and 

fear.
Not worthy "if" or "when",
just worthy,
always.