Virginia Satir wrote the following poem after a session with a young client who had a lot of questions about herself and what life meant.
We all have those questions.
But it’s easy to forget and think we’re alone. During a challenging time in my life I read this poem often. It made a profound difference for me.
It spoke straight to my heart, and soothed me.
In a world that could use more love and kindness, I share it with an invitation to be kind – to others and most especially yourself.
I am me.
In all the world, there is no one exactly like me.
There are persons who have some parts like me,
but no one adds up exactly like me.
Therefore, everything that comes out of me
is authentically mine because I alone choose it.
I own everything about me
My body including everything it does;
My mind including all its thoughts and ideas;
My eyes including the images of all they behold;
My feelings whatever they may be…
anger, joy, frustration, love, disappointment, excitement
My Mouth and all the words that come out of it
polite, sweet or rough, correct or incorrect;
My Voice loud or soft.
And all my actions, whether they be to others or 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 all of me I can become intimately acquainted with me.
By doing so I can love me and be friendly with me in all parts.
I can then make it possible for all of me to work in my best interests.
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 in time is me.
This is authentic and represents where I am in that moment in time.
When I review later how I looked and sounded, what I said and did,
And how I thought and felt, some parts may turn out to be unfitting.
I can discard that which is unfitting,
And keep that which proved fitting,
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 people
and things outside of me.
I own me, and therefore I can engineer me.
I am me and I am okay.
Virginia Satir was a renowned author and psychotherapist known especially for her approach to family therapy. Her entire body of work was created under the umbrella of Becoming More Fully Human.
Beautiful, I think I will show this one to my friends and future clients. 🙂
Sandi, you rock!
@EnsoJourney It’s such a beautiful piece, isn’t it? I find it moving every single time I read it.
@Sandi Amorim Truly deep, I think there is always a reason to read it and know there is a way to more forward. I may even print it for the studio lobby! 🙂
I love this Sandi, and this resonates so much with me:
“Therefore, everything that comes out of me is authentically mine because I alone choose it.”
YES! The good, the bad, the ugly – it is me, and I do choose it. Thank you Sandi for the beautiful reminder on kindness, acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, and LOVE.
@MyMiBoSo Every time I read that poem I am moved. It occurs to me as a conscious acceptance of who I am, exactly the way I am and exactly the way I am not. All of it. Perfectly me.
@MyMiBoSo Every time I read that poem I am moved. It occurs to me as a conscious acceptance of who I am, exactly the way I am and exactly the way I am not. All of it. Perfectly me.
This is beautiful, Sandi. In fact, it’s the precise message I needed to hear today. Thank you SO much!
@Sandra Pawula I’m so glad it reached you today then Sandra. xoS
Hey Sandi,
Looovvveee this. I first read it when I thought I understood it. Thanks for the reminder.
Dawn
@Dawn Barclay I’ve read it so many times and I always get something new. Amazing how that works 🙂
@Sandi Amorim There is a video of it with a young girl using it in a Spoken Word. It’s really powerful (great for working with young people), can I find it? No. But when I do, I’ll send you the link so you can decide. Thanks again. Dawn
@Dawn Barclay I actually recorded it (just audio) and have to say there’s something magical about listening to it in my own voice. It’s so reaffirming!
@Dawn Barclay I actually recorded it (just audio) and have to say there’s something magical about listening to it in my own voice. It’s so reaffirming!
Hey Sandi,
Looovvveee this. I first read it when I thought I understood it. Thanks for the reminder.
Dawn
My first thoughts when I read this was about my first Guardian ad Litem case and I was assigned 4 kids from this family. One was a 14 yr old girl and she was really struggling. She was smart and cute but in a totally dysfunctional family. She struggled mightily trying to find her own way; she was a ‘cutter’; running away and shacking up w/ men; drugs, you name it.
I wanted so hard to let her know she was ‘ok’, but I’m afraid her issues were much deeper than me just talking with her would solve.
What a tough time indeed it was for her. The case has since closed so I don’t know if there is a success story in there or not, but sometimes they just have to survive the silliness before they can truly be comfortable with themselves.
Not exactly uplifting, but this made me think of her.
@bdorman264 Not every story has a happy ending unfortunately. Hopefully she will have found something to lift and sustain her Bill. I didn’t go through anything like what you described, so it’s not quite the same, but somehow that poem always reached out and made a difference.
@bdorman264 Not every story has a happy ending unfortunately. Hopefully she will have found something to lift and sustain her Bill. I didn’t go through anything like what you described, so it’s not quite the same, but somehow that poem always reached out and made a difference.
My first thoughts when I read this was about my first Guardian ad Litem case and I was assigned 4 kids from this family. One was a 14 yr old girl and she was really struggling. She was smart and cute but in a totally dysfunctional family. She struggled mightily trying to find her own way; she was a ‘cutter’; running away and shacking up w/ men; drugs, you name it.
I wanted so hard to let her know she was ‘ok’, but I’m afraid her issues were much deeper than me just talking with her would solve.
What a tough time indeed it was for her. The case has since closed so I don’t know if there is a success story in there or not, but sometimes they just have to survive the silliness before they can truly be comfortable with themselves.
Not exactly uplifting, but this made me think of her.