At the end of 2020 I asked my clients a question. “What advice would you give now, to your younger self then?” I only questioned clients who I have been working with for at least the entire year, and clients who have been working at least as intensively but for a shorter duration. In other words, those who are really working hard. Here are their responses in all their beautiful glory. Definitely fit to get you through 2021. I am so proud of all my clients. Well done.

In their words…

K.C. – “Lighten up and have more fun.â€

R.C.H. – “Make a list of important books to read and then read them. Don’t only read what you want.â€

D.G. – “Take care of yourself physically. Strength and health lost is harder to gain.â€

B.A. – “Learn how to love and accept yourself. Don’t look to others for self-worth and validation.†

P.R. – “Question everything and draw your own conclusions.â€

G.I. – “Don’t ever commit to a relationship in high school. Learn how to have a healthy relationship with yourself.â€

K.P. – “Love is worth the risk of grief.†

M.M. – “Trust yourself much less.â€

P.F. – “Be kind to yourself, you were never fat, you were always pretty, and it’s okay to not do everything perfectly the first time.†

B.H. – “It’s okay to have your own best interests at heart and seek out help even when you have been raised to tough it out.†

A.H. – “Don’t be afraid to try things, do things, and meet people because those will be the best experiences of your life.â€

N.T. – “Trust your instincts, you have them for a reason.â€

J.N. – “You can’t make people kind.â€

R.G. – “Other people’s happiness and success is not your responsibility.â€

A.B. – “Don’t worry about what others think and don’t put limits on yourself because you will still be loved, even when you fail.â€

S.W. – “Trust God more and don’t stress out over ambiguous and uncertain moments.†

J.H. “Keep life simple and do not follow the world. Jesus is your savior.â€

A.H. – “In the moment it feels so big to disappoint your parents, but in the end only you have to sleep at night with the choices you make.â€

A.S. – “Don’t wait to explore and pursue your faith.â€

E.S. – “Don’t take life too seriously.â€

S.S. – “Have kids young, your family, your tribe, is everything.â€

J.K. – “Go after what you want and get counseling to help you process it all.â€

A.S. – “Quit smoking, drinking, and tripping on acid.â€

A.V. – “Be nice to yourself and get a therapist during college.â€

T.M. – “You’ll never know how much love is going to hurt you, until it does.â€

A.C. – “You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.†

M.B. – “Polyvagal Therapy.â€

H.M. – “It’s okay to be different. Stick up for yourself. You are strong. You will be okay.â€

K.S. – “Hope that things can get better. Work hard, harder than you think you can, and have a little bit of luck too.â€

R.G. – “Your worth is not based on how useful you are to others.â€

E.M. – “Move more. You’re not alone. Make decisions.â€

C.K. – “It’s not your job to make everyone feel okay and you need to find a good counselor now.†

Thank you to my amazing clients for a beautiful year of hard work, welcome change, and tremendous healing.

-Jeremy…