When that little voice says, “You messed up again,”
Remember every tear you ever wiped,
Every knee you ever dusted off,
Every broken heart you ever mended,
Every disaster you ever fixed,
So someone else could be put back together.

When that little voice says, “You lost it again,”
Remember all the times you waited outside the school doors,
waited in the audience,
waited on the sidelines,
waited in the waiting room,
waited in the freezing cold,
So someone else could be found.

When that little voice says, “You can do better,”
Remember all the times you put someone’s needs before your own,
Sacrificed sleep so someone else could rest,
Pushed away hunger so someone else could eat,
Gave everything you ever had,
So someone else could succeed.

When that little voice says, “You’re missing out,”
Remember when you juggled a million things so you could be there,
When you smiled through your exhaustion,
When you crawled in bed at midnight,
When you held a shaking hand,
So someone else could feel unalone.

When that little voice says, “You’re ugly,”
Remember all the times you pushed your body beyond its limits.
When you endured the pain,
When you bore the weight,
When you ripped,
When you healed,
When you survived,
So someone else could live.

When that little voice says, “You’re a failure,”
Remember all the times you protected,
You advocated,
You prayed,
You offered to lay down your life,
So someone else could be sheltered.

When that little voice says, “You might as well give up,”
Remember all the times you believed,
You encouraged,
You supported,
You rose to your feet and cheered at the top of your lungs,
So someone else could overcome.

When that little voice says, “No one needs you,”

Remember this: Someone does.

Someone counts on you to be there when he wakes up,
When she goes to sleep,
When he is scared,
When she is happy,
When he is sad.

Someone counts on you to be there.

Not perfect.
Not yell-free.
Not toned, fit, and styled.

To be there.

Not always calm.
Not always smiling.
Not always pretty.

To be there.

Trying and sometimes failing, but getting back up and trying again,
Hoping to do a little better than the day before.
So when that little voice says, “It’s not enough.”

Gather all the strength you have in your weary soul and say these words loud and clear, once and for all:

I am here.
I am here.
Someone is counting on me to be here, and I am.

I am.

So take that, Inner Critic. Nobody's throwing in the towel today.

Only Love Today, Rachel Macy Stafford's newly released bestseller, is a non-structured, read anytime/anywhere source of encouragement for busy individuals. If you want to provide what your loved ones need but are unsure of where to start … if your life feels joyless, overwhelming, stressful, and empty and you don’t know how to change … if you’re hungry for small doses of positivity to combat the negativity in you or around you, ONLY LOVE TODAY offers a 2-minute reset for a day that is starting to go off the rails. Read, reset, and be reminded to love. Rachel overcame her inner bully with "Only love today," and now you can too. Join Rachel's supportive community at The Hands Free Revolution.

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