Consider This My Two Weeks Notice
Retiring From The Position Of ‘my Own Worst Enemy’
Today I am sharing a new video of my poemish-letter, “TO WHOM IT DEFINITELY CONCERNS” published in my book ‘You Better Be Lighting’. My partner Meg is a fantastic writer and teacher and she gave me this prompt: write a resignation letter for anything in your life you’d like to quit. The first line I wrote? “Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am resigning from the position of My Own Worst Enemy.” I can hear y’all throwing a retirement party for me right now! I can taste the cake! Someone turn up the music! I quit that job FOREVER.
Even if you don’t identify as a writer, I can’t recommend this exercise enough. It was so much fun to play with. And it was also wildly revealing––I saw sides of myself I hadn’t known existed. In fact, I had no idea how often I’d been my own worst enemy until I began writing. And whoa, did I have some idea after.
A few moments in the piece I’d love to unpack further:
“I had no idea that holding myself back would be contagious. I would like to have a different kind of impact on the future company I keep.”
I’ve been learning more and more about the ways my relationship with myself impacts those around me, and vice versa. We are each other’s teachers and teach by example. Whenever I’m around someone who is very kind to themselves I notice the way I speak to myself is more tender. Knowing that, I recognize that being genuinely good to myself is an offering to others as well.
“I have no idea where I learned ‘punching in’ is a literal term.”
Ok, I partied when I wrote that line. Was super proud of the sentiment. Being my own worst enemy was like beating the living daylights out of myself, constantly. And I prefer to keep the living daylights inside of me. I prefer to be wholly unbruised by myself. Life has enough knuckles already. No need to add my own to the hurt.
“Turns out there are no benefits when the co-pay is your life.”
In the heat of a hard moment it often feels like there are benefits to being brutally hard on oneself. We think, If I’m kind to myself how will I ever grow into a better version of myself? I understand why we think that. But for me, I know the opposite to be true. The kinder I am to myself, the faster I change for the better.
“I am unwilling to train a replacement in this position. It is my suggestion that the job be eliminated altogether and that no future person take on the task.”
The position of My Own Worst Enemy is not one I want anyone to have. My dream is that we all acquire full time positions as Our Own Best Friends. I hear it pays well in laughter, sweetness, and fun.
What roles in your life are you ready to resign from? Or, if you’d like to try another one of Meg’s prompts, you can write an acceptance speech for a fictional award, an imagined commencement speech for a future generation, a permission slip for you or someone else, maybe even a verse for your own kind of bible. Meg will be posting writing prompts + tips for all of National Poetry Month on TikTok, Instagram, & Facebook.
Love, Andrea 🖤
C.E.O of My Own Best Friend
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