Capable

Recently, a woman I admire deeply looked me straight in the eyes and said:
“One thing I know about you is that you are capable. You are one of the most capable women I know.”
That stopped me in my tracks.
See, little Kristine never really heard that. I have never been made to truly feel like I do things well—or that I do them right. I have spent so much of my life striving for approval, feeling like I was either already in trouble or about to be. The feeling of never being enough, never being good enough, runs deep.
And for a long time, I was terrified that I had unknowingly passed that feeling on to my own children. That they, too, might have inherited this quiet fear of not measuring up. The weight of generational trauma is heavy, and while I can’t undo the past, I can work to break the cycle. I can choose to do better, to be better—not just for myself, but for them.
So hearing someone—someone I look up to—say, out loud, that they see me as capable? That hit deep. Words like that don’t just land; they sink in. They breathe life into parts of me that still need healing.
Healing that inner child takes time. It takes patience. It takes work. But moments like this remind me how powerful it is when we speak truth into others. Because we all have things we need to hear.
So if you see something good in someone—say it.
Affirm them.
Remind them of their strength, their resilience, their capability.
Because you never know which part of their heart needs that reminder. And you never know just how much healing a few honest words can bring.
Peace,
#tutulady
#forwardisapace