You are no joke.

We kicked off this month with the ever-popular (or not-so-popular depending on which side of the jokes you were on) April Fools’ Day. And as we wrap up April, I still have jokes on my mind. On that nutty day just 30 days back, I hope no one got you too bad and that you didn’t lose any friends if you are the prankster in your bunch.

My guess is that there were enough jokes to go around.

But some jokes don’t stop there. That’s why I wanted to come to you today and make sure you aren’t fooled by some of the nonsense the world tries to tell you.

Our social media feeds, tv/streaming ads, and shoot our friends and family will try to tell us that we aren’t good enough as we are at this very moment.

They are sneaky, though, and they don’t just come out and say, “Friend, you aren’t enough.”

They slide it into the words they use, the promises they make, and the stories they tell that if only you had x, y or z, then you would finally be all that you could or should be — smarter, smaller, prettier, calmer, less stressed, more confident, more organized or more successful.

Don’t let them fool you, friend.

You and your beautiful self are no joke. You are wonderful and unique. You are awkward and quirky in your special way. You are growing and evolving.

You are perfect (or perfectly imperfect), just as you are right at this very moment.

You don’t need anything that societal norms try and push to fool you into self-doubt or comparison.

But you do owe yourself one thing. And can you guess what it is?

GRACE.

And with that grace, you will become the strong-willed woman (or dude, hi guys!) who celebrates yourself and finds joy in the messy process of honoring your truth!

So, wrap up this month knowing you are no joke. You are strong and steady. And when you get off course (because you will if you are human), you can grab hold of the gift of grace. Maybe even find a laugh or two as you course correct.

You got this, friend. But remember, you don’t have to grow alone.