Keep shining. Don’t let them put you out.

The things that make us who we are: our thoughts, our feelings, our dreams and aspirations, our values and our ethics. Everyone is different; they see things and feel things and experience the same life — completely differently.

I like to believe that I’ve spent a strong chunk of time intentionally discovering who I was and what I stood for. I’ve understood my past and how it has made me who I am and act the way I do. I am consistently checking in with myself and using my knowledge of that to work to become a better person.

I am not perfect. I am nowhere fucking close.

But I know that I am kind.
I am compassionate.
I am positive and optimistic.
I love deeply.
I will disregard myself if it means trying to help someone else.

I am strong.

That alternate perspective that everyone has? The one that is vastly different from one person to the next? It has a strong influence. It can change you. You might even let it dim your own. You know who you are. You stand for something. You represent you.

I love deeply. I see the best in people even when I am only shown the worst. There’s something in me that feels like I have to be the strong one so that the other can have the opportunity to heal themselves. I have done my work up until where I am in life, and perhaps others haven’t caught up yet. I guess I want to feel like I am positively impactful in the growth of someone else. I want to water them and nurture them. I want us to find ourselves with the help of each other.

The catch? We both have to want it. We didn’t both want it. Butttt… you know what I did? Hung on and hoped for the best.

‘They’re broken. They know it. I feel it.’
‘Broken people deserve to be loved too.’
‘You will get hurt.’
‘Better me than someone who can’t handle it.’
‘You can’t be yourself.’
‘I’ll be whoever I need to be.’

Keep your best friends close. They care. They saved you. They love you when you forget to love yourself.

Feel the feelings. Look for the light. Be kind. Be gentle.

Learn.

Keep shining. They can’t put you out.