Me…

Who am I? This is the question I askmyself everyday and for the past 25 years I really haven’t had the answer. With my 26th birthday coming up, I think I have finally hit the nail on the head. I am a thinker, a giver, a little crazy, too sensitive, empathetic…I am me. For years I was too much for most people, not enough for some and unsure of how I saw myself because I only saw myself through the skewed vision of those who did not truly understand who I was. Before I realized that I wasn’t like everyone else, I was the most confident little girl you could find…when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I simply stated, “I don’t have to be anything because I’m beautiful.” As the world slowly closed in on me and the opinions of others started to slowly chip away at that self confidence I found myself conforming to the mold of what society told me I had to be. Don’t be too loud, don’t speak your mind and don’t give others a reason to dislike you. The fear of people not liking me was greater than any other fear I could imagine and even after 25 years I’m still afraid people won’t like me. I challenge that fear everyday and from this day forward I vow to never close myself off, never be less than I am and never allow anyone I know to not be their true authentic self. No one is required to like you or love you with the exception of yourself and that is a reminder I tell myself daily. So today, choose you, be you, find you.