Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else

Ugh, I hesitate to write this post in fear that it'll be really cliche, but here goes anyway.

There are a lot of things that make me different from everyone else. Just the combination of things I've experienced over the course of my twenty-two years of life have contributed to what makes me "different." And it'll continue to be that way.

I grew up with this unwarranted insecurity that I wasn't good enough, that I always had to prove something to someone, but that in the end no one would care anyway. After so many bouts of depression, as a result of the so-called haters, the unhealthy relationships, the perceived failures, and that same old insecurity that haunted me, something finally kicked in and I started to let myself grow up, grow into what I am now.

Going into college was such a beautiful thing for me, because not only was it 500 miles away from my comfort zone, but it led me to meet people who would help me see that I'm worth something. Of course I was still plagued by the haters and the failed relationships, but my past experiences helped me through them.

I can't even go into how messed up things have been growing up, where it got to the point where I really believed that my life wasn't worth living, but without it I wouldn't be as strong and independent as I am today. I know a lot of people still doubt me, still talk their smack, but these days I just don't let it phase me.

I've accomplished a lot but I don't ever forget where I came from.

I definitely owe a lot to my amazingly supportive and loving family, the best friends that I've kept and made, and my faith for bringing me here. I still have soooo much to learn and so much to experience, but I've got enough determination and motivation to get myself where I want and need to be.

Anyway, I'm sure everyone has their own story that defines them, that sets them apart, but this is just a part of mine. I won't go into it more than I have, because it's much too personal, but that's it. Cliched or not, it is what it is.

& I wouldn't change a thing (: