This is an open letter to all those people who have helped me find myself. To those close friends who found me when I was lost and at my lowest, for the ex-boyfriends who put me there, and for the friend who faded out of my life, but showed me that it’s okay to outgrow relationships as you travel down different paths in life. Thank you for being a vital part in showing me the importance of reflecting on both yourself and the people around you, on determining what is important in life and focusing on those goals even if they cause you to stray away from your previous path, for showing me that change is good, and that setbacks are just a chance to reinvent yourself and learn something new about the person you want to be in life.
Thank you for loving me when I was lost.
Before I learned to find myself, I was more lost than I can explain. I was far from the unique, hard headed, confident woman I am today. I was constantly searching for a way to fill the void because I was afraid to be alone with myself. Mainly I was afraid of being myself. I was scared of what being myself would entail, and that fear caused my life to be a natural disaster of bad decisions and misplaced hope. Even though dealing with my endless array of crises was never easy, thank you for standing with me and being what I needed even when I had no idea what that was.
Thank you for seeing my potential before I ever saw it in myself.
You always saw the woman inside me even when I never saw her. When all I presented you with was a lost, confused girl, you saw the strong, unique, and bright woman within her. You constantly pushed me to reach for more, step outside of my boundaries, claim what I wanted for myself, and grow into someone made of much more than just her fears and apprehensions. You constantly put me in positions that challenged me to determine what I was made of and what I felt like I deserved. Without you, I would have never been strong enough to stand on my own and let go of the toxic habits and people in my life. Thank you for showing me that woman you saw every day and inspiring me to be as spectacular as you believed me to be. Without you, I would have never been strong enough to stand on my own and let go of the toxic habits and people in my life. Thank you for showing me that woman you saw every day and inspiring me to be as spectacular as you believed me to be.
Thank you for giving me the strength and support to find the real me
Letting go of who you think you are without knowing who you might become is terrifying. That fear of the unknown you lie inside of the woman you currently are making finding yourself even harder since you never know who she might turn out to be. I had to learn to forget about everyone else, and focus on what made me happy and who I wanted to be. When you make that kind of change, you never know who you could lose in the process. Searching for who I wanted to be was much easier knowing that I had you to support me regardless of who I became. Knowing that I would never have to stand alone made it easier to move forward. Even now that I have grown as a person, that strength you gave me to become who I truly wanted to be has made it possible to stop being afraid of what lies ahead and embrace who I am.
Finding yourself is never easy, but it is always necessary. It is a continuous journey and that’s okay. It’s okay to take time for yourself and it’s okay to be selfish sometimes. I know that now because of you. Thank you for teaching me that every person who walks into your life teaches you something that no other person could have. Thank you for teaching me that it is always okay to be yourself no matter who that causes you to lose or gain through the journey of life, and that no matter how well you think you know yourself, you are never truly found.
