Nobody ever says it... nobody wants to be that person. I learned that if you talk about your insecurities, the majority of people don't want to listen and accuse you of pitying yourself. Sometimes it's just best to keep your mouth shut.

"I don't feel like I belong here" is a thought that has crossed the mind of just about anyone who has never felt good enough in a situation. This may apply to a large portion of people initially, but most people don't put much thought into it after the thought occurs because they aren't insecure.

My entire life I've dealt with insecurities. Being poor, being skinny, being shy, not having this orthodontist-perfected straight smile — all of these labels I have had to deal with or continue to deal with.

Yeah, you get the "Oh, I don't care how much money you have I just like you for you" talk a lot after you've inevitably failed at covering up on why you aren't eating while you're out with your friends. They don't know that you barely scavenged up the loose change to put gas in your car to meet them there, and that's why you're opting for just a water with the free chips and salsa. No, I'm not actually on a low-carb diet, I'm just broke and don't feel like I belong here while you eat your steak.

I have to thank my mom for turning her life around now and being able to support me in college at this moment and can say I don't have to worry about feeling like that anymore. I am so fortunate to be able to eat three meals a day, because there was a time not too long ago when I didn't have that privilege — thank you, mom.

But, I digress.

That kid who was skinny like a green bean, never talked to girls, didn't have the nice car or decent clothes, and didn't feel like his existence was as valuable as other people... he's still inside of me. Our insecurities have a way of staying dormant, like the moon in the day until nighttime comes at the only thing that you can see is that reflection of insecurity in the moonlight in a world of darkness and depression.

I'm just a small town country boy surrounded by all of these college students that get to travel all over the world with their families, have everything paid for in college (not even on scholarship, but trust funds and savings), and overall live the upper-middle class lifestyle. You know how many vacations I've been on with my parents? None. You know how I paid for college? I busted my ass and got what few in-state scholarships there were because I couldn't afford out-of-state tuition. Everywhere I have traveled has been for business, not pleasure. Oh... to smell the ocean waves and sandy beaches of Cancún.

"Stop complaining and feeling bad for yourself."

No, please let me make my point. It's not about the money, honestly, it's just one thing. I feel like my best is equal to someone else's worst. If I were to succumb to the path that my insecurities laid out for me a long time ago, I wouldn't be where I am now — I would be working a dead-end minimum wage job surrounded by mediocrity and ignorance. A lot of weight was put on my shoulders early on to be the first one to go to college in my family and make something better of myself... and I had to do it nobody else's help.

It's not about where you've been, but where you're going.

"How did you get into working out?"

It's funny how you tell people that you started working out because of sports or some other random reason, and that might've had something to do with it. As I mentioned earlier, I used to be a really skinny kid because I was malnourished for a long time because we didn't have the money to eat as well or frequently as other people. No, it's not fun to talk about but it's the truth as harsh and unappealing as it sounds. When I started my first job, I began working out and paying for my own food.

People ran over me and bullied me when I was younger because I was a small guy. It's basic dominant versus submissive attitudes. But bullying isn't what stung the most. Hearing "Boy, you need to get some meat on your bones" was the single most insecurity-driving comment I never ceased to receive. All of my life I associated being small and skinny with being second-best at everything, so that's why I started working out.

All the working out I've done in the past three years — being bigger, having shredded abs, eating healthy. But I look in the mirror today and still see that insecure boy looking back at me. I still the see the kid who can't smile because he's so insecure about covering up his face... and just when I think I can let my guard down and not be paranoid about it, someone points out the insecurity that haunts me every single day.

I've never had the courage to talk about my insecurities, but I'm at this point in my life where I need to come to terms with myself and the difference between reality and the illusions I create for myself.

Always look for the silver lining.