Ever realize after quite some time that the way you respond to certain things and how you react to certain situations has you questioning who you are and what happened to the old you. Do you wonder if it’s a bad thing that you act the way you do now – it could be because of what you went through in the past, or it could just be you growing and prospering in who you were meant to be. Maybe the person that you are now is better and stronger than you ever have been, and you needed to bloom by pushing others away to find yourself. It's ok to look back on the person you used to be – it’s ok to remember all the times you were falling apart, and knew you needed to change – you needed to become strong, and conquer everything the world had to offer and throw at you. You can’t be weak – you go through certain things to come out tougher than ever and rise above everyone else. If you ever hear “You are not the same person you used to be,” smile and say “I’m even better than I was – I may be different, but that’s ok.”

I learned to never allow any human being other than myself to tell me that you changing wasn’t a good thing, and that they miss the old you. They try and dig deep to try and “find” the missing you. Brush those comments off your shoulders and don’t allow them to bring your sense of worth down as an individual down the toilet because you started to give up, and not deal with the bullshit. Know that as an individual you can only take so much, and it’s ok to change your actions. Know that as a human, you don’t need to explain yourself to anybody. Nobody needs to know any of your business. Don’t allow someone to make you feel bad for making some life changes that can soon better your life in the future. Don’t explain to someone why you are the way you are – if they are asking, they obviously had some reason to the changes. If it pertains to them, they shouldn’t be that worried and they shouldn’t miss the old you because you tried giving them the old you, and they took advantage of that or didn’t appreciate how you were before.

It’s ok to be you. It’s ok to push others away when needed. It’s okay to push the negativity aside and do you. Never be afraid to be you, and never be afraid to act differently to the ones who try and suffocate you blooming into who you need to be. Whether you may not feel like it’s the best choice or not, do it anyways and always see the good in your choices and there may be different opportunities or outcomes waiting for you on the other side. Don’t let someone stop you from turning into a beautiful butterfly. What’s meant to be will be, and what’s not won't.

Throughout life you will realize that it’s okay to experience life, and do things that you have never done. It’s okay to be unique and different - don’t let anybody get in the way of who you are and who you want to become. Know that life is full of turns and bumps that allows you to find yourself and dig deeper into the person that you have always been. Never be bummed, or upset – changes are GOOD. Just because someone thinks badly of you – doesn't mean that you are a bad person - maybe they finally saw the bad in themselves, and are now taking it out on you. Don't ever allow someone to degrade your self-worth because they are not happy with themselves.